Clutter Contessa

🗣 IMPORTANT information to get your affairs in order‼️

💰Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own.

🏡 TOD = Transfer On Death deed if you own a home. Completing this document and filing it with your county saves your heirs THOUSANDS. This document allows you to transfer ownership of your home to your designee. All they need to do is take their ID and your death certificate to the county building and the deed is signed over. Doing this will avoid the home having to go through probate.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Living Will: Allows one to put in writing exactly what you want done in the event you cannot speak for yourself when it comes to healthcare decisions as well as other final decisions.

👩🏽‍⚖️Durable Power of Attorney: Allows one to designate a person to make legal decisions if you are no longer competent to do so.

🏥Power of Attorney for Healthcare: This document allows one to designate someone to make healthcare decisions for them.

🛍Last Will and Testament: Designates to whom personal belongings will go to.

🪦Funeral Planning Declaration: Allows one to say exactly one’s wishes as far as disposition of the body and the services.
If the above documents are done, you can AVOID probate.
If all the above is not done, you have to open an estate account at the bank. All money that doesn’t have direct beneficiaries goes into this account. You have to have an attorney to open the estate account. The attorney also has to publicize your passing in the newspaper or post publication at the county courthouse, to allow anyone to make a claim on your property. - It’s a complete PAIN.

📚 💳Make a list of all banks and account numbers, all investment institutions with account numbers, lists of credit cards, utility accounts, etc. Leave clear instructions as to how and when these things are paid.

Make sure heirs know where life insurance policies are located. 📂

📝Make 100% sure SOMEONE knows your Apple ID, bank ID account logins and passwords!

🚗 Make sure you have titles for all vehicles, campers, etc!
Set up a TRUST for intended beneficiaries, especially those that are too young, and appoint a trustee of said trust.
MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!! - Talk with those closest to you and make all your wishes KNOWN. Talk to those whom you’ve designated, as well as those close to you whom you did not designate. - Do this to explain why your decisions were made and to avoid any lingering questions or hurt feelings.

⚡️Hope this helps! ⚡️Hope this lights a spark to encourage all your friends and family to take care of these things to make it easier for those we all leave behind!

My hope is that the above list at least helps you start an important conversation with your loved ones...
(REPOST-I DID) and it’s a very necessary conversation

I just made my first 20 sales on Etsy!! Very humbled and grateful for the support! https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClutterContessa?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

My dad, a psychologist, sent this to me and I thought you all might enjoy!

https://sopapa.libsyn.com/why-clutter-stresses-us-out-with-joseph-ferrari-phd?fbclid=IwAR0y5BR995vdimUwuEu8RdNqqlFXdA89ewxsrT4EJmSQGhnZGg4QR8YzDeg

Speaking of Psychology: Why clutter stresses us out, with Dn. Joseph Ferrari, PhD Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by all your stuff? If so, you're not alone. In recent years, a thriving decluttering industry has sprung up to help us deal with our ever-accumulating piles of things. Dn. Joseph Ferrari, PhD, of DePaul University, talks about why we accumulate so much stuff and why...

Had such a great time getting to know this husband and wife over my time with them! We have so much in common. Their closet is now neat and tidy with a home for everything. They bought a new dresser and we organized it as well. Look forward to going back soon to tackle another space in their home.

Another pantry project this week. Our client and her son worked tirelessly before we showed up to organize. They cleared out the pantry and purged like crazy!! We came in to organize, label and finalize placement. Quick and easy project.

Today we worked with a new client! We love new clients. She wanted to tidy up her drop zone (a collection space of random items), some kitchen cabinet space and a way to organize her kids pool toys. In just a few short hours we made a lot of progress and left her with a lot of extra useable space.

Our sweet client and friend needed a pantry re-fresh! She has a pull out unit in the kitchen and a larger pantry on the side of the kitchen. We purged a ton of expired items and re-set her decorating/entertaining items. She wasn't interested in a lot of baskets and bins, but instead wanted like items grouped together for easy access. We accomplished her goal!

We really enjoyed working with this client! She's a personal friend and just moved from Frisco to Plano. Every project has it's challenges, but this one was different because we didn't have a chance to see her previous closet before it was packed for the new house. Being visual it can be hard to not know what's coming to mentally prepare for where it's going to go in the new space. We unpacked everything and got to puzzle piece it all together into her closet. So, no before pics because the closet was empty. We love a challenge and think it turned out beautifully!

Food expiration info from Clutter Contessa!

Great article about de-cluttering and possibly a different approach than many people consider.

https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/questions-to-ask-before-decluttering?utm_campaign=realsimple_realsimple&utm_content=manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=62e95471c5f2d200019b7518&fbclid=IwAR2vBJtvpAxZEySzYmjaHMo6oygphycJsiAFaFYRPi75JrbXw5Es7SKc2oM&fs=e&s=cl

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Get Rid of Anything Ask yourself these five questions as you declutter and organize your entire home. Professional organizer Shira Gill teaches us how to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.