5 OPTIONS FOR DEALING WITH YOUR KIDS’ STUFF AFTER THEY MOVE OUT

Empty Nesters, opportunity awaits! Your kids have all moved out and your chance to reclaim some space has arrived. You may have been secretly planning your redecorating strategy for some time. It’s OK, no need to feel guilty. You’ve waited long enough for this day, and at considerable cost – both financially and personally. So let’s consider some ways to reward yourself, and even help others.

Here’s a list of five options for dealing with your kids’ stuff after they’ve moved out:

1. Donate – Goodwill Industries or the Salvation Army are a couple of good options that can make good use of those items you don’t want to hang onto or store away. Why not put those clothes to good use and spare some other parents the expense of keeping their offspring in $100 jeans?
2. Have a Yard Sale – You can help finance that vacation you’ve been holding off, by selling those items at a yard sale. Just don’t expect to actually get 100 bucks for those jeans. Make sure and put the furniture in the sale too. Now that you have them out of the house, you could use the money from the sale to redecorate their room.
3. Consignment Stores – This option is sort of a cross between the previous two. A consignment store will put your merchandise on display and sell it for you (you can negotiate pricing beforehand). They’re an appealing alternative to retail stores for the family on a tight budget, and will save you the hassle of setting up and manning a yard sale at your house.
4. Put it in Storage – Provided you’ve got either the space of your own, or the money to pay for storage, this option allows for the kids to reclaim those items that they may not have had room for when they moved out. There are definitely going to be things that you don’t want to give away or sell. It’s ok to hold on to it for awhile. They want to pass those baseball cards and matchbook cars down to their boys someday.
5. Build a Shrine – Be honest. You miss them already. And you just know that eventually they’ll be moving back in. You’re a parent and it’s natural to have a hard time letting go. So face it, you’ll keep their rooms and closets just the way they left them. And you are very right about the moving back in part. At least once, they’ll be back for a few months or weeks. You might as well have it ready for them.

Whichever option you choose, just make sure that you and your spouse savor this time to be just a couple again. You never know when your kids’ old rooms are going to be filled with grand-kids and their toys. See? So many more memories for you to make after all.

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