Estate clean-up

Wish me luck. This weekend I am meeting with Tom's siblings at their mother's apartment as we will be clearing it out since she has unfortunately moved to a nursing home. She was quite a hoarder and there will be a lot of stuff to simply bag and get ready for the dumpster. We will leave things for an auctioneer if he in fact wants them. The facility where my mother-in-law lives will take out any furniture she leaves for a fee per item. And there is a charge per bag. It will all be very expensive and she is down to her last dollars and we are applying for her to go on Medicaid.

Has anyone been through something like this before? It must be very common with old folks but I've never heard any stories or had any experiences with something like this. We brought some clothes, furniture, and paintings to her room in the nursing home but it feels positively chilling to reduce someone to a mere few items and wait for them to go to their reward in heaven.

Any thoughts!

Constance wrote:Any thoughts!

Get a box of contractor trash bags. Make three piles...trash, good stuff to give away and stuff to save.

After you get everything separated take the rest of the day off and than go back the day before trash day and finish up.

I use to be a junkman for fun and a little profit and did alot of cleanouts. I don't drink but would say bring a small stach of alcohol and if things get stressful take a beer brake.

After Chinese school I and Madeleine and Elisabeth met the siblings up at Starr's and they had already done most of the work of emptying closets and drawers. I was amazed that what I thought would take two days was done in about 3/4 of a day. We filled and filled garbage bags ruthlessly. We saved all the family photos and some ornaments and my step-sister-in-law Pam dismanted a metal bookcase/display case and she and I met at Starr's nursing home on Sunday am and put up the display case and decorated her room with what we had brought down from her apt.

We have to be out of the apt by Oct 31. I was very lucky just now to find an auctioneer on my first call who can come pick up the 27 items in the apt (chairs, beds, loveseat, cabinets, armoires, TV) later this week. This is a huge relief.

PS: Look every where...hoarders hide $$$ !