Blog - Alison's Notebook

An open dresser drawer with folded winter sweaters beside a stack of old diaries, flowered notebooks and a bundle of letters tied with string

My Diaries, My Letters, My Choice: What I’m Sorting Now So Nobody Has to Wonder

Last Sunday afternoon, my husband was out in the garage, and the house was still. I sat down on the edge of our bed and opened the bottom drawer of …

A pile of fall mailings, window envelopes and booklets on a wooden kitchen table beside a cup of tea and reading glasses

Decluttering for Women Over 65: What to Clear at Medicare Age

The envelope had a little blue window and big red letters on the front. “Important Medicare Information Enclosed.” It was addressed to me. I’m not even 65 yet. By the …

Woman over 70 with a silver-gray short layered bob, smiling in a rose sweater in her living room

21 Hair Styles For Women Over 70 (Easy And Flattering)

Has your hair changed a lot over the years? Maybe it feels thinner on top. Maybe it’s softer, drier, or a brand new shade of silver. That’s normal after 70. …

A wicker basket overflowing with holiday catalogs and envelopes on a small wooden table by the front door, with reading glasses beside it

Stopping Holiday Catalogs and Credit Card Offers Before They Fill the Mail Basket

Every year, the week after Halloween, the catalogs start coming. First it’s one or two. Then it’s a stack every day, with shiny covers, red bows, and sweaters I would …

Woman over 60 in dark barrel jeans, a black turtleneck, an open camel coat and black loafers on a leafy sidewalk in the fall

How To Wear Barrel Jeans Over 50 (8 Easy Outfits)

Have you seen barrel jeans and wondered if they’re for you? They have a curved leg that’s roomy at the knee and narrow at the ankle. They look a little …

A silver car parked inside a cleared garage with a clear path to the house door steps, gray metal shelves and frost on the lawn outside

Where to Start Decluttering the Garage After 60 (Short Sessions, No Heavy Lifting)

My husband and I have shared almost everything for forty years. The garage was never one of them. The garage is his space. I made peace with that a long …

A trash bag and a paper donation bag on a kitchen table beside old pens, worn sponges, condiment packets and loose batteries

15 Easy Things Women Over 70 Can Let Go of This Weekend (Nothing Sentimental)

Three bags. That’s what my mother and I filled one Saturday when she was 78. Not one thing in those bags made either of us cry. There were no photos, …

Woman over 50 in a red satin blouse, black wide-leg pants and gold flats holding a gold clutch at a New Year’s Eve party

8 New Year’s Eve Outfits Over 50 (Easy And Festive)

How will you ring in the New Year? Maybe you have dinner plans at a nice restaurant. Maybe friends are having a party. Or maybe you’ll watch the ball drop …

A backyard patio in late fall with patio chairs, a laundry basket, and piles of plastic pots, cracked clay pots and faded cushions to sort

Putting the Patio and Garden Things Away for Winter: What I Keep and What Goes

Last spring, I made a mistake I don’t want to make again. I opened the garage on the first warm day to bring out the patio things. The cushions I …

A gray metal basement shelf full of extra kitchen things: a box of dishes, glass pie plates, casserole dishes, a waffle maker, a fondue pot and a coffee maker

How to Stop Hoarding Dishes and Kitchen Things After 60

“Grandma, why do you have three can openers?” My grandson was helping me carry groceries in. He opened the drawer by the stove to find a pen, and there they …