Our Blog
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What you should and shouldn’t store in your loft
So, what should you keep in the loft? After years of helping people go through mountains of items they have forgotten they own, our advice is simple. The only things…
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Next drop in
Our next drop in at St Mary’s in Balham is on Wednesday 26th November 2025! If you are retired pop in and ask us about health, finance, moving, staying at…
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How many sheets do you really need?
Storing sheets and towels is a problem for everyone! If you have a big home, you’ll have lots of beds and lots of linen and towels. If you have a…
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Christmas countdown planner
We hope this handy planner will help keep you on track during the festive period.
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See it, report it, stop it: Raising awareness of elder abuse
Elder abuse is any form of harm, mistreatment, or exploitation of an older person (over 60). It can manifest as physical, psychological, financial, or sexual abuse, or neglect. This can occur in…
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Festive cleaning tips
A clean, well-presented home makes a lasting impression, whether it’s for a property viewing, a new tenant, or your own family’s comfort. As it is coming up to the busy…
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The benefit of labelling cupboards and drawers
You know where everything is, so why would you bother labelling anything? As you get older, you may find that other people are coming in to help you with things,…
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Planning Future Care
Do join us for our talk on Planning future care, at Milner House in Leatherhead on 19th November 2026.
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Christmas – to host or not to host?
As many of our clients think about downsizing they find that they are worried about ‘who will host Christmas’. In fact, most of the time our clients have been hosting…
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Mary Poppins – are we or aren’t we?
Mary Poppins, the fictional character from P L Travers’ book, is full of delightful contradictions. On the one hand, she’s firm, strict and doesn’t tolerate any nonsense; but on the…
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Taxi card scheme
Did you know that most councils in the UK offer something called a TaxiCard scheme?
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Death admin
When someone dies, there’s a surprising amount of practical and legal ’admin’ to handle — often at a time when you least feel equipped for it. Here’s a clear, structured…
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Why we should all be talking about death more
At Poppy’s, we’re known for having open conversations about death, dying and funerals. Ever since we were founded by Poppy Mardall in 2012, we’ve been passionate about bringing funerals out…
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You’re still the same person if you throw it away!
Throwing something away does not erase who you are. We often cling to objects — old notebooks, broken gadgets, clothes we no longer wear — because they feel like pieces…
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What do stationery and makeup have in common?
Firstly, they are both items that a lot of people have more of than they will ever use, or certainly all of my clients have a glut of one or…
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Silver Saturday!
Join us for games on Saturday 4th October at St Mary and St John the Divine in Balham, followed by lunch. This event is part of the Silver Sunday initiative…
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Changing locks at your home
Did you know, it’s not an insurance requirement to change the locks on your home when you move. But think about it.
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Your home move survival kit
When you move home, there are some things you are going to need, or will need to think about knowing where they are.
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The worst part of a home move
For me, in my past life as a serial renter, it was always the ‘not knowing’ where I would live next. You are given notice on your flat, or you…
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Organising travel items
Tempting as it often is to keep travel plugs and adapters with other electricals, or holiday toiletries with other toiletries, there are mountains of these things, as well as clothing,…
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The ‘put me away’ basket
Mess, clutter, untidiness, disarray, muddle, jumble – whatever you call it, some people live well in this environment and some people don’t. If you’re like me, you can tolerate a…
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Do I need a Lasting Power of Attorney?
This month’s guest blog is written by Katheirne Carroll from Peacock & Co Solicitors. Most people realise that they need to put a Will in place but whilst this sets…
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One in, one out!
No one has an infinite amount of space in their home. And most people tend to acquire ‘stuff’, given that we live more and more in the age of consumerism.
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Giving something away day
The 15th July is ‘national give something away day’ in the US. Well, of course, this is something we approve of, even if it is not ‘observed’ in the UK. …
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Who are we?
It’s quite difficult for people to know what we are and what we do, but we have years of experience in supporting people. We are all of the following things…
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Why we love Olio
The app was originally designed to stop food going to waste, but it is used for lots of additional things now like toiletries, household cleaning products, toys, small bits of…
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Is It Okay If I Look In Your Knicker Drawer?
Decluttering, organising and supporting clients with downsizing means they share a lot of personal information with me.
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Heat Pumps – A Smart Choice for Older People
As we get older, comfort, safety, saving money, and environmental considerations become more important in our homes.
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National Best Friend’s Day
We know that people who are lonely in retirement have a significant risk of dementia with some studies showing as much as a 25-40% increased risk.
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Safe calls to your bank
Spoofing is a deceptive practice where an attacker disguises their identity or the source of a communication to appear as a trusted entity, often to gain access to sensitive information, steal…