Choosing to move into a retirement community is often an easy decision compared to the task of downsizing from a larger home into smaller quarters. Many people find themselves at a standstill trying to determine what family treasures to keep, sell or gift. It’s a challenging time that takes both a physical and emotional toll. To help ease the burden, here are some tips on how to cull through your possessions and make the best choices as to what stays and what goes.
1-Start early and take your time. Going through a lifetime of possessions is an overwhelming job and takes a lot longer than most people anticipate. You won’t accomplish this in one day or even a single weekend. Plan on a few weeks to a month or two as a reasonable time frame. Rather than rushing through the process, you might want to take some time to reminisce. It’s okay to take a break to look through those vacation photos, soccer trophies and once- treasured toys. You might even need to shed a few tears or step away for a while. That’s okay too as long as you eventually get back on track and finish the job you started.
2-Consider your new home and what you actually have space for. Moving from a large family home into a smaller cottage meant for one or two people requires eliminating quite a few possessions and most likely entire rooms of furniture. If there are rooms such as a dining room or extra bedroom that aren’t in your new home’s floorplan, letting go of the items in those rooms should be relatively easy. Once you’ve gotten rid of the obvious, take measurements of the rooms you have in your new home to determine how much space you have to work with. Next, look at the furnishings you’d like to keep. Will these items fit your space and your new lifestyle or do you still need to downsize? Many organizing professionals suggest that you keep only the furnishings that you absolutely love. Not only will you have a pleasing environment, but this also helps reduce the potential for clutter.
3-Get rid of duplicates and items you never or rarely use. Do you really need three sets of dishes or an entire drawer of wooden spoons? And, how about that wok and pressure cooker? You’re not going to miss items that you’re not using. Go ahead and toss them. They’re doing little more than taking up valuable space.
4-Be ruthless. Only make Yes or No piles. Forget the Maybes. Make a pact with yourself that you will only keep the items you really need or want and let the others go. Forget that maybe pile – the one that you create for the items you’d like to keep if you have space. By allowing yourself to fall into this trap, you run the risk of ending up with a maybe pile that’s larger than the other two. Worse yet, you would have done nothing more than
relocate all that stuff from one part of the room to another. Take a hard look at everything you pick up. If you use it regularly and expect to use it in your new home, then keep it. However, if it’s been sitting in a box in the attic or the back of a closet or cupboard, it should be easy to let it go.
5-What to do once you’ve sorted. Once you’ve sorted through your possessions and chosen those you’d like to keep, the next step is finding a home for what’s left. First, toss the garbage and shred any papers that contain personal information. Then, invite your family to take a look at what’s left and allow them to take the items they like. After your family and maybe a few friends have taken what they want, it’s time to sell what you can. It’s usually less expensive to sell your discarded items on your own if you have the time. On-line services such as Craigslist, Ebay and Facebook provide a great forum for listing your possessions. You can also try smartphone apps, yard sales, and consignment shops. While each venue has its own drawbacks and can be time-consuming, they do provide you with a way to get rid of your items and make a bit of money in the process. Keep in mind
that this could take awhile and if you’re overwhelmed by the thought, then definitely talk with a company that handles estate sales.
Finally, if there’s anything left, donate it. There are lots of charitable organizations that would be happy to take your items. Check out a few, pick your favorite and give them a call. Some will even come and pick up your stuff.
By following these tips and staying on task, it won’t be long before you find yourself situated in your new home surrounded by the things you love the most.
