You’ve embarked on the retirement life of your dreams, a goal you worked toward for decades. Now, you’re free to pursue the activities and pastimes you want. Or so you thought. Lately, it seems like something’s holding you back from that carefree dream. And you’re pretty sure what the problem is–your home.
If your home is giving you less satisfaction than the time, money, and energy it requires from you, then downsizing is a great way to right your course. That said, home downsizing can be an intimidating undertaking.
Home Downsizing Costs and Benefits
The end goal of downsizing is to make your life better, but the road to success isn’t bump free. Home downsizing costs include
- Physical labor: Sorting through your belongings can be a lot of work!
- Tricky logistics: How to discard, organize, and pack things at the same time can be a puzzle.
- Emotional stress: It’s hard to get rid of things in which you’ve invested money or memories.
- Decision fatigue: Repeatedly deciding what must go or stay can be incredibly draining.
- Finances: Downsizing saves you money in the long run, but it may take upfront investment.
Of course, this doesn’t mean downsizing your home isn’t worth it! In fact, at Prime Independent Living, we know directly from older adults in our communities that downsizing can lead to a happier, healthier, and more carefree life. Here are our tips on how to downsize your home without driving yourself bonkers.
How to Downsize Your Home
- Make a plan.
To keep yourself and your process focused, you need a goal. Make a list of what you’ll definitely need in your new living situation. Then set these things aside so you can focus only on the items that can go or stay. For the latter group, set a realistic goal for how much you can actually keep in your new digs.
Don’t forget to break your process into manageable tasks. You might work through your belongings by room or divide storage areas, such as the garage or attic, into sections to conquer. Based on your moving date, allot time for each task and make sure you stick to your deadlines.
- Start early.
Moving always takes longer than you think it will. Always. Add downsizing into the mix, and it’s going to take even longer than you expect. Give yourself the time to do things right without adding to your stress levels.
- Organize as you go.
Come up with a method that leaves you more organized than you began. At its most basic, this could be the “keep, toss, donate” method, with piles allocated to each category. At the end of each day, you can organize the “keep” pile into ready-and-waiting moving boxes. Clearly label these with the appropriate room for easier unpacking in your new living space.
- Be ruthless (or honest, whichever you prefer to call it).
Be honest with yourself about what you use, love, and need. Haven’t worn that dress in years? Forgot you even owned that cake pan? Know that you’re moving to sunny Conway, SC where that toboggan will be useless? Then it’s headed for the discard pile.
Of course, this is more difficult for an item that needs to go but holds a lot of memories. For an out-of-the-box solution, take a photo of it! You can make those sentimental memories easily accessible by scanning the photo into digital form. Do the same with old photos and letters that are cluttering your space.
- Enlist help.
Enlist family and friends in your home downsizing process. They can help you avoid physical burnout and give you a much-needed boost in emotional energy. And remember, they’re not only a second pair of hands. If they know you well, they can help you make decisions about what stays and what goes.
Need more help than family can give? With some financial investment, you can outsource some of your labor to a company that specializes in senior relocations. Senior-move managers can assist with downsizing, packing, and relocation logistics. Just remember to choose professionals with experience and solid reviews.
- Earn some extra cash, or do a little good in the world.
Getting rid of some pretty nice stuff? You can plan a garage sale, sell items online at sites like Craigslist or Ebay, or take well-preserved items to a local consignment shop to recoup some money. If you’re fine financially and want to avoid the effort of selling, try donating pieces to a local charity instead. Places like Goodwill will even come to your home and pick up items so you don’t have to transport them.
- Get a preview.
A suggestion from experience–there’s nothing like watching this process from the sidelines to get a better feel for how it works. If you’ve got a friend who’s downsizing or maybe just decluttering, volunteer to assist! Not only will you help a friend out, you’ll also get a taste of what it takes to manage the logistics and make hard choices. You’ll probably start looking at your own belongings a little differently too.
- Focus on the positive.
Downsizing your home can be hard, but for many, it’s a necessary step to having a freer, more flexible, and more fulfilling retirement life. With lower bills and fewer home-related responsibilities, you can spend more time and thought on enjoying the activities you love and knocking items off that retirement bucket list. So if the going gets tough, remind yourself of your reward–a fresh start and an easier path to the retirement life you envision.
One Last Tip
If you’ve already downsized but would like to simplify life even further, why not try an active adult community? At Prime Carolina Coast, our independent senior living apartments come fully equipped and require a single bill each month to cover utilities, housekeeping, home maintenance, and access to all our community amenities. You’ll get access to three made-from-scratch meals a day in our dining room plus services like transportation, a full fitness center, pickleball courts, and an 18-hole putting green. Better yet? You’ll gain a built-in community of neighbors just like you. If you’re interested, you can contact us for more information or a tour of our brand new community.