Tips To Downsizing Your Home Later In Life
With the boomer population aging, and most of generation X busy with their children, it’s always a good idea to be aware of some downsizing tricks for seniors.
Here are some tips from Dynamic Downsizers to make downsizing your home later in life eaiser.
+ Mentally Prepare Yourself
The number one piece of advice we have to downsizing your home is allotting a lot of time, if you can, and beginning with an area that has items with little emotional attachment.
Over the years, we form deep emotional attachments to the items we collect, but we need to be realistic about what we can and should keep. It comes down to discovering which items cause you emotional stress and then to combat these triggers, we recommend making two initial sorting piles: one to keep, and one to recycle. You can revisit the “keep” pile at any given time.
Remember: You don't need to sort through your entire house in one day or weekend. Take it one room, or even one corner at a time, with plenty of breaks throughout.
+ Yes Or No Piles Only
Resist the urge to create a maybe pile! You’ll end up with a maybe pile that is bigger than the yes and no piles.
+ Organize Backwards
Start by eliminating the rooms you won’t have in your new home. You might not have a garage, office space, or laundry room. Most of the items in those spaces will need to be repurposed, sold, or donated.
+ Resist The Urge To Walk Down Memory Lane
As you work through decluttering your home to downsize, you will come across old photos tucked in drawers and closets. Keep a large plastic, waterproof tote with you and place them in as you go. Resist the temptation of looking through them, otherwise your momentum will be lost. The tote will keep the photographs condensed and safe until you are ready to sort them, and/or spend a day reminiscing on old times.
+ Say Good-Bye To Duplicates
Pots, Pans, and Plates...the kitchen area is a tough space to downsize, you'll find yourself often ask the question, “but what if I end up needing it?”
You have to step back and remember you are decluttering or downsizing to achieve a new and improved space. Keep the plates, glasses, and mugs that you use daily to a minimum and keep only the pots, pans, serving platters, bowls and bakeware that you always gravitate to.
+ Get Creative With Your Collectables
If you have collections around your home that are taking up too much room stored in boxes, you may consider the idea of taking high-resolution pictures and scrapbooking the pictures into a photo book that you can keep on your living room coffee table for guests to enjoy, without the clutter.
+ Consignment and Donations
Once you know what you are keeping, and your family and friends have taken what they want, call a consignment shop or a charity of your choice. Take pictures send these organizations the images for them to see what you would like to send them. Since there is such an influx of “stuff” with boomers and seniors downsizing, consignment shops and charity centres can be selective with what they do and don't take. Most consignment stores and charities can arrange pick ups, but keep in mind there will be a drop off fee.
+ Sell Your Items Online
While consignment is great for high-end furniture and clothing, there are many alternative options to sell your less valuable belongings. With online platforms such as, the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Ebay, and other numerous smartphone apps, there are many options and often times buyers will pick up! Get your grandchildren or other family members that are tech-savvy to help with this!
+ Legacy Gifts
When downsizing your home, don’t keep items just because you feel guilty for getting rid of them. Everything you keep should be useful items that you love, and make you happy. Usually, it is the heirloom and sentimental items that are the most difficult to let go of, so ask your children or extended family members if they would like to keep any of these things. This way these items are out of your way and you’ll feel good knowing they haven’t gone far.
+ Give Yourself Time To Reminisce
We recommend starting early for a reason! If you need a day to stop cleaning and sorting to look through old photo albums and other souvenirs you’ve collected throughout your family's milestone moments, take a day to do so!
Lastly, we encourage you to involve your family as a chance to bond, as one more moment your family can share together in the house you have loved for so long. Invite the family over to help pack and let them ask questions and spend time with you. Although the possessions you hold onto are special to you, it’s really your family that makes those memories cherished to begin with.
Now that you’ve downsized your belongings, how are you going to make your move?
You may have family members you can round up to help pack and drive a truck to move your things.
Or, you could pay for a full-service moving company.
Perhaps, you’re looking for an in-between of both options: a small group of senior move managers that offer flexible services, catered to seniors moving.
Dynamic Downsizers are your senior move specialists. We help families and seniors declutter their belongings, downsize their homes, and design their spaces throughout the Greater Toronto Area. We can do as little or as much as you want, from packing your belongings and managing your move to estate sales and unpacking after your move.
Get in touch with us to chat more about your downsizing journey. You can reach us at 416-288-8368, or email us at info@dynamicdownsizers.com.
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