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As we age, many people will consider the option of downsizing or moving to a smaller space.<\/p>\n
Ask yourself these questions if you aren’t sure if it’s time for you to downsize:<\/p>\n
Does my current home have a lot of unused space or too much clutter?<\/p>\n
Is keeping up with home maintenance becoming physically or financially straining?<\/p>\n
Does my location lack accessibility to necessities and social interaction with family and friends?<\/p>\n
Does my home bring me joy?<\/p>\n
Whether you choose to stay in your home or move, downsizing and decluttering can make life easier and safer for aging in place<\/a> and be the start to a new and exciting season of your life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The process of downsizing can seem like a challenging task, but nothing is impossible if you have a good game plan! Keep on reading for 7 easy tips to follow during the journey to downsizing your life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1. Plan Early And Set A Timeline<\/p>\n To avoid getting overwhelmed or burnt out from downsizing your home, we recommend planning your downsizing process early and creating an organized timeline to help you successfully finish.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Processing and packing takes more time than you may think, and it’s important to also allow enough time to thoughtfully go through your belongings and enjoy the memories associated with them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some people start the “where and when will I move?” decision process more than a year in advance, which gives plenty of time to downsize efficiently for a planned move. Planning ahead also helps you get used to the idea of moving somewhere new and become excited for a fresh start.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you're going out of state, keep in mind that moving trucks need to load a few weeks in advance of your move-in date. Work back from that date to set up your downsizing timeline and decide which areas of the house you want to sort through first.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. Start Small With Basics And Essentials<\/p>\n Downsizing your home can feel like a mountainous task, so breaking it down into small steps instead of looking at the big picture will help you feel more motivated to start.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tackle practical must-haves first, like kitchen and bathroom supplies, and figure out the essential items you use in those spaces. For instance, dishes and flatware that you use everyday are kitchen essentials, but that pasta maker machine you’ve only used a few times can be an item that you donate or gift to someone else.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Save larger and more sentimental items such as art, heirlooms, and furniture for later – you’ll need more time to decide what you want to do with them and you may even have an easier time deciding once you've gotten into a rhythm after allocating the must-have basics.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3. Sort In 3 Simple Categories: Keep, Toss, or Give<\/p>\n While you’re sorting through each room and area of your house, keep these three words in mind: keep, toss, give.<\/p>\n Professional organizers call this “processing.” For every room, set up and label boxes for what you want to keep, throw away, and give away (to family, friends, or charity). It's tempting to create a “maybe” pile, but try to resist! Eliminating the “maybe” option keeps you on task and helps minimize spending too much time focused on one thing<\/p>\n For large-volume items like clothes, set a limit on what you want to bring – especially if your future home has a smaller closet and storage space. If you own 10 pairs of pants T-shirts, but you only feel great wearing three, pick your favorite five and keep moving forward.<\/p>\n Other than clothing, try to keep just one of each item. Getting rid of duplicate items will help you simplify your lifestyle and keep only the things that truly spark joy and value in your life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4. Save Your Memories Digitally<\/p>\n Memorabilia like photos, letters, and grandkids' artwork can take up lots of space, but you don't have to compromise too much when you can save everything in the digital world!<\/p>\n Digitize your photo books and home videos onto a hard drive that you can easily plug in and look through, or store them on the cloud so you can access them anytime online.<\/p>\n If you’re not tech-savvy, consider asking for help from a family member or friend who is – it may even spark a lot of laughter and fun while taking a trip down memory lane together.<\/p>\n Not to mention, there are even companies like LegacyBox<\/a>, iMemories<\/a>, and Forever Studios<\/a> that specialize in digitizing services and helping you keep your treasured memories safe for years to come. It’s as simple as mailing in the items you wish to digitize and being able to browse your memories right from your phone or computer!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5. Visualize A Floor Plan<\/p>\n If you know the layout and size of the new home you’re planning to move into, that can help you organize and sort your belongings room by room.<\/p>\n For example, if your current home has two bedrooms and your new home only has one, bring the essentials (bed, dresser, etc.) for just one room. Doing so can help you decide and visualize what you can fit and where you plan to place things when you move in. Should you want to see additional help from the experts, we recommend these easy and affordable virtual interior design providers as well: Spacejoy<\/a> and Havenly<\/a>.<\/p>\n Moreover, if your new home doesn’t have a room that your current one does, such as a home office, save that space for last and only keep the absolute essentials once you get to it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 6. When In Doubt, Ask For Help<\/p>\n Some areas of the house, like the garage, basement, and attic are tough to sort through and organize because they usually hold a lot of heavy items or keepsakes.<\/p>\n Obstacles around the house, such as stairs and low lighting, can make downsizing those areas even more difficult.<\/p>\n Therefore, enlisting the help of family members or professional downsizing and moving specialists can help you streamline the process of lifting heavy items, prioritizing, and letting go of rarely-used belongings.<\/p>\n Not sure where to start asking for help? The National Association of Specialty and Senior Move Managers (NASMM) offers a helpful Find a Move Manager<\/a> tool that displays a list of accredited move managers specialized in moving and downsizing in your specific area.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 7. Focus On What You’re Gaining, Not Losing<\/p>\n Simplifying your lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean you need to focus on what you’re losing. Downsizing can be a rewarding experience that gives you the fresh start to a more tidy and vibrant life.<\/p>\n When you downsize your home, you keep the things that truly spark joy and love the space you call home to the fullest extent. For items that you give away and donate, imagine how much happiness it will bring you knowing that the once special items you owned now provide others with much-needed use.<\/p>\n For a more detailed guidance of which items in your home spark joy and how you can enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home, check out this international bestseller<\/a> featuring Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo and the innovative KonMari Method of decluttering.<\/p>\n Transitioning to smaller living spaces and a more simple lifestyle also means that you’ll gain more time and freedom to do what you want because you’ll no longer need to clean as frequently or upkeep with as much home maintenance duties.<\/p>\n During this new season of life, you can try new things and gain memorable experiences, meet new people and create meaningful connections, or spend more time doing what you already love.<\/p>\n By focusing on these added benefits to downsizing<\/a>, you’ll be able to look forward to what you’ll gain in this exciting chapter of your life and create the life you want and deserve.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bonus Tip: Try Using Apps To Help You Downsize<\/p>\n Home inventory apps allow you to catalog your belongings by taking pictures, as well as adding descriptions and other notes. By taking inventory, you can quickly decide which of your belongings are most important to you and which can be donated or sold when you choose to move.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most of these home inventory apps are free to use and can store a tremendous number of items:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sortly<\/p>\n MyMove<\/p>\n Encircle<\/p>\n Blue Plum Home Inventory<\/p>\n MyStuff2 Pro<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are even apps that help you sell your unwanted items, whether it be clothing, furniture, or homeware:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Poshmark<\/p>\n OfferUp<\/p>\n Letgo<\/p>\n 5Miles<\/p>\n Facebook Marketplace<\/p>\n Craigslist<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Simply upload a couple photos, short description, and desired selling price of each item and the app will find people interested in buying your item. You can also choose to ship your items to the buyer or only sell locally if you’re letting go of larger items like furniture.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ready To Downsize?<\/p>\n Even if you’re not ready to downsize yet, the choice is always there when you’re ready to make the decision – and you’ll already have some helpful tips in mind for when you do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you’re in the process of searching for a 55+ active living community in your downsizing process, Arden Living is happy to be a part of your journey.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our maintenance-free living spaces and close-knit community are ready to welcome you home. To make things easier for you, we collaborated with partners such as Life Easier<\/a>, NASMM<\/a>, and Sage Organizing Co<\/a>. so you can focus on the bigger picture and let them handle the details of downsizing instead. \ufeff<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, Arden may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we age, many people will consider the option of downsizing or moving to a smaller space. Ask yourself these questions if you aren’t sure if it’s time for you to downsize: Does my current home have a lot of unused space or too much clutter? Is keeping up with home maintenance becoming physically or… <\/p>\n