You’re an empty-nester who’s living in the house in which you raised your kids. But now that all of them have flown the nest, you’re seriously considering downsizing your living quarters. For most individuals or couples, that means moving from a house to a smaller dwelling or to an apartment.
Downsizing can easily take mental, emotional and physical tolls on people. To remove some of the bumps out of the process—or if you’re helping your parents and/or in-laws scale down—these suggestions will be helpful.
Leave plenty of time (from a few weeks to a solid month or more) to weed out all of the stuff you no longer want or need. For a lot of people, this means sifting through decades of accumulated possessions.
Alleviate your feelings of being overwhelmed by break the undertaking into small sections—i.e., tackling one room at a time. You’ll also be rewarded with an immediate sense of accomplishment. Start and keep your momentum by sorting objects that inhabit a room or a closet with few emotional attachments. A mudroom or linen cabinet is ideal.
Toss things that your new digs won’t have room for. For example, if you won’t have a pool, then sell, donate or toss everything related to it. Ruthlessly cull every item. If an item is one of your “regulars,” then keep it. Let go of the things you haven’t used in over a year.
Be aware that particular storage spaces (garages, basements and attics) can truly challenge the speed of your decision-making. They’re frequently the repositories of sentimental stuff: family heirlooms and photo albums, and your kids’ grade school drawings, sports trophies and once-coveted stuffed animals.
Moving is high on the list of life’s stressors, but you can relax knowing that you’re in the excellent hands of Capital City Moving Co. The company has been in business long enough to have earned its reputation as an expert in the industry.