While there are plenty of things that initially feel like negatives when downsizing, there are solutions to lessen the impact brought on by those negative points. Some can even be turned into positives!
One of the biggest challenges that people face when downsizing, is dealing with the stuff they currently store in their house that they’ve grown into over time. If you have the space, it is likely that the space has been filled. If you’re going from 4,000 sq ft, to 2,200 sq ft, you will have the challenge of getting rid of a large portion of your possessions. This can be an emotionally taxing task.
If you are getting rid of large amounts of stuff, try not to take on all of the burden at once.
If you don’t have a lot of time to prepare, you can still plan and ease the weight that you carry during that time. The trick is to do this while also not procrastinating the harder things until you’re out of time.
If you have to go through all of your stuff, start with a single closet. Then, once that is complete, move to another small section of your home. By taking smaller bites at a time, you can pace yourself, and not be as emotionally or physically drained.
Another thing to consider is to have a ‘keep’ pile, a ‘maybe’ pile, and a ‘donate/sell’ pile. This way, you can visually see the progress you are making, and organizing it this way makes it easier to move forward through each section you are going through. You could even place the ‘maybe’ pile in a location where you see it during the week, and add or remove items as you go throughout your days.
You might find that after more thought is given to it, that you are moving more to the ‘donate/sell’ pile without feeling so attached to those items.
Another pain point often felt when downsizing, is going through your wardrobe and clothing storage.
Are you holding onto clothes that don’t fit, or that you don’t truly enjoy, because you might possibly one day have the desire or opportunity to wear it? If so, you probably won’t miss those items if they were gone.
A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t worn it in the last 6-12 months, you can get rid of it and not feel that item’s absence.
Moving the furniture and larger items that you want or need to get rid of during this process can be difficult. However, you can use resources like Facebook Marketplace to sell your items, or to give them away for free.
If you choose this route, you have the option to have the person who is buying your items come to you. Generally, they expect to come and move it out themselves. That way, you don’t have to do any heavy lifting, or worry about using a truck or trailer to haul it off. You can even make some extra money. Doing this can take the stress out of getting rid of those larger items.
