Retirement is the perfect time to evaluate what things are important in life. Focusing on the people around you and not the things around you can make your retirement years extra special. In order to do so, you may want to downsize. Downsizing is a term which can mean anything from moving to a smaller house to reducing your daily expenses. After a lifetime of work and labor, it’s time to simplify life on a fundamental level, and focus more on people and experiences. But does this make sense practically? Getting rid of things that you don’t need will make you feel lighter and alive. Here’s how you get started:
Make A List Of All The Items You Own
Once you have prepared an inventory containing all of the items you currently own, you will be surprised how long your list has become over time, including everything in the storage space and the garage area. Keep an eye on duplicate items that you may not need. The process of de-cluttering is easy if you stay organized.
Designate A Specific Space
With plenty of items in your inventory, it can be quite challenging to sort out what you want to keep. Once you are done creating an inventory, the next step is to dedicate a space for the sorting process. Any empty room or space can be temporarily used. You don’t have to be challenged with old items if the sorting out is taking place in one area. Emotions may kick in while downsizing, but it’s worth it.
De-clutter Wisely
You can give away, sell, or scrap the items you don’t need. A professional estate buying service can help you in softening the emotional pinch. Get some large bins and label them whether you are selling the items, giving them away, donating or throwing them away. This will help you effectively sort through your items.
Downsizing Clothes
Clothing can be a difficult category to tackle when it comes to downsizing. There are always some clothes sitting in the closet unnecessarily, due to many reasons. It can be difficult to remember the last time you wore each clothing item. One thing that can be done is to turn around your hangers, with all of your clothes facing backwards. After a certain amount of time, clothes that are still facing backwards can be thrown out. This is a simple trick that can help you easily decide what you should get rid of.
Set A Deadline
Downsizing can be a time-consuming process. It is advisable to break it down into manageable parts. Do not try to do everything at once- instead set a time frame for each individual task, such as sorting the clothes, cleaning bookcase etc. You will be surprised how organized your de-cluttering process will be if you take things one by one instead of becoming overwhelmed by how much total work you have to do.
Call Your Friends Or Colleagues
De-cluttering can be fun, if you invite over your friends to assist you in simplifying the process. Give them an open offer to keep anything that might end up in ‘sell’ or ‘recycle’ bins, as long as they are helping you clean your space. Serve some delicious snacks and wine. Make it seem like you have invited them over for a party!
With retirement on the horizon and a clean home around you, you can focus on family and travelling and not be weighed down by years of collected items.