Downsizing & Rightsizing (Part 4 of 4)

Dealing with Your Belongings

As we have been exploring in this blog series on Downsizing and Rightsizing, today there are a wide variety of reasons as to why people are making their move.

Once you have gotten through any mental obstacles that may come along once you decide to downsize or right size, you start to wrap your head around the physical. The process always contains a few of the same hard tasks. We created a helpful list that puts what most people find the hardest– dealing with material possessions.

Did you know that many people say dealing with all their stuff is the single greatest obstacle? We have created some tips and steps that can help you get moving!

Start Early

This sounds dramatic, but depending on how much stuff you have and how much time you will have to devout to it, begin clearing the clutter a full 6 months to one year before you have to list your home, or move.

Create Real Deadlines

The overwhelming nature of this task, can cause major procrastination even among the most productive of us. So set several mini dates along the way. Every little milestone you hit, gets you one step closer and breaks it down into more manageable tasks.

Set a Drop Dead Date

Even if this is not official. Pretend that it is. This will help you stay motivated. This is the date you have to be done. If it’s early, so what?

Determine How Much Space You Will Have

You may not have found your new space yet, but you can come up with a figure that is about right. You can take that one step further by creating a to scale drawing or literally taping off an area in your existing home to have a visual reminder of how much space that actually is.

Choose Your Furniture

With the new space in mind, choose which pieces you are taking and which ones you are not. This would also be a great time to gift the pieces to any adult children or relatives. Or, if you have a high volume, you can strongly consider an estate sale. Getting rid of furniture early, can be motivating and create much needed space to sort through smaller items.

Set a Few Dates for Donation Pick Up in Advance

If you have people coming for your stuff, you will better stick to a routine for letting it go. Make 2-3 appointments in advance.
Say every other Friday so you get a rhythm.

Tackle the Smalls

This is often harder and more time consuming. It’s also probably going to require some physical space. You should try your best to create four spaces. Sometimes people like to have a room fully cleared and then literally designate one corner for each of these four.

• Giveaway – family first, then maybe friends and neighbors.
• Donate – charitable organizations will often pick up even large or bulky items.
• Sell – Ebay, Amazon, and Facebook Private groups are all great vehicles.
• Trash Pick Up – Call your provider. Find out what they charge for extra items, and make sure somethings are out there every pick up.

Check back next week when we explore how and when to pack boxes and cover other steps getting ready for your move.

As always, if you need advice, help or information, Karen is your downsize rightsize source. After all, she has helped dozens of people and recently, she did it herself.