Ten Things to do When Downsizing

The hardest things in life don't seem to have owner's manuals. The changes that feel scary and like we should have gotten some more preparation are usually the life changing ones. Leaving the hospital for the first time with your baby. Being the mother of the bride or the groom. Leaving a beloved (or hated) profession and retiring. All of these may be happily anticipated--or not--but most require a step into the unknown.

Although plenty 30-somethings on TV merrily talk about buying their "forever home," it feels different when you're downsizing from the place you've called home to somewhere new. Add to that this decision may be related to physical or mental changes for you or your loved one, and you now need energy not only to do the task, but to deal with the emotional upheaval that may accompany those changes.

Regardless of whether you're ready to stop dusting X number of rooms, or whether circumstances have changed requiring you to downsize, there are several things to think about and do.

1. First of all, acknowledge that downsizing may be hard.  There are a few folks out there that leave everything behind and start a new life unencumbered by previous belongings—but that doesn’t describe the majority of us.  Most of us have some sentimental and/or practical remorse when downsizing. 

2. Create momentum with items you know you won't want or need. Start by sorting through those non-sentimental items you’ve kept because they are useful or just feel like they should be.  Four vegetable peelers?  Pick one.  That table you’ve been meaning to refinish after the dogs scratched it up? Give it away. 

   
   

3. Determine what you can take with you.  Floor plans, whether professionally rendered or informally drawn to scale on graph paper or the computer, allow you to imagine the space and plan what to take.  Not a visual person?  Find a friend who is (we all have at least one), hire a professional, or use software custom-built for this. Plan to take the minimum you need to make it feel like home, whether furniture, knickknacks, clothing, or kitchen gear.  

   
   

4. Next, check with family, friends, and close neighbors to see if anyone wants any of those things that didn’t make the cut. Maybe someone wants your grandmother’s cast iron sewing machine as a side table, or the beautiful set of dishes you bought last December.  The bonus is you get to see the joy those items bring to those you care about. Once you’ve been able to give away or sell items to those you trust most, it’s time to wade into the harder parts of downsizing. 

   
   

5. Specialty items. If you have one or more collections that need to be rehomed, start as early as possible.  There are numerous options: giving/selling to family or friends, selling or donating the whole collection, or piecing out items within the collection.  More on this in another blog.  

Another specialty item group may be electronics: computers, peripherals, and other digital items.  These can be problematic as the options you have may be different for different items. We’ll have another article on this because in the Dayton/Cincinnati region, depending on the item, you may have to pay to dispose of it, get paid for it, or just be able to donate it. No matter the method, the most important part of getting rid of electronics is making sure you’ve removed any personal information.

Other specialty items may include outdoor plantings such as your mother's rosebush that you've transplanted from house to house for 50 years, houseplants, cleaning chemicals, tools, etc.

6. Sort through your clothing. This is the time to finally get rid of the clothing that you’ve kept in case you lose/gain back those twenty lbs.  And those gifted items that aren’t your style/size/needed, but you’ve kept in appreciation of the sentiment of the person who gave it to you. Take a picture of the item if you want to remember the gift-giver’s kindness and then give those clothing items a chance to be used by selling or donating. 

Keep an eye out for items that you won’t need based on your new situation. For example, whether you are moving south or just moving somewhere where you’re not responsible for shoveling snow, there’s a good chance you can slim down your winter gear. 

7. Sentimental items.  By now your family should have told you what they would like to/are able to take. The rest feels like a goodbye forever.  Several apps on the market can help you document those items before giving them away or selling them. There are online apps allow you to create oral (and digital) history for your family, with photos, written documents, audio files, or videos.  Reach out to get more information--we'll be happy to share!

Work with reputable antique and home goods resellers to determine what is worth selling and what is best donated. This may be an auction house, a resale shop, or if you’re confident about their values and have the desire and time, consider do-it-yourself sales through Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, or eBay, to name a few. This may be a place to enlist children or grandchildren to help.

8. Favorite charities.  Work with your favorite charities with household goods donation programs. You’re going to be busy, so it’s best to find one that does a home pickup to save you or your helpers’ time.  

9. Disposal.  Every person moving must be prepared that some items in use today are at the end of their useful lives when you move.  Sadly, each of us has items we’ve used for years (or days) but which no one else will want. Whether you have a small appliance you’ve kept while looking for a critical little piece you’ve lost or the pot (that used to be your favorite) that only leaks if you fill it over halfway, it may be time to throw those items away.

The reality is, when we foist items with no resale value off on a charity, we often cost them money.  Although there are secondary markets to further use textiles and the like, many charities end up disposing of those unsellable items—turning our good intentions into their liability.  If you wouldn’t buy the item from a stranger, then don’t donate it. 

10.  Try to appreciate the memories you have collected. There may be a sense of loss, which, by the way, studies have proven is a natural behavior—but be open to the sense of freedom that downsizing and simplifying can bring.  And as my mother says, there’s less to dust.  And that is worth celebrating.