Downsizing – Do It Yourself?

Are you or someone you know considering an environmental change that involves relocating? People are living longer, healthier and more active lives than any other generation in history and this gracefully aging group is facing different problems associated with the changes that past generations have realized. Longer, more active lives, fewer children, and increased mobility mean that the extended family you once depended on may not be available to provide the personal training needed to sort through a lifelong collection of treasures. How do you begin to identify what to keep, what to throw away, what to donate, and what to pass on when considering furniture, keepsakes, antiques, and personal items? As someone once said, “With age, life is hard. With inches, it’s a piece of cake.” The same advice applies here. Start by breaking down this monumental work into doable tasks.

First identify what your sorting options are for downloading things: Donation, Bequest to Relatives, Yard Sale, Consignment Store, Antique, and Release. As you cast your spell, list each item on a 3 x 5 card and group the cards into appropriate categories.

Next, consider each piece of furniture you own. wonder? “Does this have functional value, sentimental value, or aesthetic value?” Set a standard that you will live by. If you like to be surrounded by items that have meaning to you, determine how you will choose what goes and what stays. Does it have to be functional and sentimental? Does it have to be just functional? You may have two pieces that serve the same function, allowing you to separate from them. Is resale value important to you? If so, consider how much money each piece could bring in and compare it to its current value to you. The answer to these questions will be different for everyone. It is important that you establish measurement tools that you are comfortable with.

After the furniture, tackle the appliances and assign each one to its corresponding lot. Appliances generally have more practical than sentimental value and are easier to determine what to keep or leave, depending on what you’ll need in your new location. Once you decide an item won’t be needed, you just have to decide if it will go into the donate, sell, or throw away category.

Now that the big stuff has been allocated, you need to tidy up all your other possessions. That included dishes, clothing, utensils, collectibles, decorative items, and an endless list of things that once seemed necessary. Each of these items can be considered in light of the amount of space in your new location, the amount of furniture you’ve kept, and other storage parameters.

Your last task will be to physically relocate these items, call a home improvement company, make arrangements with a consignment store, or deliver the parts to selected people. Some or all of these tasks may be easier to handle if you hire a professional who can function as a relative “surrogate” and who has experience guiding you through the practical parameters of a relocation decision.