After careful consideration, you must have settled on the perfect place to spend your retirement. What do you do with all the things you’ve collected over the years? When it comes time to move, here are eight ways to minimize your belongings to make the moving process to independent living in Terrytown, LA easier.
Proper Planning
The downsizing process calls for alternating days of intense work and periods of rest and reflection. Once you have spotted a change in the air, it is time to pull out the calendar and mark out those busy times. Set daily objectives, document the people and companies that will need to be involved to achieve them, and involve those people and companies early on so they are prepared to lend a hand when the time comes.
Listing Things Down
If you believe it will help, enlist the assistance of a loved one, but do not feel bad about taking some time alone to make a list of the things you want to take with you. It may sound counterintuitive, but it can be helpful to compose your list without physically gathering the items you need. You will not miss someone if you have no current connection to their memory.
Begin with Non-Sentimental Things
It can be hard to let go of even a spare cheese grater. However, if you begin in the kitchen and garage, you may find that you are more than prepared to go on to the more private spaces of the house.
Visit New Place Often Before Moving In
Spend some time imagining yourself and your loved ones in your new senior apartment or suite before you move in. Where do you plan on storing them? What will not be required any longer? Then, when you get back to your house and start arranging, you will have a better idea of where things will or will not go.
Evaluate the Purpose of Each Item
Alternatively, you may follow the advice of Marie Kondo who wrote The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, and pick up each object in your home and ask, “Does this spark joy?” Toss it aside if it does not.
Do Not Dispose of Things Right Away
Do not go trashing your old stuff just yet. Put them away, out of sight if possible, and try if you can get by without them. You could be pleasantly surprised by how little their absence is felt and how much more pleasant life becomes with less stuff.
Do Something Else Instead of Throwing Away
You can find a new owner for many of your personal belongings instead of throwing them away in the garbage, where they will end up in a landfill. Knowing that someone else will benefit from a possession makes it easier to part with it. Donate if you can, recycle if you cannot, and compost if you have to.
Enjoy Yourself!
If you are downsizing, use the opportunity to cherish your most treasured possessions and let go of the rest. Include as many close people as possible, and have a drink of wine if it makes you feel better.
