Downsizing is a way to declutter your home and life by discarding unneeded possessions. Sometimes people choose to downsize because they want less stuff and fewer complications in their lives. Sometimes they do it because they’re moving to a smaller or lower maintenance home. The practice has become common among Baby Boomers who have become empty nesters. But even members of the Millennial and Gen Z generation are choosing to downsize so they have the money and flexibility to travel, follow jobs to different cities, and maintain a simpler, greener lifestyle.
If you are thinking about downsizing, Eugene resident Melinda Bruce has a few pieces of advice. Bruce recently moved to a smaller home after nearly 40 years in a larger residence after her husband passed away.
“I think the most important thing is that you really think long and hard about how you want to live,” she says. For her, the choices were to transition to a retirement community, buy a condo or move to a smaller home. Each came with their own emotional and physical considerations that were important to take into account when she was selling her home.
Bruce chose to buy a house, which left her with more room than she might have had in a retirement community. Still, the home was substantially smaller than the one she’d been living in, which meant getting rid of much of her stuff. Her second piece of advice for people doing the same is to start purging possessions early in the moving process. “It’s going to take you a lot longer, and it’s going to be more complicated than you can imagine,” she says. She actually did her downsizing in two phases because she didn’t sell her house as quickly as she had originally intended. “I went through a big cleansing process the first time around and thought I really had things under control. Then when I really started downsizing for real, I found that I barely made a dent in what I needed to get rid of. It feels wonderful once you start it.”
When it comes time to downsize, don’t go it alone. Bruce has a friend whose daughter is a professional organizer, and she offered some assistance. “I was also fortunate to have a daughter who is highly organized and really good at separating what you want from what you don’t want and need.” Asking for help from family members will make the process easier and more fun.
Downsizing may sound like a depressing process to some. For Bruce, nothing could be further from the truth. Riding herself of unwanted stuff was cleansing and left her with a cleaner, happier home. “It was a relief and it was fun and it’s been a wonderful outcome,” she says.
When you downsize, don’t throw away those unwanted items! Organizations like BRING, St. Vincent de Paul, MECCA, and NextStep will be happy to take reusable goods that friends and family members don’t want. Craigslist, antique stores, and consignment shops are a great way to sell furniture and other valuable items. If you use Facebook, you can do a virtual garage sale and offer good-quality items to people for free or a small price.
