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Downsize Today

Inspiration, motivation and guidance to ensure a smooth move to a smaller home.

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  • Who is Downsizing?
    • “Reinventors”
    • Empty Nesters Love Downsizing!
    • Those Going Through Life-Changing Events
      • Divorce
      • New Job
    • Baby Boomers Downsizing and Simplifying
    • Retirees
  • What Is Downsizing?
    • Decluttering and Organizing
    • Downsizing is Basically Moving to a Smaller Home
    • Downsizing=Rightsizing, and It’s So Good for So Many Reasons
  • When Is The Right Time?
    • Downsizing Hesitation May Lead to Regrets
    • Ready to Downsize? Answer These Questions.
  • Where Do Downsizers Go?
    • Top Places to Live
    • Renting and Exploring Options
    • Downsize, Relocate, Reinvent!
    • Active-Adult Communities for the 55+ Set
    • Downsizing and Staying Close to Home
    • Staying Put Because No One Wants Your Large Home
  • Why Are They Doing It?
    • “Why I Downsized” Stories
  • How Do I Start?
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    • Explore Where You Want to Go
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Lessons Non-Minimalists Can Learn

October 30, 2017 By Patty Lundy Leave a Comment

The More of Less, by Joshua Baker, creator of BecomingMinimalist.com
"The More of Less" makes a great case for having fewer material goods in order to enjoy more of the simple things in life. Even if minimalism isn't for you, there are helpful tips and technique that everyone can benefit from.

 

 

Minimalism is admirable. I've known a few practitioners in my life, most of whom seem to have come by their minimalism naturally. Others have come to practice it because they've downsized and they simply have no room for 'so much stuff" in their new homes. Still others have had an epiphany -- or a health scare or even a religious experience -- and they realize they're tired of cleaning all that stuff, storing it, moving it from place to place, and they just say "I AM DONE with stuff." When minimalists explain how they've come to BE minimalist, they're almost always unapologetic about it -- and most understand why other people cannot or will not embrace a "less is more" mentality.

Joshua Becker does an excellent job inspiring and motivating readers to streamline their lives by, among other things, owning less, and his BecomingMinimalist website is chock full of great articles and blog posts. One interesting point he makes in his book is about the 80/20 rule as applied to "stuff" in our homes. "...we use 20 percent of our stuff 80 percent of the time, and we use the other 80 percent of our stuff only 20 percent of the time. So within that 80 percent of your stuff that mostly just lies around, there should be plenty of easy picking when you start to minimize."

I moved from two houses with a combined 5,500 square feet of space, to a 1,200 square foot apartment. Many months of decluttering, donating and tossing were necessary, and it was grueling going through all the china, linens, photo frames, beautiful rugs and lamps and deciding what to do with all of it. Yes, I downsized, but I'm not what anyone would call a minimalist. And that's okay. People don't need to be minimalists to be happy, but it sure does help to have a LOT LESS STUFF.

A minimalist I'm not. I still have stuff on counters and tabletops (which a minimalist would not have), but I'm surrounded by a whole lot less than I used to be!

So, if you're like me and find the concept of minimalism a bit too rigid or daunting, just know that you can benefit from following many of the Joshua Becker's recommended steps to a less cluttered life. The book includes experiments, testimonials, how-to stories and the like; much of the advice is practical regardless of how many pieces of furniture you have and how many accessories and works of art you have.

For example, to feel less cluttered and more peaceful, he recommends these ten tips: 1) Make your bed every morning; 2) Wash dishes right away; 3) Fill your recycling containers and garbage containers; 4) Always leave room in your coat closet; 5) Keep flat surfaces clear; 6) Complete one- to two-minute jobs immediately; 7) When you finish a magazine or newspaper, process it immediately; 8) Place junk mail immediately into a recycling bin; 9) Take care of clothes immediately; and 10) Nightly, return items where they belong.

Good advice for everyone -- including minimalists and declutterers  as well as people who love being surrounded by the things they've loving collected for decades.

 

Filed Under: News and Reviews Tagged With: decluttering, downsizing, living with less, Minimalism, organizing

Make Yard Maintenance a Memory!

May 6, 2017 By Patty Lundy Leave a Comment

downsize and reinvent by moving to a new home
Lock-and-leave living is perfect for people who downsize and want to live simpler lives.

The phrase “lock and leave lifestyle” started popping up about ten years ago. It describes the growing trend of people who want to leave their large homes and all the headaches and costs associated with maintaining them, in favor of a home they can lock up and leave as they take advantage of travel and leisure opportunities.

Apartment buildings and condominium developments not only allow people to live free of worries of all the leaky attics, musty basements, back-breaking chores and “bank-breaking” expenses associated with home maintenance. Many also provide amenities ranging from concierge services and coffee bars to pools and workout facilities.

Having downsized from two lovely, spacious homes in Georgia (one in Atlanta and one two hours away on Hartwell Lake), with a total of five yards, into a 1225-square-foot apartment was an enormous challenge, from many perspectives. The thought of having to get rid of ALL THAT GREAT STUFF, most of which had interesting stories associated with it and most of which I truly LOVED, was gut-wrenching.

And when I first looked at the building where my husband and I were going to live, I was nauseous. Neither the move nor the downsizing was my idea. My husband started a business in Arlington, Virginia, in 2010 and after four long years of commuting every week between Atlanta and Arlington, we made the decision that it was time to actually live together again.

After selecting our favorite items from both houses, and after the estate sale in Atlanta and basically giving away furniture and fabulous accessories to the buyers of the lake house, we moved into the apartment, which seemed tiny in comparison but is rather large by urban-living standards in a market like Arlington.

We were determined NOT to rent storage space because of the associated costs – and also because we wanted to be free to pick up and move again when the time was right. (However, when YOU are deciding if you should downsize, renting storage space is often a great idea – especially if you’re not sure exactly where you want to settle.)

Downsizing was a long an arduous process (more on that in another post), but after a year of settling in, we could not be happier in our lock-and-leave living arrangement. Among the advantages of doing this now, while we “young-ish” (62 and 63), are the following:

  • We’ve revinvented ourselves! My husband’s company is thriving (he learned technology at a ripe old age) and my own reinvention is an energizing work in progress.
  • The number of fun new people we’ve met is impressive. We’re kind of the oldsters in many respects, but people love us!
  • We walk to restaurants, shops, farmers’ markets and yoga studios.
  • Our monthly utility bills are 20% of what we used to pay.
  • When storms come rolling in, I don’t worry about trees crashing through the roof or water seeping into the basement.
  • Bike trails circle this area and the Capital Bikeshare program is amazing. We use both almost all year long.
  • The parks, riverside walks, nature trails, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware coast, and the Shenandoah Mountains and Valley are amazing! We are both active and love the outdoors.
  • “The DMV” has been extremely interesting to explore. The museums! The galleries! The history!

I can go on and on about all the positive aspects of downsizing and moving into a lock-and-leave building (and I can also let you in on some of the negative), but I’ll save that for another day.

In the meantime, contact us to share your downsizing story or to ask questions about the best way to start the process. We can refer you to lots of local resources to guide you during every step of your journey toward a simpler life.

Filed Under: "Lock and Leave" Living Tagged With: downsize advice, downsizing, downsizing advice, lock and leave, lock and leave living, new life

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WHO

  • Empty Nesters Love Downsizing!
  • “Reinventors”
  • Baby Boomers Downsizing and Simplifying
  • Those Going Through Life-Changing Events
  • Retirees

WHAT

  • Decluttering and Organizing
  • Downsizing is Basically Moving to a Smaller Home
  • Downsizing=Rightsizing, and It’s So Good for So Many Reasons

WHEN

  • Downsizing Hesitation May Lead to Regrets
  • Ready to Downsize? Answer These Questions.

WHERE

  • Top Places to Live
  • Renting and Exploring Options
  • Downsize, Relocate, Reinvent!
  • Active-Adult Communities for the 55+ Set
  • Downsizing and Staying Close to Home
  • Staying Put Because No One Wants Your Large Home

WHY

  • “Why I Downsized” Stories

HOW

  • Professional Organizers Are Decluttering Specialists
  • Realtors® Who Specialize in Downsizing
  • Moving Companies and Storage Facilities
  • Explore Where You Want to Go
  • Charities Need Your Donated Items
  • Estate Sale Specialists
  • Before and After Downsizing
  • Well-Appointed Small Spaces
  • Before and After Downsizing
  • Well-Appointed Small Spaces

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