Downsizing is a common rite of passage for many older adults. And it can be fraught with emotion and stress. But these tips can help make the process go more smoothly and easily.
The thought of downsizing—or moving into a smaller home—may seem daunting. If you're still living in the home you raised your family in, you’ve likely accumulated lots of possessions over the years—many to which you may be emotionally attached. Not to mention how attached you may be to the house itself, your yard, your neighborhood. Plus, moving is such a hassle. It’s tempting to just stay where you are so you don’t have to deal with such an overwhelming project.
But consider the benefits of downsizing.
- It can be much easier to maintain a smaller place. A big house can need a lot of upkeep between cleaning, chores, and other repairs. Especially if it’s an older house. And if you have a big property, that means even more work mowing the lawn, raking leaves, shoveling, weeding, and so on. A smaller place can mean a lot less maintenance and upkeep.
- Also, downsizing can often save you money. The cost of your current home and property is often more than what you would pay for a smaller place. You may be able to reduce your mortgage or rent, property tax, and home insurance. Heating and cooling costs are sure to be less in a smaller place. And you’ll likely spend less on repairs.
- Downsizing is also a good opportunity to find a place that’s better suited to your needs as you age. For instance, if you have mobility issues, you might find stairs hard to navigate and consider a move to a place that’s all on one level. Or maybe your current home has narrow doorways, small bathrooms, or a lot of carpeting that makes it hard to use a walker or a wheelchair. In that case, you can look for a new place with wider doorways, bigger bathrooms, and floors that are tile or wood.
So, while it may not be a simple task, downsizing could be the right choice for you. If you’re ready to take the plunge, here are 9 downsizing tips for seniors to help you get started.
It’s never too early to start the process. If you start early, you can take your time and avoid feeling rushed. You may not have immediate plans to move, but you can still start to prepare for that possibility. That way you’ll be ready when the time comes and will feel less stressed.
Giving yourself plenty of time for these important decisions will help you stay in control. You’ll feel good knowing that everything is in order should any issues pop up that may get in the way of your plans.
There are a lot of housing options for seniors. Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself:
- Do you want to stay in the same area? Or are you looking to relocate, perhaps somewhere warmer or closer to family?
- Would you like to own your home? Or would you prefer to rent?
- Do you want to live in a detached home? Or are you interested in a townhome or condo?
- Do you want to move somewhere that will cover yard work and other maintenance and upkeep?
- Do you want to move to a senior living community?
- Are you still independent and in good health? Or do you need assistance and support to manage health conditions?
Take your time and really think about what you want and need in your next home. Tour different places. Talk to friends and family members. Do research online. You want to make sure you’re as comfortable and happy with the new place as possible.
Once you have a new place picked out, that can help guide you as you figure out what to keep and what to let go of. Consider the space available. Look at floor plans. Measure the space of each room. Consider what your furniture and appliance needs will be. Then figure out what items you’ll need and whether you can use any items that you already have. Be sure to check out the storage space available. Closets, cabinets, and shelving might all be different—and likely more limited—in your new place.
If you don’t have a new place in mind yet, don’t worry. It can still be worthwhile to start the downsizing process.
4. Sort through everything
Choose what to keep, what to gift to loved ones, what to sell or donate, and what to discard.
Keep: Keep any essential items that you’ll need in your new home. This will include practical items. Think furniture, kitchen supplies, and linens. But you can also include decorative items and memorabilia that you really want to keep.
Gift: There may be special, meaningful items that you want to give to loved ones. Now’s the perfect time. Just be sure to check with them first. Make sure that they want and have room for what you have picked out for them. You could even include them in the process. Let them pick out an item or 2 that is meaningful to them that they would really treasure.
Sell: You can have a garage sale. Or you can sell your items online on websites like eBay, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Craigslist. There also are sites that specialize in certain items, like musical instruments, technology, or clothing.
Donate: There are lots of organizations that accept all kinds of donated goods. For instance, you could donate to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, a local church or shelter, even a refugee organization. For more specialized items, you can see if there is a museum, store, or even a local college or high school that would be interested. A museum might want your pottery. A music store might love your vinyl records or piano. And a school might be able to use your camera equipment.
Discard: You’ll want to toss any items that are broken, stained, or in poor condition. You can shred and purge old documents that you no longer need.
Certain items might evoke less of an emotional response. Think kitchen supplies, bathroom supplies, linens, and maybe even clothes. You may be able to go through those pretty quickly. Other items may be harder to sort through. It could be mementos you saved from when your kids were little, books, or furniture. Save those for later. Otherwise, it might hold you up right at the outset.
Pictures, cards and letters, ticket stubs and playbills, and other mementos can take up a lot of space. But if you digitize them, they take up next to no space at all.
To digitize your items yourself, all you need is a scanner, a computer, and an external hard drive with a lot of storage space. There are also companies that will digitize your items for you. That’s a nice option if you don’t want to handle it yourself.
Don’t try to tackle the whole house all at once. That’s a huge task. Instead, set smaller goals that will help you work toward that bigger goal. Start with one room. If even that seems too daunting, start with a section of a room, like a closet or a bookshelf or even just a drawer.
Sure, you’ll need more than one T-shirt or pair of shoes. But you probably don’t need 10 mixing bowls or 4 sets of spare sheets. Keep only as many as you’ll truly need and use. Get rid of the rest.
Your family and friends may be able to help you with the downsizing process. If not or if you think you might want some professional help, you may want to consider using a move manager. A move manager is someone that can help you with the process of downsizing and moving. Some of the services a move manager provides include:
- Helping you sort through your possessions
- Arranging to sell, donate, and discard any items that you are not keeping
- Arranging for a moving service and overseeing the movers, and
- Unpacking and setting up your new place
There are move managers that specialize in helping seniors specifically. If that appeals to you, you may want to look into senior move managers near you.
Downsizing may seem like a monumental task. But when you break it up into small, manageable steps, it’s definitely do-able. Give yourself as much time as possible, which can help reduce your stress. If you feel emotional during the process, that’s OK. It’s normal to feel sad or nostalgic. After all, it is the closing of an important chapter in your life. The process of downsizing might help you work through those emotions and allow you to have a sense of closure. And then you can turn your attention to the new chapter on which you are about to embark.
Even if you plan to stay in your home, you may still want to go through many of these steps. It’s good to pare down your possessions and declutter. Then you can modify or make updates to your home so that it better suits your current needs. Read this Silver&Fit Blog post for helpful tips on some of the changes you may need to make to stay safe and comfortable in your home as you get older.
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This information is not intended to take the place of regular medical care or advice. Please check with your doctor before using this information or beginning any self-care program.
References
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Family Caregiver Alliance. (2012). Downsizing a home: A checklist for caregivers. https://www.caregiver.org/resource/downsizing-home-checklist-caregivers/
Fay, B. (2020, May 18). Downsizing your home to reduce debt. Debt.org. https://www.debt.org/real-estate/downsizing-your-home-to-reduce-debt/
Kirchheimer, S. (2011, August 24). Finding help in a crisis downsizing. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/work/retirement-planning/info-08-2011/retirement-downsizing.html
Lerner, L. (2021, August 17). Downsizing tips for seniors. SeniorLiving.org. https://www.seniorliving.org/housing/downsizing/
National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers. (n.d.) FAQs. https://www.nasmm.org/faqs/
National Institute on Aging. (2017, May 1). When it’s time to leave home. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/when-its-time-leave-home
Robinson, L., Saisan, J., & White, M. (2021, January). Senior housing options. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/alzheimers-dementia-aging/senior-housing.htm
This article was written by Nora Byrne, edited by Jason Nielsen, and clinically reviewed by Jossue Ortiz, DC.
