Moving to a maintenance-free retirement community might make downsizing feel like a breath of fresh air. There will be less pressure to hold on to things you no longer care about, and more room to hold onto the memories that truly mean to you. Unpacking won’t take as much time. Put a positive spin on the beginning of your retired lifestyle in 55+ apartments in Fort Worth, TX! Moving on, here are 4 downsizing tips that can help ease your move.
Asked How Much Space You Need
Take a tour of your existing home and be completely candid about the activities that take place in each area, as well as the places in which you spend the most time. For instance, if you have a home gym, you may easily sell or donate the equipment assuming that you’ll have access to gym equipment whenever you choose in independent living. Or perhaps you have a room dedicated to crafting. Take into consideration whether or not you will continue participating in those activities, as well as what it is that you really must bring with you and what you can safely leave behind. The majority of retirement communities have dedicated places for a variety of hobbies, including carpentry, gardening, arts and crafts, and more, which means you won’t have to worry about finding a place to store your supplies.
Prepare Ahead of Time
If you’re thinking about striking out on your own, now is a good time to start downsizing into a more manageable space. Get the garage in order. Or take measurements of your current furniture to get a sense of what will and will not fit in your new home. Focus on a closet and make a donation pile. Starting the downsizing process early is often cited as the most significant piece of advice. It’s true that it takes time to complete a large project, but remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that getting a head start will relieve stress later on.
Do Not Rush Things
It’s important to keep a positive attitude about downsizing in preparation for your first solo apartment. One space at a time. Just one wardrobe at a time. Start by sorting your answers into three categories: yes, no, and maybe. If you feel like you’ve made some progress, revisit the “maybe” bin and see if you can reduce its size. If you know the measurements of your new apartment, it will be much simpler for you to decide what belongings you want to bring with you and how they will fit into the space. Downsizing might be difficult, but the move-in coordinator at your retirement community can assist you in thinking through the logistics of your new home.
Expect The Best For The Future
There will inevitably be some emotional ups and downs as a result of the downsizing process. After all, you have a lot of memories that are very important to you, and certain things seem to bring up more of those memories for you than others do. For example, if you have a large collection of wine glasses but can only bring two, photograph the others. This is just one example of how to downsize in a meaningful way. If you’d like to preserve some of your most treasured photographs but don’t want to keep boxes around, consider enlisting the help of your tech-savvy grandson.
