It’s so easy to accumulate a lifetime of treasured trinkets and possessions. We often don’t realise how much ‘stuff’ we have until it’s time to move house. When you’re making the change to retirement living there is often an element of downsizing as you move from a family home to the next chapter of your life. It may seem overwhelming, but there are some simple things you can do to make clearing the clutter stress free. Before long, you will be relaxing in your new home at The Rise at Wood Glen.
We’ve supported many residents and their families over the years through this process and gathered their best tips and advice on how to make things as easy as possible.
1. Make a plan
Group your objects into categories and start culling less emotional items such as paperwork, kitchen utensils, stationery supplies, cleaning products, clothes, linen and plastic-ware. Once you’ve done these you can work your way up to photos, books, knick-knacks and other sentimental memorabilia.
2. Start early
Start to make decluttering decisions well in advance of your actual move date. This is important if you have a high level of attachment to your belongings and allows you to stay in control of decision making. Quite often you will underestimate just how much you need to de-clutter, so starting as soon as possible is your best bet says RetireAustralia resident Chris, “My top tip is start clearing the rubbish in the garage two years before you downsize!”
3. Take measurements and consider your new lifestyle
RetireAustralia’s sales staff will provide you with a floor plan of your low-maintenance apartment in The Rise at Glen Wood which will include the room measurements. Take advantage of this by taking measurements of all the spaces and storage areas and use this to help decide what to take.
Remember, you will have access to all the fabulous common areas and there will be no need to bring that lawn mower or hedge trimmer.
4. Keep sessions short
Even if it’s for only 15 minutes at a time, short sessions will soon add up to a lot of work. You don’t need to do it all at once, but slowly you’ll be able to work up to longer periods.
5. Be honest
To help make decisions on what to keep, ask yourself “do I need it, use it or love it?” Be honest with yourself and remember objects don’t have feelings. You can create piles or areas to sort into, such as ‘keep’, ‘toss’ and ‘sell/giveaway/donate’. Don’t create a ‘maybe’ pile as it is something you’re just going to have to sort out again later.
“Once we’d done it, we felt so good. We’d got rid of all this stuff we didn’t really need and living here feels like we’re on holiday every day,” says Del, a RetireAustralia resident from Wellington Manor.
6. Take photos
Consider taking photographs or video of things that can’t go to your new home. It will preserve the memory without taking up any space in your new home.
Speaking of photos, you may have boxes of old photos and many albums. Photos are treasured items and need to preserved, but they can also be heavy and bulky. Enlist some friends or family to help digitize them all and then frame the ones that are special to take pride of place in your new home.
7. Swap old for new
It’s OK to still buy new items but try adopting ‘the one in / one out’ rule. For example, if you buy a new set of wine glasses, donate the existing ones.
Moving into your new home can also be your chance to update some of those older items for some nice things you’ve had your eye on. Now’s the time to create your new home for the next exciting stage of your life.
8. Gift or sell things
Firstly, ask your children if they want any of the items you don’t want, but be prepared for them to not want many of them, no matter how precious they are to you. Secondly, consider a private garage sale for people you know and trust and put coloured stickers on the items you no longer want. Thirdly, ask charities if they want your unwanted items but don’t just assume they will – charities often have limited room or too much stock already. Auction houses can also be a destination for selling your unwanted items but they can be very fussy about what they’ll accept.
“We had friends help, we donated stuff to charity, we gave to family and friends, we sold on Facebook Marketplace,” says Chris.
9. Be kind to yourself
Downsizing and decluttering can be tough as we form emotional attachments to our belongings and the memories they hold. By starting early, you give yourself time to reminisce over cherished memories and process the change that’s occurring. Don’t be hard on yourself for being sentimental, but do remind yourself that a fantastic new life awaits you. The most common thing we hear at RetireAustralia is “I wish we’d made the move sooner!”.
Get some assistance
This is something you don’t have to tackle on your own, there are professionals available you can assist you. Some services that may be able to help include:
Transition Angels Ph: 1300 730 028
Need more?
If you require more information about your new apartment or The Rise at Glen Wood to help your downsizing process, you can always reach out to our sales team. We look forward to welcoming you soon to The Rise at Glen Wood.
