How To Downsize The Family Home

Accept That To Downsize Is Emotional. 

The first step, and often a big hurdle, to downsize the family home is realizing and accepting that this process is emotional. Memories, guilt, embarrassment, and fear can cause you to consider and reconsider your decision. Accepting that these emotional concerns are valid and also can be worked through helps you move past them. Acknowledge the love and good that has come from your home. Then orient to the joyful benefits downsizing will bring. Seek professional advice if that brings peace of mind. 

Map Out The Financial Benefits.

Moving into a smaller footprint means less stuff, sure, but it also means more, too. Map out the financial benefits you will gain from the money you save from downsizing or earn from selling. Paying off debt, increasing retirement savings, taking more vacations, working less, and less room for stuff (so less buying stuff), all have numerical values that can motivate you as you work. 

Make A Plan To Declutter And Secure Help.

Downsizing can reduce stress – once it’s done. In the meantime, set a timeline, plan your strategy for success, and find the right help, whether it’s family members or professionals. Often, it’s not the house but the stuff in the house that keeps people from feeling all-in when it’s time to declutter and organize. Consider creative ideas to turn old baby clothes into a blanket, or have trophies and medals from your children’s youth photographed into a book. Help can come in the form of a good friend to remind you why you’re doing this when you lose enthusiasm or a professional organizer who will come in with a team and preserve your most precious assets while removing the rest. 

Ensure Success With The Right Tools. 

Small tools like work gloves, trash bags, Clorox wipes, and even easy snacks and gatorades come in handy and minimize the need to stop working to run out for one thing. Planning for big tools like rental dumpsters and trucks to move furniture helps to minimize the mental load when it is time to really get down to business.