So, Now You Are Going to Retire and Downsize: Where Do You Start
According to the Over-50 Council of the National Association of Home Builders, about six percent of people in the 55 to 64 year old range move each year and that number will rise drastically with the baby boomers coming of age. How many of them wait until the last minute before they decide to get rid of the clutter, organize and simplify their lifestyle, before that day arrives?
Working towards retirement also means working towards a simple way of life. One where you don't have the daily house keeping chores, the closets are organized with everything that you 'need' and the yard has perennials instead of flowers you have to plant every year. This is the time when you can do the things that you have put off, all of your life. If you decide to go away for the weekend, there is not anything that will stop you.
This sounds really great, now how do you manage to get your home in this condition, right?
You plan ahead, the same way that you have done for your retirement. You start about a year ahead of your retirement date, getting your life in order. By this time, you have already decided that you will downsize or that you want to move into assisted living or live out of an RV for a few years. Now it is time to arrange your life and home according to those goals.
Go through your home and take everything out of every room that takes maintenance, clutter, knick-knacks you no longer need and things you do not use. Now, decide what to do with it, give it away, sell it, donate it or throw it in the garbage. Now take a look at what you have accomplished, you have already made a big difference in your lifestyle.
Next, go to your closet, a great place for space wasters! Pull everything out of the closet and have four boxes handy; 1) donate, 2) give away, 3) garbage and 4) Rummage sale. Whatever does not end up in one of these boxes can go back in your closet. The trick here is to make sure that when you get a box filled that you dispose of it right away. Do not put it in a place where you can dig through it and start to bring things back into your closet.
Don't forget to get hubby in on the fun too. He gets the garage and the basement! You do not need to have five hammers and four shovels, although if you want to have a his and hers it is all right. Put all of the electrical cords in one place, sand paper, hand tools etc. Now is the time to get rid of all of the tools that you have hung on to for years and never used. If you don't want to sell them, maybe a family member can use them or a neighbor that has always admired it. Make a gift of an item that you know will be appreciated by someone else. Don't forget about consignment shops too!
All you want to have left in your home is what you NEED, doesn't take energy to keep up and doesn't eat anything! Okay, maybe that last statement went a little too far; the hubby can stay! You get the main idea; make life simple. If you have things that you are going to give to family members, the kids or the neighbors, your 'some day' has come, do it now so you can see that it is appreciated.
Jan Hayner, a Professional Organizer, offers tips, hints and shortcuts on <a target="_new" href="http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com/">organizing and cleaning problems</a> go to Organizing Your Life THE EASY WAY (http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com) and get her free pamphlets, newsletter and more.