Downsizing, To Move or Not to Move? That is the Question

Plans are always good, way to go, many of you are making super progress. Some of you are planning a move or have moved and some are downsizing. I have departed with many items, some I have donated to the homeless shelters. I find that satisfying since they don’t have the resources to purchase the items they need. I helped support these special people for years through my work. My daughter now works as a social worker in three schools and has found it rewarding to help homeless children find shelter.
My walking continues, I wait until the temp is as warm as it’s going to get, generally around 1 pm. Fortunately, December has been good to us, it has only dipped into the 20’s a few times but mostly 30’s and even some 40’s. The fresh air renews some positivity (mental health exercise) and at the same time physical movement away from the same rooms I roam every day at home. I even saw a ‘confused’ robin the other day. What fun! Since then, no sighting.
Enjoy your evening, and keep on truckin!

And this morning the need to "upgrade" became more apparent - the 20+ yo refrigerator froze the pet's greens for the 3rd time this week - in spite of being on the warmest setting. Checking to see if a new thermostatic controller is even available any more. That was NOT in my current plan, but either way, repair or replace, I'll have a sparkling clean and organized refrigerator.
Sue

Ours is just holding on by a thread

When we had to move my mother-in-law out of the house she and her husband purchased to be near us, we were almost overwhelmed. OK, we were. After my father-in-law died, we thought my mother-in-law was grieving because of her actions. She had dementia. Anyway, the first step for her was independent living which did not last long and then it was assisted living so fewer pieces of furniture and art work went with her. We could hardly make ourselves go into the house and work every day. Finally, we had friends come help us and choose anything they wanted after we selected a few items. It was great to see them go home with things they could use. Then we rented a storage unit for almost everything else, but only after we had a local thrift shop come and get loads of stuff. They are a wonderful shop and use the money to help people get back on their feet by giving them a place to stay and also teaching budgeting skills. We brought too much home with us. We are still working on that, but made room for more stuff by giving away things from Nana. We had a set of dishes from Nana with a 12-piece place setting with every bowl and serving piece imaginable. We decided to give all of that to a couple who loved old-fashioned dishes with pink roses rimmed in gold. That eliminated lots of boxes. Then we decided to give Nana's silver ware to the same couple. We had not used any of it and were so happy this couple wanted everything. The final step in the in-laws' house was a call to 1.800.gotjunk. Two nice young men showed up with a truck and cleaned out the basement and the garage. They told my husband they try to recycle everything. There were lots of good tools and so much more. Since we still had art work on the walls, my husband asked the young men if they would like to select a piece. They did and we removed the rest. A friend helped us clean and the house sold within a week. What a relief! Now it is time for the two of us to get serious about all the stuff we no longer need. We have no children so nobody wants anything. We might check with our friends again, but most of them are full up, also. What a long post. We are struggling! @joybringer1

If you live in a metro area, look on Facebook for a group called "Buy Nothing [name of your town]" We have sent dozens of new things to eager new homes, including tools, fabric, hosewares, furniture, baby things, doors (when we replaced our doors and woodwork) a Christmas tree... Mainly young homeowners, people starting over, and a lady who fixes things up to sell while caring for a disabled husband.
Sue

When we had to move my mother-in-law out of the house she and her husband purchased to be near us, we were almost overwhelmed. OK, we were. After my father-in-law died, we thought my mother-in-law was grieving because of her actions. She had dementia. Anyway, the first step for her was independent living which did not last long and then it was assisted living so fewer pieces of furniture and art work went with her. We could hardly make ourselves go into the house and work every day. Finally, we had friends come help us and choose anything they wanted after we selected a few items. It was great to see them go home with things they could use. Then we rented a storage unit for almost everything else, but only after we had a local thrift shop come and get loads of stuff. They are a wonderful shop and use the money to help people get back on their feet by giving them a place to stay and also teaching budgeting skills. We brought too much home with us. We are still working on that, but made room for more stuff by giving away things from Nana. We had a set of dishes from Nana with a 12-piece place setting with every bowl and serving piece imaginable. We decided to give all of that to a couple who loved old-fashioned dishes with pink roses rimmed in gold. That eliminated lots of boxes. Then we decided to give Nana's silver ware to the same couple. We had not used any of it and were so happy this couple wanted everything. The final step in the in-laws' house was a call to 1.800.gotjunk. Two nice young men showed up with a truck and cleaned out the basement and the garage. They told my husband they try to recycle everything. There were lots of good tools and so much more. Since we still had art work on the walls, my husband asked the young men if they would like to select a piece. They did and we removed the rest. A friend helped us clean and the house sold within a week. What a relief! Now it is time for the two of us to get serious about all the stuff we no longer need. We have no children so nobody wants anything. We might check with our friends again, but most of them are full up, also. What a long post. We are struggling! @joybringer1

Our refrigerator is still working after 20 years. We replaced the old one downstairs after 35 years. If the new one malfunctions, we can run all the food downstairs. We are not looking forward to shopping for a new refrigerator. A few years ago, we had to replace the dishwasher (about 15 years), the garbage disposal, and the washer and dryer. The washer malfunctioned in the most awful way. The machine overflowed and ruined the laundry room floor and leaked through the ceiling to downstairs and made a mess there. I was doing a load of laundry when the washing machine overflowed because a friend was coming to spend a few days with us. Nice time to malfunction, eh? We could scarcely talk owing to the noise of huge fans and workmen ripping up flooring. When we purchased new appliances and told the sales person how long the others had lasted, we were told to expect 6-8 years from the new ones. Egad! I guess quality has really disappeared. @joybringer1