We have been "practicing" living in a smaller space for 7 winters. Our winter home is 400 square feet, with a covered but not enclosed patio and an 8x10 shed. No attic, no basement, no stairs. It is a simpler life - fewer appliances, buy as needed and use up, an item must be carefully planned for, usually another possession must leave. We share large items and seldom used ones with friends and neighbors - for example, there is a "roving party tote" of serving pieces, trays, pitchers and misc., along with an ice bucket & large cooler shared among about a dozen households. There is one community lawn mower, and one weed whacker. Very freeing, actually.

I find when we return to our "big" house - 1300 sf on 2 levels plus a garage & sheds, I am overwhelmed by the amount of stuff - I spend at least an hour or two nearly every day getting rid of things we no longer use or need. Last week several generations of weed-eaters, leaf blowers and hedge clippers, all replaced by a few lightweight battery operated tools, went to a fund-raiser sale along with no longer used decorative pots. Dozens of smaller pots, filled with plants I thinned, went along. Saturday, boxes of no longer used electronic gear went to our community recycle day. Today I filled a recycle bin, a box for the scrappers, and a large trash bag just from a few shelves in the garage, making space for items that were piled on the workbench or floor.

Following the model taught by my parents, I'm trying not to leave a big job for my busy kids! My goal, by this October is to have at least one empty shelf in each cupboard, free space in every closet, and no more "mystery boxes" on high shelves.

I figure even if we stay in the same place, we can condense and simplify to make life more relaxed. Now I just wish manufacturers would make affordable furniture for small spaces. Those huge sectional sofas don't begin to fit my 12 x 16 living room.

I agree with this. I am 80 and single, in the Midwest, with a tiny family. My son lives 150 miles from me and my daughter lives 15 miles away, but with a busy work life and many other responsibilities and we visit once a month or six weeks. I am planning to move to a retirement rental community in a few months.

I'm in much better health than most of the residents there, I'm active and I still drive, but I see myself slowing down and since I plan to see my 100th birthday, I'm thinking ahead, for the time when I don't drive and am less able to do things for myself. Handling this move on my own is difficult enough; I don't want to make another. So I'm moving to a place with all the helpful services I'm going to be making use of someday.

It's close to excellent healthcare, a vibrant and active senior fitness and social center, and all the shopping and entertainment I enjoy. I won't have to give up my friends and make new ones, and a few rules are a fair trade-off for all the benefits I'll be making more use of later on. I've looked at the areas I actually spend most of my time in, in my current home, and the square feet I actually move around and use routinely is even smaller than the one-bedroom apartment I'll be in, plus there are all the common areas.

I've set up a shared folder on the Cloud where my kids and I discuss this and other ageing-related issues, such as how to decide when I give up my car. I'm putting copies of my powers of attorney and health care directives on it, and other information they may need. I want to get all this done now while I still have most of my marbles and physical ability. Even paring my posessions down to the ones I truly love or really need and use is a kind of Swedish death cleaning, a favor to them and a meditation for me. I want to make it as easy as I can, for them and for me, so nobody has to make sudden decisions under pressure, then we can all relax and just enjoy the passage of time.