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

John, in my house, it is "Don't touch that for rehoming" when it comes to my bakeware and his tools. We each decide what will be eliminated.
Ginger

Sadly since retiring my job is dishes while she still works and she has a gazillion odd size pots, pans, and odd stuff that only Norwegian cooks use and we don't have enough cabinets for storage. So, I just load/unload the dishwasher and let her put the odd stuff away. Not really complaining too hard as like you say I have my own computer and garage mess to downsize.

Hey John - I have "remote storage" on my own shelf in our (large) laundry room for the seldom used bakeware, massive soup pots, extra crockpot, etc. That keeps the every day stuff corralled in the available cupboards.

Our remote storage is an 8 x 12 unheated hot tub room without a hot tub 🙃 We got rid of that 10 years ago and then the things just started piling up in the hot tub room. So I have been lugging all of the old clothes and odds and ends down to Saver's but still haven't made much of a dent in the room. She does keep her oversized crockpot and it's carry case in the storage room along with Christmas decorations and other odds and ends.

It does not matter what age you are, tragedies happen and then family and freinds are left to get rid of the treasures that a person owns. Personal experience in retirement communities when somebody passes away alot of things just get thrown into dumpsters.

Sometimes, they will have a volunteer available who can pull things out for you to go through, and give them the extras. Or if you have a local senior chore service. My friend does it often for older or disabled members of her church, then arranges for the excess to be taken away for resale, and for someone to haul to the landfill (you do have to pay for that bit.)
Just one more way to get things done.
Sue

Sadly, I too have seen it. When my Mom was in Hospice, another family there was arranging to dump with their Mom's 3 car garage of sewing and craft items as the home was sold. I had connections, and we were able, over 2 weeks, to move about 80-90% to new homes. They were grateful and the charities were thrilled. The Estate Agents here won't handle those things.
I have arrangements in place for my own items like that, beyond what my girls want.
Sue

The decision to move and down size is huge…we postponed it too long..but somewhere I got the clarity one morning awakening about a year ago. I realized that it should of been done before I was 77 years old..My husband would of stayed and complained for the rest of his life.. Our house was too big and had two many steps and we never did like the City where we had been living 22 years. And I had been flying back and forth to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix for my health care. So I bought a house in Sun City AZ first and then we started packing before we put our house on the Market for sale. Why? Because we had so much stuff to get rid of and to just go through it all, it was overwhelming… It took both of us working almost daily for two months! And we were so physically tired.. But today we are both so much happier and function better in our one level, smaller house.. I have more Friends here in Arizona then where I lived previously for 22 years..
My only regret is that we didn’t do it about 5 years earlier…

Please let us how Sun City AZ works out. We are still evacuated and want to move to Tucson. Will witte our stuff down quite a bit. Will let go of all furniture but want to hang on to the chairs. We should get an update on how much longer we have to stay in a motel tomottow afternoon. Motel living is the pits.

Last year, I had heart surgery, and while recuperating, I realized that it was time. I’m 74, and only have the next few years to do it, until someone has to do it for me, removing my ability to decide. We had five acres, and five half floors of furniture, including a baby grand piano. We bought a house with a room for the piano, and lots of windows, in a city I love. Then, we started packing. My husband is disabled, so it was really me, and paid help. A local cleaning lady started packing and dumping for me. A local service started moving things to the basement of the new home. I hired a “staging” company to place my old furniture in the new home, and what doesn’t fit, goes. Our son promised to help, but he has a life, as well, and hiring help takes out the sentiment. In less than a year, we will have done it. We signed in February, and should be done this December.