If you’re becoming an empty-nester, it’s time to downsize your family home! If you have been using extra space in the basement or the guest room as storage, now is the time to get rid of those things that aren’t essential to your everyday life anymore. After all, you don’t want to be stuck with a house full of stuff when your kids have left the nest and no longer need your help moving out! Follow these 10 tips for decluttering when you become an empty nester and find yourself with more room than ever before!
1) Go with the Flow
Retirement and older age are a time to celebrate. Don’t let the clutter in your house get in the way of enjoying your golden years.
2) Consider Who Might Benefit from Your Things
As you declutter your home in preparation for retirement or downsized living, consider who might benefit from your things. Perhaps your adult children or a charity organisation would like to have some of your furniture or keepsakes. Maybe there are neighbours or friends who could use a dishwasher or lawn mower. Donating items to those in need is a great way to declutter your home and make someone else’s life a little easier.
3) Let go of Sentimental Items
We all have items that we’ve been holding on to for sentimental reasons. But, as you get ready to downsize, it’s important to take a hard look at those things and gauge how much you still love them. If they’re taking up valuable space and you don’t use them often, it might be time to move them on to someone who will use them.
4) Beware of Hidden Clutter
As you go through your things, set aside items that you no longer need or want. These can be donated to a local thrift or charity shop. Donating is a great way to declutter your home and help those in need. Plus, it can be very fulfilling to know that your things are going to a good cause and you’re extending their life.
5) Donate First
As you go through your things, set aside items that you no longer need or want. These can be donated to a local thrift or charity shop. Donating is a great way to declutter your home and help those in need. Plus, it can be very fulfilling to know that your things are going to a good cause and you’re extending its life.
6) Keep, Toss, or Sell Each Item
As you go through your belongings, you’ll likely find yourself wanting to keep some things, get rid of others, and sell the rest. To help you declutter, there’s a guide on what you should do with each type of item in the book.
7) Create a Master List before Starting a Major Purge Session
Before you start decluttering, it’s helpful to create a master list of all the areas in your home that need attention. This will help you gauge the difficulty of each area and make sure you don’t miss anything.
8) Enjoy Life Without Clutter
The decluttering process can be daunting, but it’s so worth it when you’re finally finished. And what better way to reward yourself for a job well done than by enjoying life without all the clutter.
9) Enrol in an Online Decluttering Course & 10) Read the book, Rightsize Your Home: The Empty Nester’s Guide to a Stress-Free Downsize.
RIGHTSIZE YOUR HOME ONLINE COURSE: PART 1
Shifting Your Mindset – Understanding The RIGHT TIME, Moving Roadblocks, And How To Be READY For Your DOWNSIZE
This online course for empty nesters is designed as the first step of a 3-part program focusing on improving your mindset and can be completed independently or as a pre-requisite to Part 2 and Part 3 for the full ‘Rightsize Your Home’ program.
Part 1: Shifting Your Mindset will help you understand where you are currently at and help you move through any overwhelming thoughts that may be stopping you from moving forward. Also, you will begin to plan and feel more excited about your next chapter!
We invite you to try this online course, click below now.