Downsizing and All That Stuff!

I have been living in my 3-bedroom, two bath home since my husband and I moved to Florida 19 years ago.   My husband passed away 15 years ago, and since then I lived there alone.  I retired seven years ago, and have been maintaining the cleaning, painting, and yard work myself.  It has kept me busy and has been an excellent way to get exercise and stay active.   It was also less expensive to do what I could myself than to hire someone to do it all on a fixed retirement income. And, my family will vouch for the fact that even if I did hire a cleaning service, I would be cleaning before they arrived so they wouldn’t see any dirt!

But I turned 70 this year and found that the house was getting older and required more work and money, and I was getting older and having a hard time keeping up with it all both physically and financially.  I was only really living in 3 rooms, but cleaning and maintaining seven rooms and a garage and patio.  I decided that rather than let the place deteriorate, I needed to downsize and get a smaller place to live.  So, I sold my home and found a 2-bedroom, two bath apartment that was perfect for my needs.  There is less to clean, no maintenance or yard work, no taxes, no homeowner’s insurance, no new roof, furnace or water heater to buy.  Great right?  Problem solved and more time to take it easy and concentrate on my hobbies! 

The house sold quickly, and I found a great apartment a few blocks away from my daughter.  All that was left was to move in!  Wow was I in for a shock!  What the heck was I going to do with all this stuff that I accumulated in 20 years?  I couldn’t fit all this furniture and stuff into the new apartment.  It would be like trying to fit 20 gallons of water in a 10-gallon bottle.  I was living George Carlin’s Comedy Routine – “A Place for My Stuff.”  If you have not seen it, click on the link and watch an excerpt from it (warning X-rated language).  It is hilarious, and although he talks about upsizing to deal with more stuff as opposed to downsizing to get rid of stuff, you will recognize the humor in my stuff dilemma. 

I had three weeks to vacate my house.  I tried to negotiate more time, but the buyer was in a hurry. The first hurdle was deciding what I wanted or would have the room to keep and what would have to go.  It was an emotional roller coaster.  Apart from the family keepsakes, there were so many things that no one has looked at or used in 20 years, but they were still in good condition and surely would be of use and value to someone? I decided that I could sell or donate the more valuable items (it seems that many charities are very particular about what donations they will accept because they resell rather than give them away, which to me is not a true charity) and the rest would have to go to the dump. Wait a minute!  Don’t they say that one man’s (or woman’s) trash, is another man’s (or woman’s) treasure?

You have no idea how hard that was for me.  While I am not a hoarder in the real sense of the meaning today,  my parents and grandparents who lived through the great depression, instilled in me the desire to donate rather than throw away items someone could use.  But I was able to give some things away to neighbors and friends who could use them, and that made me happy.  I must admit though that there were some things that I could not explain why I had kept them in storage boxes for so many years.

So, I sold what I could in the limited amount of time that I had, donated what I could to charities, friends, and neighbors, but I still had stuff that had to go.  Many people here in Florida rent storage space for their stuff because there are generally no basements in the houses, and attic space is pretty much non-existent.  Fortunately, I have a garage at my new apartment and was able to store some things of value there, until I can sell or donate them soon.  That will be Phase II of my downsizing projects.  Who knew it would be so complicated? No, not the selling of my home of 20 years, or adjusting to living in the smaller space of an apartment but getting rid of all that stuff! 

On the positive side, I love my new apartment, and I feel a sense of liberation in getting rid of all that stuff that I didn’t use or need and in not having to spend so much time cleaning and doing yard work.  Now, I have time to write, paint, go for a walk or a ride, and explore new hobbies, places, and experiences.  I look out the windows and watch as the maintenance crew mows the lawn and trims the shrubs, and when something needs fixing, I go online and fill out a work order for maintenance to fix. Isn’t that great!

I made myself a promise to go through all my stuff once each year, as long as I can, and get rid of anything that I have not used, looked at or touched in a year.  And, when I pass on, my children will be faced with a lot less stuff to manage.  How about you?  Is it time to do your family a favor and rethink your stuff?

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