If you’ve retired recently and are considering moving to a smaller house, retirement complex or cottage you may be a bit overwhelmed by the thought of downsizing. But don’t despair, these top tips will help you move forward and reduce any clutter, and maybe even make some money out of it too.
Digitise Your Documents
If you have years’ worth of documents and papers you cannot bear to part with, you don’t need to What you can do however is harness the power of technology and scan them all, so you don’t have to keep the physical copies any longer. You can also make back-up copies and store them on a cloud server or external hard drive in case your computer ever crashes.
Scan Photos
You can go the digital route for your old photographs too if you like. By scanning pics and storing them electronically you’ll reduce a huge amount of space, as photo albums are often large and heavy, and never really looked at!
Scale Down on Stuff
You’ll be amazed at what’s lurking in your cupboards or on your shelves that you never use, or haven’t looked at in years. Do a real clean out of ornaments, vases, kitchenware and anything else you have accumulated loads of, and either donate it, sell it on Facebook marketplace or similar, or hold a yard sale. You could well be sitting on some extra cash you can enjoy using at the online Roulette tables in NZ, or for any other fun pastime.
Cut Back on Clothes
A closet clean out is another great way to scale down on belongings. If you haven’t worn something for a year or more, now is the time to let it find a new home. Here too you could make some extra money, especially as vintage items are super hot right now.
Pass On Your Books
If you’ve collected loads of books now is the right time to help them find new homes. You can sell or donate books, and there are always plenty of willing receipts that will offer them a home. You can also opt to stop buying books and invest in an eReader, as this allows you to have 100’s of novels at your fingertips, all in one compact device.
Gift Your Legacy
If you are leaving friends or family members anything in your will, you can always gift them the objects early. This may sound morbid, but if you know they’ll get great joy and use out of them, why not pass them on now? You’ll be able to downsize all while making people happy, and on the plus side, if you go and visit whomever you have left something too, you can admire it in its new home.
While downsizing isn’t always an easy to broach topic, it is one that is necessary. Be gentle on yourself when going through the motions and take your own time.
