When older adults decide to move into a retirement community, figuring out what they’ll take and leave behind can be a struggle. The notion of having to sort and organize all your belongings can be daunting, and certain items that have memories attached may be hard to part with after so many years.
So, how can seniors effectively downsize their belongings before moving to a retirement community? Below, we’ll consider a few methods that simplify this process. After you’ve successfully readied yourself for retirement living, choose the Mover Guys to help make the transition even smoother.
Start planning early
Packing up a home takes quite a bit of time, especially if you have a fairly sizeable house. You’ll want to start the process several weeks in advance of your move to ensure you have plenty of time to complete your packing job.
Starting early also gives moving companies enough notice to ensure they have trucks available on the date of your move-in.
Donate, give away, or sell items you don’t need
Rather than renting storage space for the items you won’t be taking along, or simply throwing them away, give them a new home!
If you have precious family heirlooms that you’ve decided to leave behind, you can pass them on to another family member who will cherish them.
You may also choose to donate certain items or make some extra money by selling good-quality pieces like dining tables or couches.
Cutting ties with things you no longer need may be hard at first, but it will take a large weight off your shoulders by helping you simplify your life!
Create ‘yes’ and ‘no’ piles
Make definitive choices about which things you want to keep and get rid of - no ‘maybe’ piles! If you’re not certain whether you want to keep something, it’s best to place it in the ‘no’ pile, as you may never end up using or needing it.
If certain items have sentimental attachment, you can pass them on to a family member who will put them to good use, or request that they store them in a free space until a later date.
However, it’s generally best to part ways with ‘maybe’ items, as they often remain unused and take up unnecessary storage space.
Downsize room-by-room
A good way to determine which items can be downsized is to sort room by room.
For example, many retirement apartments combine the kitchen with the dining area. If you have a separate dining room in your home that features a large table and chair set, a china cabinet, and several sets of dishes, you can likely downsize most of those items.
Vy for a smaller table and keep one or two dish sets that you’re most likely to use, and donate, sell, or give away the rest.
As you sort through the other rooms in your house in this fashion, you may find you don’t need to keep as many things as you initially thought!
Request a floor plan for your retirement suite
When choosing which furniture items you need, it’s a good idea to request a copy of your suite’s floor plan from the retirement home.
Once you have an idea of how much space you’ll be working with, you can better determine how many sofas, chairs, tables, and other furnishings you’ll need.
It may be more worthwhile to sell and replace certain items. For instance, if you have a sectional couch, but the living room in your new home is small, you may be further ahead to replace it with a three-seat sofa.
Ask for help
The process of sorting and packing up a house can be physically and mentally tiring, especially for older adults. To speed up the job and maintain your health, ask for help from friends and family to pack, organize, and de-clutter your home.
Not only will having loved ones around help expedite the move, but it will make it much more enjoyable!
Transition to retirement with the Mover Guys
Whether you’re staying local to Edmonton or moving to a retirement community in another province, our team at the Mover Guys is here to help you make the transition. We’ll do the heavy lifting by loading and hauling your belongings so that you can settle into your new home without worry.
To learn more about our services and receive a free quote, you can get in touch via the Contact Us page.
