When you decide to downsize your living arrangement, you really need to plan that out long before you begin your move. You need to get rid of furniture, empty out all of the storage and closets, and basically reconsider everything you have purchased and saved and hoarded over many years. When we moved from our 2 story 3-bedroom townhouse into a much smaller single level apartment (2 bedroom), it was a nightmare move — especially for me, because I was the one coordinating the move and the downsizing for both dad and myself.
We decided to make that move for many reasons, but the reason that kicked us into gear to do it then and there was that our current lease was expiring, and the new rent was increasing by over $400 a month. Our other *main* reasons were that we didn't need that much space, and my father was getting older, and in fact elderly; The stairs were becoming an increasing issue for him.
The downsize to a smaller apartment decreased our living (and storage) space by roughly 600 square feet. One thing I didn't take into consideration at the time is that there is a big difference between livable space vs. usable space: We now have fewer closets for clothes and storage, as well as having smaller closets than before. Even after I thought that I had downsized everything to work in the new apartment, we ended up having to rent 2 small storage closets from the apartment complex in order to get everything out of the townhouse.
We gave away couches, chairs, and other furniture, and even artwork to relatives. But I had not taken into consideration a lot of things that came back to haunt me at the last minute. Things like the Bedroom Door Position vs. Window Position vs. Closet Door Position. That plays a big role in how you can position the furniture in a room and what will be the actual livable space, and correspondingly how much space you have for storage. I ended up having to give away some furniture to the furniture movers, who thankfully accepted them as part of their tip. I had to get rid of 2 nightstands from my bedroom and that cost me 4 drawers of space for clothes.
The reason I felt that I had to divest myself of those needful nightstands was because I put my large L-Shaped desk, which had been in our 3rd bedroom of the townhouse, into my bedroom in the new apartment. In hindsight, this was a mistake, and I now regret it.
Yes, 11 years later, and I am regretting it now.
I am attached to the L-Shape cubical-style desk because I had it custom-built in 1995. It was not inexpensive, and that is one reason my brain would not let it go. But the fact is, and always was, that it is too large for my current bedroom. I know that if I had been with someone at the time, both of us sharing the same bedroom, there is no way they'd have allowed me to keep that desk. [*chuckle*]
I just ordered a new desk, much smaller, and I will finally be getting rid of the L-Shaped desk that rules the space in the bedroom. It was designed, after all, to have its own room. I find that I don't need that roommate anymore. I need... space.
***
Let me advise you on this: If you have clothes hanging in a closet that press against other clothes so tightly that you have to struggle to get something out, you have too many clothes. If the clothes rod is drooping, you have too many clothes. If the shelf is sagging in the middle, you have too many clothes and shoes and junk on that shelf. And if you have to struggle to close a dresser drawer, you either have too many clothes, or you are not good at folding clothes. 😏
Get a trunk (or footlocker) to put at the bottom of your clothes closet (if it is large enough for one). Put your winter clothes into it during the summer, and your summer clothes into it in the winter. If you can get some of those vacuum storage bags, that will be even better. The clothes will stay fresh and clean and spiders and other insects won't make holes in your clothes. You will also have much more space in that footlocker (or a box) to put clothes in.
Let's face it, most people are never going to wear the majority of the clothes that they have accumulated over the years. As you get older most of those clothes are not going to fit you anymore, or they are so out of style as to be kind of embarrassing. Not everyone can pull of that look of wearing a Metallica t-shirt when they are 59 years old (or even 40) — Especially a t-shirt that is faded by many years of being run through washing machine cycles. It only looks cool... to you... and 3 of your intoxicated friends.
Some people keep clothes (and shoes and misc. stuff) with the idea that they will eventually be "handed down" to their kids or younger relatives. That is old-world thinking. The modern generations don't want hand-me-downs from family. They don't. They might smile and accept them from you but will be putting that stuff far in the back of their own closet or in storage, never to be seen again until it is time for them to downsize.
We accumulate a lot of *unused* things over the years, much of it from impulse purchases and gifts from friends and family. But that Sushi Set has been in the back of the closet for the last 10 years, sitting next to the Fondue Set that you got back in 1990, and both perched on top of the Monopoly game (the one with 3 pieces still missing) that you've had since you were a kid. We never realize just how much unused stuff we have until we have to move it all. We never understand why we hold on to some things for so many years when we don't need it, don't really want it, and might have forgotten that we even have it.
When you begin to realize that you are no longer living in a home, that you are in fact living in a storage unit for your stuff, that is when the light goes on in your brain and the word "downsizing" becomes more attractive; The light illuminates everything, even those boxes of unknowns at the back of some of your closets.
Sure, one night many years from now, you will be sitting in the kitchen and the idea of having a Fondue Party might spring to your mind. You will regret downsizing the Fondue Set you had since 1990 at that moment, but that moment will pass very quickly. Believe me, it will. Your friends and family might claim to like the idea of a Fondue Party, but they really just want the free food. Order a pizza and they will come. Cook burgers and fries, they will come. Tell them you have donuts, they will come.
Actually, if you invite me to a Fondue Party, I won't be coming. I like melted cheese and bread, but I don't like the idea of someone double-dipping the bread that has been in their mouth into the shared pot. I don't even like it when someone forks something off of my plate. I usually say, "Well, this is all yours now. I'll order something else."
Yeah. I am one of those kinds of people. I really, really, am.
Downsizing is painful. It is! Whoever tells you differently, that person already downsized and then forgot how painful it was. And that tells you that the pain of downsizing doesn't last forever. It is liberating, stress-relieving, and removes anxiety for the future — when it is all done and over with; Not during, but when it is over and done and far behind you. You do not need the Fondue Set as your roommate, and the Monopoly game can't afford its share of the rent, so time to evict them. I am doing it, finally, after 11 years, with my desk. It is hard, but next month I will feel better, and won't miss it at all.
Well, except for that one-night some years from now when I will miss it... for about 3 minutes.
