5 Best Tips to Help Decluttering for Retirement

Retiring often involves transitioning to a low-maintenance, carefree lifestyle. And this could well include downsizing your existing home. Typically, your new home will have less space, so to avoid being overwhelmed by too much stuff, you should only bring the things you really need. For most people, this will mean they have to undertake the daunting task of decluttering their existing home before selling. If this sounds scary to you, not to worry. We’ve got you covered with our top tips for decluttering for retirement. Let’s jump in!

1. Start Early

First and foremost, it’s a bad idea to wait until you’re ready to make the big move before you start decluttering for retirement. Most of our clients have items that they know they will not be taking to their new home way in advance of selecting their retirement home.

For example, you may have large items of furniture you rarely use and know you can’t take along. If you start early enough, you can find them a good home with a friend or family member. Or if you want to sell items, you’ll have a better chance at getting decent price for them if you’re proactive.

Storing boxes of your kids’ childhood belongings? These probably can’t move with you. It’s better to identify items that can’t be stored as early as possible so you can let your kids decide if they want to keep them themselves.

In general, decluttering for retirement will likely take more time than you anticipate, so it’s best to start as early as possible.

2. Declutter Room-by-Room

Once you get started, it might be tempting to empty out all the drawers and closets in every room in the house. But this is likely to cause an overwhelming mess.

On the other hand, there’s a great satisfaction to be had in seeing how clean and fresh things look without the clutter. If you focus on one room at a time, you’ll see progress more quickly and feel motivated to keep going.

3. Start With the Least Used Rooms

In a similar vein, if you start with the master bedroom or living room, you’re more likely to feel the impact of the upheaval. Instead, start with the least used rooms first. These will be easier to manage and give you a sense of achievement much more quickly. A little-used den, guest room, or rec room could be a great place to start.

4. Use the 5-Year Rule

It can be very difficult to part with belongings, even those that don’t hold a significant amount of sentimental value. Of course, there will be some things that you’ll want to keep forever, but for others, the five-year rule is a handy tool.

Basically, if you haven’t used an item for five years or more, it may be time to think about whether you will be taking it to your new home. This is especially true when it comes to things like clothing and accessories.

5. Label Everything!

When you’re going to the trouble of decluttering for retirement, it’s important to be organized. This way you can stay on top of what needs to go where and make sure nothing is accidently thrown away or donating to charity — it happens way too often!

You can use simple labels like ‘sell,’ ‘donate,’ or ‘trash,’ and more specific ones for items you’re holding onto. Once your items are labelled, it will help with the next stage of the process. You might want to host a garage sale, post items for sale online, have family pick up belongings, or take a trip to the local charity shop.

Decluttering can be a seriously daunting task but will help immensely with the downsizing process. You’ll you be better prepared for your move, plus your house will show better and be easier to sell. Our five tips should help make this undesirable task more manageable.

If you need help with decluttering for retirement, in general or any other aspect of downsizing, your ThompsonSells team is here to help you every step of the way. Get in touch with us today!