Downsizing - The Awesome Power of Letting Go

 Life is full of happy transitions: moving into your first apartment or home, upsizing to accommodate a growing family. Each time a new expansion happens, the change is exhilarating and fun. Somewhere along the way, things start to feel like a lot to manage. The accumulation of things needed to manage an entire family is a lot. Then the family leaves the nest and a whole lot of that stuff behind. Now what?! 

Downsizing!

Downsizing is a change that frees you up in many ways:

• Less overhead
• Less space to clean
• Freedom to come and go with ease
• More intentional living 

 Downsizing costs less: Having a smaller space to heat and cool saves a lot of money. Depending on what sort of living situation you settle on, you may save more on other household expenses like yard maintenance, HOA fees, water bills, and more. The more you eliminate, the more you put directly back into your budget.

 Downsizing saves time: A smaller home with fewer people means less time spent cleaning. From laundry to dishes - loads are fewer and farther between.

 Downsizing provides freedom: Being able to leave for extended periods of time is easier when you have a smaller space that requires less upkeep. Depending on how automated your home is or how often you like to travel, downsizing makes it easy to come and go with ease.

 Downsizing creates purposeful design: Downsizing or reclaiming your space after kids move out makes it easy and fun to redesign your spaces to fully meet your needs. From a craft room to a man cave, there are generally more options when you downsize and make your home intentionally yours.

 Downsizing can be as minimal or as radical as you’d like. It can happen fast or over time. The key is to mentally prepare and don’t overthink your decisions.

 Truth: You don’t need to save everything- You might resist clearing things out and getting rid of them. It might seem important to save every childhood memory you have of your child’s, but it isn’t. Ask your adult children what items they want preserved, box those up, and give it to them to manage. Getting rid of things will make it easier to downsize. This was one of the most difficult strategies for me, but it can be done and our kids don't have the same emotional attachment to the "stuff" that we have.

 Truth: Saving things makes it someone else’s problem- The more you save, the more you burden your family if and when they have to clear out your home. An overabundance of personal items at a stage of life when you aren’t raising a family leaves a lot of work for someone else when you are gone. As I look around my home, I realize that I have way more personal items than my children would ever want or need.

 Downsizing is a freeing experience that opens up many opportunities for new and amazing things. As I walked the Camino de Santiago (the ancient pilgrimage to route across northern Spain), I learned that I needed far less than I thought and wanted to clear away some of the "baggage" holding me down. It is time to embrace this season of life and enjoy the change!

What stage of life are YOU in? Is it time to reclaim some space for yourself? Perhaps you'll want to redecorate, donate unused items, and create intentional spaces for you and your loved ones.

Until next time...

Cheers!

Lisa

 P.S. If you are in the Empty Nest stages and looking ahead to retirement, I have a free PDF download for you here: 

 https://www.lisamcgrath.me/pl/120451