Category: Downsizing

Decluttering, Downsizing, Intentional Living, Minimalism, Organization

10 Telltale Signs Your Possessions Are Overwhelming Your Life

Jamie Perkins

·

May 15, 2023

“If you have not used it in the last year, it probably belongs in the trash!”
― Steven Magee

Owning a lot of possessions can sometimes become overwhelming, leading to clutter and disorganization in your life. Maybe today is the day for you to realize it’s time to begin to declutter and simplify your life.

The following piece will provide you with 10 signs you own too much stuff, helping you pinpoint areas in your life where you can make changes to reduce stress and live more efficiently. By the end, you’ll be prepared to tackle your excess belongings head-on and create a more organized and peaceful living environment.

The Cluttered Home

Have you ever found yourself struggling to find something in your own home? Do you feel like there’s just too much stuff around you and you can’t seem to keep it organized? If so, you may be dealing with a cluttered home.

Overflowing Closets

One of the first signs of a cluttered home is overflowing closets. When you have more clothes than you can fit in your closet, it’s time to start decluttering. You may find items you haven’t worn in years, old shoes that need to be thrown away, or clothes that no longer fit. Getting rid of these items can help make space for the clothes you actually wear.

Packed Drawers

Another sign of a cluttered home is packed drawers. When your drawers are so full that you can’t close them properly, it’s time to start decluttering. You may find items that you forgot you even had, or items that you’ve been holding onto for sentimental reasons. Getting rid of these items can help make space for the items you actually use.

“I decided to break the trend of accumulating stuff sooner rather than later. I moved to smaller homes ahead of my need. I downsized before I was forced to do so.”
― Lisa J. Shultz

Stacks of Paperwork

Do you have stacks of paperwork taking up valuable desk space? If so, you need to declutter and organize them and train yourself to touch a piece of paper one time, from start to finish. If you do this, you’ll never have another stack of paper.

In the meantime, take a deep breath, grab a pen, and let’s get this sorted. Get a trash can and start tossing any obvious junk like old receipts or outdated letters. Sort the remaining papers into categories like bills, important documents, and reference materials. Use folders or trays to keep each category separate and label them for easy access.

Set up a regular schedule to go through and shred any papers you no longer need. With a little bit of effort and organization, you’ll have a clutter-free workspace in no time.

Emotional Attachment

Inability to Let Go

It’s common to develop emotional attachments to our belongings, especially those with sentimental value. However, when these attachments become so strong that we can’t bear to part with possessions, they can become a sign that we own too much stuff.

Have you ever found yourself struggling to get rid of an item, even though you haven’t used it in years? Perhaps it’s a shirt that doesn’t fit anymore, or an old book that you know you’ll never read again. This inability to let go of possessions can be a sign that you’re emotionally attached to them.

There are many reasons why we might struggle to let go of our belongings. We might worry that we’ll regret getting rid of something later, or that we’ll be throwing away something that could have value in the future. We might also feel guilty about getting rid of something that was a gift or has sentimental value.

However, when we’re holding onto things that we don’t need or use, we’re cluttering up our living spaces and making it harder to find the things we do need. Learning to let go of possessions that no longer serve us can be a liberating experience.

Memories Tied to Objects

“The reason many people in our society are miserable, sick, and highly stressed is because of an unhealthy attachment to things they don’t even need.”
― Steve Maraboli

Many of us have possessions that are tied to memories. Perhaps it’s a photo album that reminds us of a happy time in our lives, or a piece of jewelry that was passed down from a loved one. While it’s natural to feel attached to these items, it’s important to recognize when we’re holding onto things simply because of the memories they evoke.

Memories don’t have to be tied to physical objects. While it’s nice to have reminders of happy times, we shouldn’t let our possessions define our memories. Instead, try taking photos of sentimental items and storing them digitally. Or consider donating the item to someone who will appreciate it as much as you did.

Overall, emotional attachment to our belongings can be a sign that we own too much stuff. While it’s important to hold onto items that bring us joy and serve a purpose in our lives, we should also be willing to let go of things that are cluttering up our space and holding us back.

Financial Stress

Difficulty Paying Bills

When you own too much stuff, it can lead to financial stress, which can make it difficult to pay your bills. You might find that you are struggling to make ends meet and are constantly worried about money. This is because owning too many things can lead to overspending, which can then lead to debt.

No Room for Savings

Another sign that you own too much stuff is when you find that you have no room for savings. When you are constantly buying things, you are not setting money aside for emergencies or for your future. This can leave you in a precarious financial situation, where you have no safety net to fall back on in case of an emergency.

“Financial peace isn’t the acquisition of stuff. It’s learning to live on less than you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can’t win until you do this.” — Dave Ramsey

Financial stress is a common sign that you might be owning too much stuff. If you find that you are struggling to pay your bills or have no room for savings, it might be time to reassess your spending habits and consider downsizing your possessions.

Social Isolation

Embarrassment to Have Visitors

When you own too much stuff, it can be difficult to maintain a clean and organized home. This can lead to embarrassment and shame when inviting others over to your space. You may feel hesitant to have visitors because of the clutter, mess, and lack of space to socialize.

Not having a welcoming home that you can be proud of can lead to missed opportunities for socializing and connecting with others. It can also lead to feelings of loneliness, as you may feel disconnected from the people around you.

Lack of Space to Socialize

Another sign that you may own too much stuff is when you don’t have enough space to socialize comfortably. This can be especially true in smaller living spaces where every inch counts.

When you have too much stuff, it can be difficult to find a place to sit or even walk around. This can make it challenging to have friends and family over for social events or even just to hang out and relax.

Having a clutter-free and spacious home can help alleviate feelings of social isolation and allow you to enjoy the company of others in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

Time Management

Do you feel like there are never enough hours in the day? Are you constantly running late or missing appointments? These could be signs that you own too much stuff. Here are a couple of ways that owning too many possessions can impact your time management skills.

Difficulty Finding Things

When you own a lot of stuff, it can be hard to keep track of everything. You may find yourself spending hours searching for a single item, like your car keys or your husband’s favorite recipe. This not only wastes time, but it can also cause stress and frustration.

One way to combat this issue is to organize your belongings as you declutter your home. Get rid of items that you no longer need or use and organize the things that you decide to keep. This will make it easier to find what you need when you need it, allowing you to spend less time searching and more time doing the things that are important to you.

Time Spent Organizing

Another way that owning too much stuff can impact your time management is by taking up valuable time that could be spent on other activities. When you have a lot of possessions, it can be difficult to keep everything organized. You may find yourself spending hours each week cleaning, sorting, and putting things away.

While it’s important to keep your home clean and tidy, it’s also important to remember that time is a precious commodity. Instead of spending all your free time organizing your possessions, consider simplifying your life.

This could mean downsizing your home, buying fewer things, or finding ways to reduce clutter in your current space. By doing so, you’ll free up more time to spend on the things that truly matter to you.

It’s Never too Late to get Started

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your life, know that you’re not alone. Many people struggle with clutter and the feeling of being suffocated by their possessions. But by recognizing the signs that you own too much stuff, and taking action to simplify, you can create a more balanced and joyful life. Remember, it’s not about how much you own, but how much joy and meaning your possessions bring to your life.
Downsizing

Time to Downsize

Jamie Perkins

·

April 23, 2023

Downsizing your home can be both an overwhelming and an exciting time, and it’s one that generally comes with a big lifestyle change. People downsize for many reasons; perhaps they no longer need as much space, they want to save money, or they’re entering a new phase of life and they want to change their living situation.

Whatever your reason, this piece may help you learn how to downsize in an organized and stress-free way, with tips and tricks on everything from how to make decisions about what to keep and what to declutter and how to deal with sentimental keepsakes.

“Much of what we acquire in life isn’t worth dragging to the next leg of our journey. Travel light. You will be better equipped to travel far.” ― Gina Greenlee

Downsizing is moving from a larger house to a smaller one. It typically involves getting rid of possessions that are no longer needed or that will not fit into the new place and it can be a big lifestyle change.

Dave and I are good examples of boomers who downsize. First, we moved into a smaller home in the same town, after our children moved out. About three years later, we moved into an even smaller home in another state when we retired. We made these two moves over the course of about seven years. I hope you can learn a few things from our experience.

The key to downsizing is to start early, pace yourself, and remain focused, and to remember that what may seem like tedious and time-consuming tasks will save you time and effort once you get to your new home.

Packing your home for the move

1. Get an early start

It’s a good idea to reset your mindset and adjust the way that you think about your current home and belongings as soon as you decide that downsizing your home is in your near future.

This doesn’t mean you need to start packing and organizing right away, but you can start making lists of everything you have and stop purchasing items you know you don’t need and probably won’t ever use. Use this as an opportunity to begin to declutter as the seasons change.

This way, you can begin to prepare yourself and your home for the process of downsizing and you won’t be under a lot of stress when it’s time to really begin. In my experience, it was a lot of work to sell a home, downsize, and buy a new home within a very short period of time. We did it all in about 45 days. If you have the time, I strongly recommend that you pace yourself.

2. Know what you have

While it may seem tedious, taking inventory of everything that you have is an important pre-packing step. There may be possessions you forgot you had, things that are broken and need to be thrown out, or multiples that have accumulated over the years.

This will also give you an idea of how many boxes you will need and how much time you should give yourself for the packing process. This is also a good time to measure furniture to see what will fit inside your new home and what won’t. While you’re measuring, also consider the bulkiness of the pieces of furniture you plan to move, especially if the rooms are smaller.

For example, we moved a very nice couch with a pull-out bed in it for use in a guest bedroom. We measured carefully and although it fit, it was very bulky and just wasn’t right for the room. By the time the cushions were removed and the queen mattress was pulled out, the room felt “full.”

I want our guests to have plenty of space and to be comfortable so we donated that pull-out bed couch to a needy family and replaced it with a Murphy bed, or wall bed, which is only pulled down when guests are visiting and it is the perfect solution for us.

If we had considered how much space that pull-out bed really consumed and how bulky it was, we never would have moved it from California to Arizona.

3. Sort and declutter

To stay organized and focused during what may seem like a very overwhelming task, come up with categories to sort everything. For example, set up separate boxes for items you will keep, donate to charity, toss, sell, or give to other people.

This way, as you go through all your possessions, you can ask yourself which of the categories the item falls under, then either place it inside the designated box or, if it’s too large, place a label on it.

4. Oh, those sentimental items

Going through your things and deciding what to keep and what to toss can be challenging and emotional, especially when it comes to sentimental items and family heirlooms.

There are several ways to approach sentimental items; if you have boxes and boxes of old photos but don’t have the room to keep them all, digitize them. Keep the originals that have most meaning and value to you if you must, then go through and scan all the rest.

This way, you can still enjoy all your pictures, they just take up much less space. The same applies to postcards, greeting cards, and other things, like concert tickets or playbills, that you may have kept as souvenirs.

As for items such as a piece of furniture or an accessory like a statue or a painting, evaluate how much it means to you personally and whether you would have it out on display or if it would just sit in a box stored away.

If the answer is the latter, consider giving it to a family member or passing it down to a child or grandchild. This way, the item stays in the family, and you can still see it, just not necessarily in your own home.

5. Getting rid of stuff

Even when it comes to items that are non-sentimental, deciding what to hold on to and what to toss can be difficult and overwhelming. To help you with the process, there are a couple of questions you c an ask yourself as you evaluate each item.

Have you used it in the past year? Do you see yourself using it in the future? Do you have space for it in your new home? Do you have duplicates of it? Is it in working order, or is it broken?

Thoughtfully considering these questions will help you remain focused and make the hard decisions easier. I thought I did a pretty good job of this, but the fact is, I still let that “what if I need this some time in the future” thinking paralyze my decision-making process at times. Consequently, we still moved a lot of things we had to get rid of once we got here, which is both expensive and time consuming.

6. Don’t do it all at once

Under most circumstances, downsizing is a process and should be treated as such. You didn’t collect all your belongings in a week, so expect that it will take longer than a week to go through them.

Giving yourself time is important so that you can keep your momentum going before you even get to your new house, and so that you can stay organized and do as much sorting and purging as is necessary.

No Regrets

Devise your plan and divide tasks over a period of time. Recruit help if need it. Others may not be able to help you decide what to keep and what to donate, but they can help you clean, wrap fragile items in bubble wrap, carry boxes from room to room, or prepare items for donation.

If your move to downsize also involves a major lifestyle change, such as becoming an empty nester or retiring and moving into a much smaller home, considering your new lifestyle will help you make hard decisions.

For example, if you don’t need more than one vehicle, you may want to consider selling one of your cars. Now that we are retired, we realize that we don’t need two cars. This saves you time, money, and a opens up a great deal of space in your garage.

As long as you give yourself plenty of time and get started early, remain focused and organized throughout, and are willing to get rid of everything that takes up too much space, the downsizing process can be surprisingly smooth and simple.

Enjoy the journey!
Baby Boomers, Downsizing, Intentional Living, Less is More, Mindfulness, Minimalism

I Hate to Break it To You

Jamie Perkins

·

April 12, 2023

But, Nobody Wants Your Stuff

Advice for boomers ready to unload family treasures

If you are blessed with parents who are still living, now may be a good time to discuss how you plan to handle their belongings once they pass away. It’s not an easy discussion, but it is an important one. I wish I’d been able to have those talks with my parents, but sadly, they both died rather suddenly from a rapidly growing, insidious cancer, within six months of one another. They lived just down the street from me and I became their caregiver. Caring for their basic needs became a full-time job and it never really occurred to me to discuss this while all of our energy was focused on helping them to just make it through another day.

Photo credit: Ryan Robinson, www.ryrob.com

They had “everything” written in their Trust, which was a huge leather-bound binder, and they really believed that’s all I would need in order to handle their estate upon their passing. According to them, their affairs were in order.

Having a Trust is absolutely essential and I recommend all Boomers have one and that you be sure to discuss it with your loved ones. The Trust documents certainly relieved a great deal of pressure for me as we went through the process of settling their estate. But it is literally the tip of the ice burg when you find yourself in this position. It’s difficult to describe it because you’re in mourning. It’s one of the worst times in your life to have to make important decisions.

Once the “big” stuff is handled, the house, cars, etc., you are left with a lifetime of “STUFF” which needs to be dealt with. And guess what? NOBODY wants the prized possessions of your parents, not even you or your children.

Many boomers are charged with having to dispose of your parents belongings. Once you’ve been through this process, you realize how important it is to get your stuff in order. Don’t repeat this process with your children or family members. Start now. Go through one drawer, cupboard, closet at a time. If something is valuable to you, ask your family members if they would like to have it and make a note of it in your Trust binder. Here are a few simple ways to begin the process.

Steps to Begin Decluttering Your Home

Dedicate some time to focus on decluttering

Organizing and straightening up your space takes time. If you’re ready to make some real progress on decluttering your home, schedule a block of time to get started. Make it a priority and stick to it.

Keep only what you’ve used in the last year

Do yourself a favor right now and let go of the mindset “maybe I could use this item in the future.” That kind of thinking isn’t going to work if you want to make your home clutter-free. If you haven’t used an item in the last year, it needs to go to a local donation center or to the curbside in your big trash can.

The timeframe of a year works well because it gives you opportunities to make decisions about seasonal decorations and other rarely used items. Over the course of a year, you will have the opportunity to use every item in your home. If you don’t use something during this time, it’s time to simplify.

One is good, so more is better? No, get rid of duplicate items

If you have multiples of an item (unless we’re talking practical storage items like batteries or lightbulbs) then it needs to go. Sometimes we forget we have something, so we buy it again. I will have my son, Ryan Robinson, address his particular topic in a guest post one day. He has first-hand experience with this issue from having to settle his father’s affairs.

Sometimes we upgrade, but still hold onto a less-useful, lower-quality item.

Why do we do that? It makes no sense to keep the inferior item if we replaced it intentionally. This is especially true when it comes to decluttering and organizing your closets and drawers. Trust me, you do not need ten grey sweatshirts. Sort through your multiples—pants, tops, shoes, and other items. Decide what fits well and which items are in good shape. Keep the best of and donate or trash the rest.

Create a designated spot for items you keep

Everything needs a home. EVERYTHING. Even if it’s going in a drawer. Use containers for drawer organization to help you maximize your storage space. Create ways to house and hold all the stuff you want to keep. And remember, if you don’t use it, toss it. If it’s a product which has expired, toss it.

Cut back on paper clutter by digitalizing your photos

We all have hundreds, if not thousands of photos. Here’s the good news. We live in a day and age where we can store all of them on our computers and in cloud storage. It may be a bit frightening to discard those treasured items, especially if you’re new to digital storage, but once you see how much it cuts back on paper clutter, you’ll be convinced.

It is very time consuming in the beginning if you have lots of photos, but I find that I actually look at the photos more often now that they are digitized. I scanned or took a picture of the original photos and stored them in a “family album” on my computer and backed it up to the cloud. This way, all of us may access them anytime we like. The best part is that I no longer have to store bulky photo albums and/or boxloads of old photos.

Decluttering your home is just the first step. Keeping your home organized and decluttered is where the real challenge comes in. With a little self-discipline, you can train yourself to take the extra step to return an item to it’s “home” immediately after you use it.

Shift your mindset to simplicity and incorporate simple living into your daily life. Remember, less is more. More time, more space, more peace. I am doing this because it makes our life better. Everything in our home enriches our life. A side benefit, which is huge, is that our children will be eternally grateful to us for having the foresight to create a simple life so that they won’t have a huge mess on their hands when our time comes. Hopefully this will help you get started and in my next post, I’ll explore this topic in more detail.

Updated: 18 April 2024