A Guide for Seniors Downsizing After Retirement

Retirement, for many, is a distant moment when you can finally take yourself off the hamster wheel that is work. Instead, you have the opportunity to focus on what’s important to you in your life.
Many retirees find they want to simplify their lives by downsizing their home. After the kids have moved out and your work is done, those large multi-bedroom homes aren’t really necessary and a move to a lifestyle community or condominium may be in order.
Here’s what you need to know about downsizing and moving into your new, smaller home:

Don’t try to do it yourself — One of the first things you need to realize is that you shouldn’t try to move all, or even most, of your belongings yourself. When you were younger, you might have been adamant about moving yourself. But this is the time to trust your move to professional movers. Now that you’re older, you likely have more expensive and sentimental personal belongings (certainly more than the giant spool you used as a coffee table and the third-hand sofa you had in your twenties). Professional movers can pack your belongings quickly and get them moved safely without you having to break your back loading furniture.

Downsize your belongings — It’s not enough to move into a smaller space with less square footage. You also need to downsize your belongings to fit into that space. To do this, go room-by-room and sort all your belongings into three piles: Keep, Donate, and Trash. Donate quality items that you don’t want anymore and trash the junk that you don’t need anymore.

Get a storage space — If you have a lot of sentimental items that you aren’t quite ready to get rid of yet, consider having these moved into a storage facility. You can now easily find a safe and quality storage area that is not only secured but also climate controlled.

Have a yard sale — If you have a lot of items you don’t want to keep, consider having a garage sale. By selling these yourself, you can take in all the profit and have a little bit of spending cash on hand to help with moving expenses and other incidentals.

Go digital — Although you may be hesitant to embrace technology, it can actually be a great way to downsize your belongings that might otherwise clutter your new space. Pictures, old videotapes and music can be easily digitized and then stored on a portable hard drive or a cloud drive that takes up virtually no space. Likewise, you can reduce all your bookshelves down to a digital library on your iPad or tablet.

A Little Planning Goes a Long Way When You’re Downsizing
If you’re a senior and you’ve recently retired or had all of your kids move out on their own, then it’s probably a good time to downsize your home. By taking your time and planning out the best, safest way to move your furniture and valuables, you can make the move as smooth and painless as possible.

Use Experienced, Professional Movers Who Know Your Area
Crescent Moving & Storage has been in business for over 40 years providing reliable, timely and safe moving services for businesses and homeowners in the Vancouver area. Rain or shine, we’re there for you! Find out why so many trust Crescent Moving to care for their most valuable assets. Contact us for a FREE, no-obligation moving quote.