While we might love where we live and the facilities we have locally, as we head towards the final 30 or 40 years of our lives, we crave a less complicated life. Hence, many of us downsize. This decision is not one to take lightly but once you flip your attitude, you’ll find you can ease into downsizing.
Towards better
We know from talking to so many of you that you feel that you are leaving a good life for one that’s less certain. There’s a sense of loss.
So flip your thinking so you are moving to better.
You’re moving towards a simpler life. You’re moving towards new friends and experiences. Towards never mowing the lawn again. Towards taking up a hobby you haven’t had time for because you were too busy cleaning and maintaining your home.
Towards companionship
Should you choose to downsize to a retirement village or land lease community or even releasing the equity in your home and sharing with another like-minded person, you’ll not only have more money to live on, but also, you’re gaining companionship.
Towards community
Good retirement villages and land lease communities foster a sense of community where everyone looks out for each other. You’ll feel a greater sense of security knowing that your neighbours will be keeping an eye out for you.
Towards lower-cost living
Moving from a large family home to an apartment will save you on electricity and gas bills as well as council and water rates.
Towards more time
You’re moving towards never mowing the lawn again or cleaning the pool. Towards taking up a hobby you haven’t had time for because you were too busy cleaning and maintaining your home.
Towards more travel
Should you choose to move to a retirement village or land lease community, you’ll be able to lock up your home and leave without worrying about who is looking after your home.
Our tips for getting into a downsizing mindset
Downsizing is easier if you approach it one step at a time.
- Make a plan
There’s no time like today once you have an inkling you’d like to (or need to) downsize. So think long and hard about where you’d like to live and what is most important to you for a happy and comfortable life. Once you have your priorities set, you can start investigating homes in your top two or three areas. Give yourself a set time in which to make a choice. If you own your own home, get advice on what you need to do to prepare your home for sale. Put together a list of charities who will pick up excess furniture or talk to your family to see if any of them could use your stuff. - Decide what is enough for you
If you’re like most of us, even if you’re trying for minimalism, you will have accumulated a lot of stuff. So imagine yourself in your new streamlined home with a bright new lock-and-leave future. Then figure out what you will need to make you feel satisfied. What is enough for you? Remember that the less stuff you have, the less you have to worry about. - Start decluttering
The first and most important part of decluttering is to separate your identity from your belongings. If you’ve hoarded stuff from your parents’ home for sentimental reasons but you have no use for it, take photos of what you cherish then give it away.
We found the easiest way to attack decluttering to have four boxes or bin bags. One is Keep, the second is Maybe, the third is Donate and the fourth is Toss. Leave your Donate container by the front or back door so you’ll be prompted to take your donations to a charity. For furniture, use stickers for Keep, Donate or Junk.
Want to learn more about making the most of your next 30 years?
Retirement living can be the best time of your life.
We’re committed to making life better for the over 55s. Check out downsizing.com.au for more insights and great advice on living life to the fullest. We have a great range of properties for the over 55s to help you do that with like-minded people in land lease communities and retirement villages.
