There may still be a tiny bite in the air, and even a glimpse of white stuff in shady spots around town, but one thing is for sure: the balmier, breezier days of spring are coming. After this winter’s ice storm, snowy days and “bomb cyclone,” we’re ready for it. And, for many, being ready means SPRING CLEANING!
What is it about spring that puts us in the mood to organize, tidy and even purge some of our belongings? While its origin, history and practice vary across cultures, spring cleaning traditions generally center on themes of purification, celebration of spring’s arrival and preparation for new beginnings.
No one understands preparing for a big change better than a senior who is either about to or is in the midst of downsizing for a move to a smaller, more manageable living situation. For Joanne Madorno, a move to The 501 at Mattison Estate was the impetus for organizing and purging furniture, artwork, clothes and cookware from the Whitpain Farm home she had lived in for just shy of 20 years.
“Once I decided I was moving, I wanted to get busy in my house,” Joanne says. “I am a very decisive person, so I knew I wouldn’t have a problem deciding what to get rid of. I just didn’t know how to do it.”
Bringing in Reinforcements
With two sons living out of state and a daughter nearby who works full-time, Joanne realized she would need to enlist the help of professionals who know how to downsize your home. Luckily, her decision to move to The 501 meant she had access to that help, and she was thrilled to engage Right Size Relocation to manage downsizing, packing, moving and unpacking.
“My move to The 501 was a short one — only three miles from the home I had lived in for years,” Joanne says. “But that distance didn’t make preparing for the move any easier.”
With a basement, sunroom, living room, dining room, large kitchen and bedroom “full of THINGS,” she was open to taking guidance and advice from the experts at Right Size.
“I felt very lucky to work with them,” she says. “Even my kids assured me the expense was worth every single penny.”
Right Size Relocation, a woman-owned move management company based in West Chester, specializes in decluttering and downsizing for seniors. Their professionals spent time with Joanne over several weeks to go through each room in her home, identifying what she wanted to take with her and, more significantly, what she didn’t want to take with her.
“I really didn’t have trouble deciding what I wanted and what I didn’t,” she says. “The challenge, I believe, is figuring out what to do with the things you need to get rid of.”
Where’s All This Stuff Going to Go?
Despite how much we tend to treasure our treasures, it’s becoming clearer with every decade that our children don’t necessarily want our stuff when we’re ready to relinquish it. The China cabinet that was Great Aunt Fritzi’s? No thanks. The collection of quilts from grandma? Hmm, maybe one. A set of 16 Federal-style dining chairs, “perfect for a large dinner party?” Pass.
What’s a senior to do with a lifetime of belongings when you’re downsizing for retirement from a 3,000-square-foot home to a 960-square-foot apartment in a retirement community? First thing, according to Joanne, is assess what you need.
“We went room to room, and Right Size would simply ask me, ‘yes or no.’ Then I would make a call,” Joanne explains.
Deciding what should go where after this process is what professional organizers specialize in. Donate, sell, trash — there are lots of options when it comes to rehoming your discards. Here are just a few:
Donation Sites: Goodwill, Salvation Army and GreenDrop are all great resources for doing good with the clothing, furniture, cookware and more that doesn’t fit with your next move. It’s no surprise that spring is a season that sees donations to these organizations jump significantly.
Auction Houses or Online Resale Sites: Selling items that may have value is a great way to offset the costs of a move. Right Size helped Joanne sell a few of her pieces of furniture and art at a local auction house, yielding her a bit of cash for her move.
Recycling Options: It may take a bit of time and research, but more things are recyclable than you might imagine. Old eyeglasses can be dropped off at most Walmart Vision Centers. Goodwill accepts many electronics, while Home Depot, Lowe’s and Staples will often accept old batteries for recycling.
Getting Creative With Your Move
Sometimes, seniors who are downsizing to a retirement community find pleasure in embracing a new decorating style. If you’ve had big, overstuffed furniture for years, a switch to streamlined, more modern pieces could be fun. Moving pieces of art to new living areas and using furniture in new ways is a nice way to shake up your style and overall aesthetic.
“When I moved, I wanted very little of the furniture I had in my home,” Joanne shares. “It had worked great for years, but I was ready for a few new things.” She enjoyed selecting furniture for her living room and stuck with the same traditional contemporary style she has always loved.
She also knew the scale of her furniture might not work in her space at The 501. The professionals from Right Size went to her new apartment to take measurements and advised her to take a large piece of furniture from her dining room that would fit perfectly in her new place and provide lots of storage. And, yes, moving to a smaller space does require creative strategies for storage. Even though you have fewer things after downsizing, you still have things that need a place in your home. Less furniture means fewer drawers to fill. Less space means not as many closets to overfill.
For Joanne, organizing her downsized apartment was job one. She had her bedroom closet at The 501 professionally outfitted with shelving and drawers. She ordered an extra cabinet from Amazon for her bathroom. “We older women have a little bit more makeup than we used to,” she says with a laugh.
Letting Go Is Still Letting Go
Despite Joanne’s practical outlook on her downsizing experience, she says some aspects were difficult. “I think for me the hardest part was getting rid of so many photo albums; I couldn’t take them all. The artwork,” she adds, “was also hard, but I took what I could and I’m very content.”
Acknowledging that it takes a decisive spirit and strong resolve, Joanne’s advice for seniors downsizing and looking at a move to a smaller living space is straightforward: “If you can look at your stuff as just STUFF, you will be better off. Yes, these are things you’ve accumulated maybe over the years, but simplifying can be really satisfying. And I promise you, you will not miss it.”
The resounding perspective from seniors who have downsized into senior living is that it makes room for more of what matters most to you. For Joanne, that means taking advantage of all her community has to offer.
“I play canasta two or three times a week,” she says. “We have a professor who comes from Widener to do five-week lectures. I go to movies. I still drive. I belong to the Act II Playhouse in Ambler. We have great food here but there are also so many excellent restaurants close by. I’m very happy.”
Top Three Downsizing Tips for Seniors
- Start early. The earlier you begin, the less stressful it will be.
- Honor memories without keeping everything. Take photos of sentimental items.
- Focus on functionality. Keep items that support daily living and comfort.
Create a Downsizing Home Checklist
To help set you up for success in downsizing, decluttering, spring cleaning and moving, put together a checklist that guides your process. Use this as a starting point and do a bit of research on how to downsize your home for retirement and even when should you downsize your home.
Three to Six Months Before Moving
- Clarify Your Goals
- Decide why you’re downsizing (less maintenance, closer to family, financial freedom, lifestyle change).
- Determine what type of home fits your needs (apartment, condo, senior living community, cottage, etc.).
- Build Your Support Team
- Interview and hire a senior real estate specialist.
- Research reputable downsizers and movers. Ask The 501 about Right Size Relocation.
- Talk with family about heirlooms and keepsakes.
Two to Three Months Before Moving
- Declutter Strategically
- Start with storage areas (attic, basement, garage).
- Eliminate duplicate items.
- Let go of items not used in the past year.
- Digitize photos and important documents if possible.
- Plan Furniture Placement
- Measure large furniture pieces.
- Compare measurements to your new home layout.
One Month Before Moving
- Update Information
- File a change of address with USPS.
- Notify banks, insurance providers and subscriptions.
- Transfer or cancel utilities.
- Pack Smart
- Pack non-essentials first.
- Label boxes clearly by room.
- Pack a “First Night” box (medications, phone charger, toiletries, change of clothes).
Are you ready to start your next chapter? Schedule a tour with us today.