As you get older, do you find yourself downsizing, decluttering.

As I've said here before, I'd love to downsize to a smaller place but Huzz won't hear of it; says MAYBE some day--yeah, right; I've noticed with others that when one or both say that, they keep on saying it 'till it's too late & one's left to try to do it all on their own, total denial, "some day" never comes 'till it's too late. I've for a long time been getting rid of some of my stuff (especially clothing) but he won't get rid of any of his, keeps saying he's going to but then won't. Oh, well, some day...yeah right 🤪🤪🤪
 

I've been working on it.

All of the easy things are gone.

I'm having trouble disposing of family things and a few little treasures that I've collected over the years.

So far no regrets.

I suppose it's not really important what or how much we choose to keep as long as we seek the minimum number of things that we need to be comfortable and content.

"I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough." - Diogenes
 

officerripley said:
As I've said here before, I'd love to downsize to a smaller place but Huzz won't hear of it; says MAYBE some day--yeah, right; I've noticed with others that when one or both say that, they keep on saying it 'till it's too late & one's left to try to do it all on their own, total denial, "some day" never comes 'till it's too late. I've for a long time been getting rid of some of my stuff (especially clothing) but he won't get rid of any of his, keeps saying he's going to but then won't. Oh, well, some day...yeah right 🤪🤪🤪
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I hope he changes his mind, sooner than later……I feel for you if it turns out that you have to tackle it on your own.
 
hollydolly said:
the trouble is downsizing needs a lot of energy.. ..really it's a job for the young..., but if you can manage to do it or get help to do it, you will have a lot lifted from your shoulders..

I have an attic which is pretty packed with stuff, almost all of it boxed but the boxes are etremely heavy and my estranged o/h was the one who put everything up there ... It's impossible for me to bring them down, I never expected not to have my husband around to do it .. ..so I'm going to have to call in a loft clearance company, not to junk the stuff, but just to bring it all down for me to sort through and donate or sell... and then I'll keep the loft space empty except for luggage...
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I agree that every year it gets harder and harder to do the physical work of downsizing. I think that some people just wait too long and then the job just becomes overwhelming so people just give up. What happens then when they pass on, the kids or relatives are stuck with the job of downsizing. Sometimes it amounts to renting a dumpster in the driveway; which is pretty sad end to your years of hard work and consumer madness!
 
Tish said:
I'm a minimalist so really don't have much clutter and stuff.
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I think I'm going to have to learn to be a minimalist now I have no husband here any more.. and my daughter wouldn't be able to clear my stuff, nor would she want to, or me expect her to... ..trouble is altho' far from a hoarder, I like my stuff, it gives me comfort to have it around me.. but at least I'm going to start with getting the attic emptied..
 
Don M. said:
There's a TV show called "Hoarders". It's almost disgusting to watch that show and see how some people live.
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I am oddly fascinated by that show. I feel there is a fine line between hoarding and simply being a messy housekeeper. I know it is part of OCD to not want to let go of items. Many food hoarders...even not wanting to get rid of food that is obviously bad or expired. I do not get it or understand it.
 
I started downsizing many years ago but there is still much to do, sometimes when I open a closet or a drawer I catch myself thinking what are the kids going to think when they see this, it's amazing the stuff we accumulate in a lifetime.
 
hollydolly said:
I think I'm going to have to learn to be a minimalist now I have no husband here any more.. and my daughter wouldn't be able to clear my stuff, nor would she want to, or me expect her to... ..trouble is altho' far from a hoarder, I like my stuff, it gives me comfort to have it around me.. but at least I'm going to start with getting the attic emptied..
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Sorry to hear that Hubby has vacated.🤗
 
Leann said:
My heart is with you @Autumn72. That's a lot to handle both emotionally and physically.
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Thank you LeAnn.
It's the tip of the glacier.
Do not want to bring you down.
Details are not good so to spare all the depth of grief with barely enough of reaching out to counseling from a list of people who are suppose to be of help are too busy with moving forwarding that she was no longer in the area because a well known area has her helping this man out who is in a much better financial promising gain for her.

As I did state my concern, she agreed herself facing her daughter's ostracizing over the death of her younger brother.

At, this point I collapsed to reach 9ut any longer. To tired of rejections.
Thank you LeAnn for your well meaning kindness.
 
We like stuff, but we have everything in its place. Not hoarders by any means but our son says when we are gone he is going to have a huge yard sale. LOL He knows the good stuff and likes the collection of South Western Indian art. I know my books will be gone and DH's tools will be sold too cheap!
 
MickaC said:
I’m posted a little while ago about selling things in order to downsize, getting rid of stuff I don’t use or need.
Sold my king bed, went down to a full/double…..I spend a lot less time making the bed now. 😉.
I mentioned I sold some kitchen items, which was to my foster daughter, I’ve given her so much, that I thought some things could be bought, she said she wanted to buy…..sent the counter top roaster and bullet/ninja stuff with her when she came to look at the stuff…..haven’t been paid yet for those two items yet…..when I was there for supper yesterday, it seemed she thought I gave her the stuff free…..we talked about price before, when she looked at the stuff.
Her sister wanted to buy the two end tables and the coffee table……not letting those go till I’m paid.

I’m doing a lot of going through stuff……do I use it……do I need it……
Feel good about doing this…….for me……it’s time.

Any of you with the same thoughts of doing this.
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I long to, but hubby is a pack rat. A few years ago I kept urging him to get rid of a heavy, cumbersome piece of photography equipment; a developer, I think it was called. I kept fearing a stubbed toe! He finally sold it to a photography teacher and often speaks of it as of a lost friend. He also likes to cruise the Craig's list "free stuff" offerings and then brings more junk home.

I have decided to just get rid of my own junk and not worry about his, for now!
 
StarSong said:
Hoarding is a terrible mental illness that brings great shame to those who suffer from it. I hope your neighbor gets mental health support to help her find her way through this. If not, her home will surely revert to the same condition once the inspection pressure is off.

Such a sad and all too common story.
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True. I had a neighbor once, who lived on the first floor of the apartment building I lived in at the time. I made friends with her but had never been inside her apartment. One day she invited me inside, and I wondered why she kept it so dim in there. Slowly my eyes adjusted to the dimness and to my horror, I saw cockroaches swarming everywhere. Then I noticed the stacks and piles of things; right by her front door was a stack of boxed pound cakes. The top box was open and had a knife inside it, as if she sliced some cake and ate it as the mood struck. I made an excuse to leave right away, went outside, and spent a few minutes dumping the contents of my purse on a picnic table and shaking it to be sure that there weren't any hitchhikers.

Finally the building inspector forced her to allow a team of cleaners to come inside her place. They were ruthless and threw out a lot of things, including bales of perfectly good fabric (she was a quilter.)
 
Kika said:
19 yrs ago I downsized from a large house to a 1 bedroom apartment. My son and daughter-in-law took as much as they wanted, and since I really had no time or experience selling things, most were just given away to anyone who wanted them and would cart it away. The local goodwill, salvation army took a lot of the bedroom furniture and other things. The attic & basement seemed to have turned into a storage space for a lot of years before it reached the curbside garbage.

I'll be moving again early next year, and I have already started discarding, giving away things that I would not want to pay to move. It's much easier now after I have had 2 experiences emptying out homes of deceased family members. I try to live a somewhat (not severe) minimalist existence.
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What a beautiful kitty in your avatar! Is it yours?
 
Leann said:
I've been slowly divesting my house of things I've accumulated but can't seem to find the energy (or is it interest?) to speed up the process. I don't want to be doing this the rest of my life and at the rate I'm going, it will take me that long. So I am going to set a deadline of 12 months from now to get it all done. Any $ I make from selling this stuff will go into a travel fund :)
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Well, today was the first of many days yet to come of going through the boxes and bins in the basement. Much of the accumulated stuff belonged to my parents (both deceased) and also a sibling who died six years ago. So it's not just "stuff", some of it is memories. A while back I asked family members if they were interested in having any of this and most replied with a polite "no". I was hoping for some robust YESES but no such luck.

Broken stuff will be tossed, a few sentimental things will be kept and the rest will be listed for sale on different online sites. Unsold stuff will be donated. The faster I get through all of this, the better. The good thing is the basement is nice and cool so even if temps outside rise, it won't be hot in the basement.

I can do this, right?
 

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