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

Leann said:
This has been an ongoing process for me. I don't have a difficult time getting rid of things that are mine but it's the sentimental stuff that stalls me. My parents are both deceased as is one of my siblings and I have BOXES upon BOXES of their stuff in the basement.
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Well, I finally started. I've read blogs, scanned articles and watched videos on how others have tackled something similar and almost all recommend leaving the sentimental stuff for last so you can build your "decluttering muscle". I don't have a problem with divesting myself of my things but the stuff that belonged to my parents and one of my siblings was causing me to procrastinate.

So I went against the tide of recommendations and have started with the sentimental stuff. Delaying the decisions of what to do with each item won't make it any easier to part with so I jumped in and began sorting. I now have three boxes of things to donate to charity this week (with many more to come). It wasn't as gut wrenching as I had anticipated. My younger sibling died in 2015, my Mother died in 2008 and my Dad has been gone for 50 years. I've had more than enough time to make decisions about this stuff.

I still have many bins and boxes to go but I feel as if I can finally finish it, hopefully within the next few months.
 

Recently, I had an extended stay at my place for part of the family. As I dug around the closets and garage to find extra bedding and other supplies I was reminded of all the stuff I had in a previous life that I literally have not used in a decade or more. A lot of it is nice stuff in good shape. My first thought was to have a garage sale, but that sounds too much like work. I will give it away to the Goodwill or similar outfit as part of my yearly charitable contributions.
 

Reading all about the downsizing has given me hope, we have a similar monumental task. Thirty years ago, when we bought this place, we were never going to get old, stairs would never be a challenge. The amount of bedrooms, en suit bathrooms, a galleried landing and a room size entrance hall, piece of cake cleaning and dusting them, when you are forty something. At seventy something they have become a military exercise.

The vast array of life's acquisitions, what to sell/donate/retain, my head hurts just thinking about it, no doubt we will get there. Actually there is some cause for inspiration, the balance between the sale of this house and the cost of a smaller bungalow, will leave us with a very comfortable balance to boost our pension income.
 
No downsizing planned, and I wouldn't have much to declutter. I could get rid of some things, but they aren't taking up space I need, so I'm leaving that job to my heir (cousin). Since he's getting everything I own, he can take on chores I don't want to bother with.
 
It was after the death of my parents that, after going through the emotional pain of removing everything from their house by my sister and I, that I decided to get rid of as many unnecessary/unused things from my apartment as I could to make removing all from my apartment take less time & stress at my death off my children.

One day, alone, I had to take outside for trash pickup over 100 jars of old canned fruit up from my parents' basement. I had no idea there were so many, & so I'd brought a wooden box that held only 6 jars at a time. 6 jars in the box, carry them up the stairs, take them outside to porch, down to garage, repeat. Around the 12th trip up the basement steps I seemed to have gone into a fague & suddenly snapped out of it. I did not appreciate the job. 🫤
 
I need to be more proactive about clearing out meaningless items. Lately I’ve been going through papers and shredding this. I’m doing this for me and for the kids. There’s a strong likelihood that we’ll have to downsize again so it’s better to do things while I’m able.
 
My youngest daughter used to ask me,"Why are you keeping that?! You don't use/need it." (Inexpensive stuff) And of course I'd answer, I might need it some day," (which has happened). But as the years passed, I began to think about how the stuff was just taking up space, annoyingly, and that if a time came where I'd need it (something similar), I could buy a new, probably better one. So I got rid of that stuff. I've regretted getting rid of some of it, but very few.
 
My mom said "Don't throw that away!" I learned from her.....I've met a wonderful lady who takes donations to her nonprofit museum for display or sidewalk sale, then takes to homeless thrift store, other thrift stores for community organizations, upon my request... She is wonderful!!! Storage room raised rates after owner sold to California buyers. Raised the storage 50 dollars more a month....I moved it out and gave antique doors to my best friend including door jams ...great move motivator!!!!!
 

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Elsie said:
My youngest daughter used to ask me,"Why are you keeping that?! You don't use/need it." (Inexpensive stuff) And of course I'd answer, I might need it some day," (which has happened). But as the years passed, I began to think about how the stuff was just taking up space, annoyingly, and that if a time came where I'd need it (something similar), I could buy a new, probably better one. So I got rid of that stuff. I've regretted getting rid of some of it, but very few.
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Clutter makes me stressed. Closets or cabinets, pantries with so much stuff in them you can't see the forest for the trees makes me want to run away for some reason.

My DH and I have this joke between us because when we met he had SO much stuff, I didn't have ANY space in his home when we got married and I moved into his house! So - whenever he would go shooting or teach a gun class for three or four hours I would load crap up and take it to Good Will or the dump.

One time he came home from the range and asked me where something was and I said:

"I am sooo sorry, I donated :oops: it to the Baptist Children's Home, honey. I HOPE you didn't pay too much for it!". :ROFLMAO:
 
I've thought about downsizing, but I can't do it without help, and there isn't any available. I still have a ton of stuff that I am still going through a little at time, since July of 2023. I do a little when I'm able to, and then I'm in pain for weeks on end I can't even think about doing any of it. I don't really what to spend what little time I'm not in pain, causing myself pain...

Tomorrow it will a month since I had my Occipital Nerve Block, and the pain is already coming back. I can tell the next two months will be glorious fun. :(
 
I am in the process of getting rid of my stuff. Furniture will stay because I am still using them, but most other stuff will be cleared up. Things like mom's jewelry, dad's coin, stamp collections, family photo albums etc will definitely go. I don't have any heir to go through my stuff after I passed. I am sure whoever (most likely a stranger) deals with the aftermath after I pass will just get a dumpster.
 
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I'm in the slow process of getting rid of things I've collected or don't need anymore. Atlantic Monthly magazines, jelly jar collection, plastic trash bags, cardboard boxes and that junk drawer from hell. Plus a Christmas tree and decorations I haven't used in 15 years. It's not like they are visible. In drawers and closets. I would just like to put new junk in them.
 
Elsie said:
It was after the death of my parents that, after going through the emotional pain of removing everything from their house by my sister and I, that I decided to get rid of as many unnecessary/unused things from my apartment as I could to make removing all from my apartment take less time & stress at my death off my children.

One day, alone, I had to take outside for trash pickup over 100 jars of old canned fruit up from my parents' basement. I had no idea there were so many, & so I'd brought a wooden box that held only 6 jars at a time. 6 jars in the box, carry them up the stairs, take them outside to porch, down to garage, repeat. Around the 12th trip up the basement steps I seemed to have gone into a fague & suddenly snapped out of it. I did not appreciate the job. 🫤
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I got the habit of collecting jars. I have tons of them under the sink. I'm finally starting to use them or throw them away.
 
My cousin has a habit of "collecting" newspapers, sale flyers, all the stuff most people throw out (junk mail), it's stacked up higher than my daughter's head. Dad got out of the chair the other day and knocked some over, his wife was trying, unsuccessfully, not to crack up laughing. :ROFLMAO:
 
I don't know if it sounds ghoulish or not, but one day, just looking around at the things I've collected over the years, and the thought hit me... when I die, my kids are going to have to sort all this out and figure out what to do with it.

That was a couple of years ago, and since then, I've been slowly just throwing things away. I mean, things I've had my whole life, and have sentimental value to me. I'll look at something and think, do my kids care about this at all? If not, I toss it.

My kids have no emotional or sentimental attachment to these things. Pictures, for instance. People who they never knew, never met, and will never know. I don't want them wondering if they should keep things just because they meant something to me.

I know it seems like I'm preparing for my eventual death, but I really don't have a problem with it.
 
rose_79797979 said:
Yes, absolutely.
The older I get, the more I realize that less really can be more.

It’s not just about tossing out old clothes or kitchen gadgets—
it’s about letting go of stuff that no longer fits the life I actually want now.
That includes clutter in the closet… and sometimes even in the mind.

These days, I crave space—physical space, mental space, emotional space.
Not empty, just… clear.

I still keep things that hold meaning—like handwritten letters, or that mug with a chip I’ve had for years.
But I’ve stopped holding on out of guilt or just in case.
It feels like I’m making room for who I’m becoming, not who I used to be.

What about you?
Is there something you let go of recently that made you feel lighter?
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Sorry dear, you can't be on this forum this is for strictly over 50's....
 
Geez. Good Post! I have many, many things I'd like to sell/donate. I have many of my mother's things from her wedding in 1950. Many things she kept between birth, 1925 until 1950. I believe it's time for them to go to a good person/family but since it's so, so overwhelming for me to separate things and sell them per applicable season, I need to hire someone in order to help me.

The catch? I'm willing to sell my mother's past but I would have to pay for someone to help me. What ever happened to kind assistance like a neighbor for example? Heck I'd be willing to give a good profit from the stuff for a helper but I'm sick of reading; "I'll only charge you $100. per hour to box up your stuff you want to sell". "You need some help organizing things? I'll only charge you $300. per hour to do so". The point is I'd probably spend more vs. income. What's the point there?
 

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