Retiring is an amazing chance to simplify your life and pay attention to what really matters. Many Australians prefer to get rid of the burdensome family home and move closer to the sea or a nice local community. Besides, downsizing for retirement reduces the expenses related to maintaining a big property and may release some money that will allow you to increase your superannuation and use the money to enjoy travelling around the world.
Sorting through decades’ worth of memories sounds frightening; yet, if you are ready to accept this challenge, you can make it quite easy and rewarding for yourself!
Mindset Transition: Getting Ready to Downsize Mentally
To downsize effectively, you must undergo certain mental preparation because letting go of all the beloved things takes effort and courage. First of all, try to understand that your memories and feelings are in your head, not in the items themselves.
Discussing your plans with your family will reduce your stress as well. Share your ideas about downsizing and let your kids choose their treasured heirlooms or childhood toys that should stay in your possession. Finally, visualising a more simple and relaxed life will help you keep going even when sorting becomes really boring. Imagine how great it is to spend a carefree weekend morning in your favourite local café instead of struggling with the lawn.
Strategically Decluttering Your Property
Do Not Rush to Move
To deal with such a complex process properly, you should give yourself enough time to cope with sorting through all the items in the house. The process of downsizing typically takes a few months, so you will have enough time to prepare psychologically.
Four-Box Sorting Technique
It may seem strange; however, one of the most efficient sorting strategies implies dividing your items into four categories. To make the job easier, use four separate boxes to put everything you are keeping, donating, selling or throwing away.
Deal with the Items in Small Batches
To simplify the process of downsizing and avoid overwhelming yourself with the amount of stuff, focus on sorting one or two small areas of your property at a time. You will not only find it easier but will also feel more motivated completing each batch.
Get Rid of Clutter in Hard-to-Reach Places
Your kitchen, garage, storeroom are definitely the most messy parts of the house, so you should pay much attention to them. Sort ruthlessly throwing away duplicates, broken and unusable items.
Tips for Sorting
Essential Furniture
First, measure your future home to learn the dimensions of each room and decide what furniture will fit your floor plan. For example, your enormous eight-seated dining table will have to make way for a smaller, more compact piece of furniture.
Document Management
All those bulky files and photograph albums require a lot of storage space, but fortunately, we live in a digital age. Instead of wasting space with papers, scan the documents and keep your photos in the digital form.
Hobbies Reconsideration
Now is the best time to reconsider your hobby and evaluate whether all that heavy equipment will be needed. You will not be working anymore and will have plenty of time to visit your relatives and travel across Australia. If you are thinking of buying a caravan and roaming the country freely, now is a good moment to sell all those useless gadgets.
Follow our advice and take the first steps towards downsizing today!
