If you've had the pleasure of hearing one of Eric Stewart's seminars or reading his Rightsizing Guide, you know that he is knowledgeable in the downsizing process. Read on to learn about these 3 easy steps you can take TODAY to start the downsizing and de-cluttering process!
1. Pick a room
You may be overwhelmed because you just don't know where to start. It's okay - we've all been there. 
The easiest way to start is to pick a room and start assessing the work that needs to be done. Here's an example: you pick your kitchen. There are dishes in the drying rack, paper covering the island, mugs sitting on the countertop because your shelves have no room for them, and a closet door is left ajar due to over-stuffed kitchen towels. You may look around the room and think there's no possible way you'll ever be able to fix this - but you can! Maybe you start with the closet left open. Think to yourself "do I really need this many towels?" The answer, most likely, is no! Follow this model through the mugs and find a box or hanging wall-bin for your papers. Pretty soon you'll be ready to tackle another area of the house. Good work!
2. Ask children, family, or friends if there are items they'd like to keep
Let's go back to the kitchen example. If your shelves are full of things, assess how many of those items you use on a daily or weekly basis. If you find yourself attached to a certain item and you can't bring yourself to throw it away, have a get-together with the important people in your life and ask if they'd like any of the items you don't use any longer. You'd be surprised what your children want to keep for their own families!
3. Donate to charity or have a yard sale
I don't know about you, but I feel like every night I receive a phone call asking for donations somewhere. The 
rule of thumb is if you haven't worn something in the last year, throw it out. Instead of throwing it out, consider donating to a charity of your choosing. If you're in the DMV area (or around the nation, for that matter), temperatures are dropping all around us and there are many people who don't have the necessary clothing to handle it. These charities will often come pick up the clothing free of charge. On the other hand, we know that moving is expensive! If you're in the process of downsizing to move to a CCRC, memory care facility, or other housing, a yard sale might help you make a little extra money for the moving process.
Beginning the downsizing process is the hardest part. If you feel overwhelmed, or you're unsure of what you need to do to accomplish your goals, please reach out to the experts. We have an extensive list of vendors in the area who can help you decide what's best for your own needs. You can find our Preferred Vendors Guide here.
Interested in reading more blogs like this? Check these out:
- Downsizing Can Help Save Money for Retirement if Done Right
- Home Selling & Downsizing Class Dates - Learn LIVE!
- Get your House Ready to Sell with These 5 De-cluttering Tips
If you haven't downloaded our Rightsizing Guide, you can download that by clicking the link below!
