Letting go as you scale down for retirement (England, deal, year)

[NYLooking]

newenglandgirl... I must say that you deserve a lot of praise for downsizing so well. Nice Job!

[Umbria]

Yes, good job! I'm plugging along - several trips to the recycling place - old paints, microwave, computers, TVs. Egads - the stuff I'm finding in my garage

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by MN2CO

,,, Egads - the stuff I'm finding in my garage

Then don't look in my barn(s)

It seems that a million trips home in the 'high-cargo-capacity' Rabbits have filled this joint to the brim. (and taking all my grandparents antiques, as well as those of 3 older couples I bought homes from...(and said "Oh, just leave it, I can get rid of it for you...

I'm hoping the neighbors take a trip this summer and I might have a GIANT 'burial' party . Actually, the dumps are so spendy ($100/ ton). I might need to take a road trip in a LARGE dumptruck, or maybe a set of double dumpsters.

Congrats to those making progress

[livecontent]

I have lived in my house for 24 years. Consequently, I have accumulated some stuff. Not as bad as many people because I never really "upsided" my life, so the "downsizing" is not that steep.

I have always lived a simple existence and never was too enamored by possessions. My furniture is not the greatest--it just suffices. Most of my furniture is old and of no value. I stopped buying books years ago--though I do have too many cookbooks, some very rare. Yet, I no longer read most of them. I never bought tapes, dvds, records as I was never interested in popular music or movies. I never liked knick-knacks or objects that required dusting. I never been married so I never had a woman who bought all that decorative stuff.

I have too many clothes that do not fit; I hope will fit; suites of all sizes and styles; ties of all widths--yes, too much clothes when all I wear is a tea shirt and shorts in the summer and fleece and sweats in the winter.

It just occurred to me--I am sitting in my office and on the wall are all my diplomas---actually copies and the originals are stored. Kinda stupid, don't you think. I was concerned about the originals being destroyed, so all I look at is the copies. Nobody is going to care when I die about any of these diplomas and I have not looked at the originals in years.

Every week, I make a decision to throw something out or donate it. Yea, I am going to take the original diplomas out and display them--why not--a little remembrance of faded useless glory.

Livecontent

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by MN2CO

Yes, good job! I'm plugging along - several trips to the recycling place - old paints, microwave, computers, TVs. Egads - the stuff I'm finding in my garage

Getting rid of this kind of stuff is the most satisfying of all! Go for it!!

[RiverBird]

Originally Posted by livecontent

I have too many clothes that do not fit; I hope will fit; suites of all sizes and styles; ties of all widths--yes, too much clothes when all I wear is a tea shirt and shorts in the summer and fleece and sweats in the winter.

Every week, I make a decision to throw something out or donate it. Yea, I am going to take the original diplomas out and display them--why not--a little remembrance of faded useless glory.
Livecontent

I was just wondering about you, haven't seen your posts for a bit. I personally think that as we go forward in years our identities change and when we keep holding onto stuff from the past about our identity whehter it's clothing or diplomas or pictures or whatever it can hold us back from letting go to let new identity enter our lives. That said, there are archival things like family photos that I feel the guardian of (for my kids) and so I organized all this kind of thing into a box for each of them. As they settle permanently (only one has so far!) I will give them their box and when I'm 90 will ask them to visit with me and bring the box with them for an afternoon of reminiscence. That way THEY hold onto this stuff, not me. After my mother passed her four kids had a terrible time sorting things out. I still don't know who got her wedding ring (well, I think I do) and it was not a democratic decision. I say give everything possible to the kids now. If and when we want to see it again, let them bring it over!!

[granny-nanny48]

We sold our home (1800 sq ft) the average home, and we downsized to a one bedroom, one bath apartment, we had 75 sterlite containers with things we acquired through the years, we now have lived in the apartment for a few years and we are down to just three containers, we put things up for sale (garage sale) we unloaded all the junk, when we get mail, we keep it or throw it out. You keep saving things and you never use it, so we are clutter free. Next year when we move to the Southwest we will only take what we need! Things don't seem to matter as much as they did when we were younger, clothes, shoes, knick-knacks I agree sell or give to a charity don't move it! I am looking foward to retirement and our move!

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by GLS

I'm thinking about keeping a few of my dress shirts. I want to see the look on people's faces when I arrive at one of my wife's field trial events in a marshy pasture, wearing a monogrammed shirt with french cuffs.

Don't forget, you'll need at least one good shirt for funerals!!!

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by LauraC

I hardly moved with anything when I retired. I wanted to start over fresh when I moved from Maryland to Tennessee and that included new furniture. At the time, I had 6 weeks from retirement date to move date. It seemed like a monumental task. I had clothes and shoes I hadn't worn in 20 years, magazine collections and junk I had moved to that apartment from my previous apartment, 12 years before that, that I hadn't touched in those 12 years. I wasn't going to make the same mistake of having the movers bring stuff I hadn't touched to Tennessee. I lived up a flight of stairs and had to get in my car to go to the dumpster. How was I going to get rid of old appliances and electronics and dishes and pots and pans? I couldn't lift them nevermind carry them down a flight of stairs. How many trips up and down those stairs would I have to make if I did it one at a time? As it is I had a computer/printer/scanner/monitor graveyard in my apartment simply because it was hard for me to carry those things down the stairs when I replaced them with newer stuff that had been delivered to my door (meaning I never carried them up the stairs).

I discovered a company called Got Junk and fell in love with it. There are other companies just like it in other states. What a life saver! They came 3 times. I had them come and take my bedroom set and dining room set and the old appliances (vacuums, kitchen appliances like toaster oven, etc.)/electronics first, along with some trash bags of clothes. I finally parted with my hockey stick collection. I slept on the couch and ate in front of the TV for 4 weeks after their first visit. They removed about 70 trash bags worth of junk on that first visit in addition to the things previously mentioned. That left my bedroom as an empty room staging area for packing the things I was taking with me and the dining room area for the things they would pick up on their second visit. Oh yeah, and after I picked through the clothes in my closet, they cleaned out the closets for me. I didn't even have to take the stuff off hangars or put shoes in bags. Same with the junk in my balcony closet. They'll even come and clean out your basement and yard, for you, if you have a house, and you don't have to pack it up, they'll do it. If you are throwing it out, they'll take it away.

On their second visit about a week before I moved they came for everything else I was throwing out. I put the stuff in trash bags or plastic milk cartons and they took it down the stairs and put it on their truck.

On my moving day, they came right before the mover and took out my desk, the TV stand, the sofa I was sitting and sleeping on for 4 weeks, the end tables, the lamps and some last minute discard decisions (like dishes).

After they left and the mover left, Stanley Steamer came and did my carpets with nothing in the apartment. Ater 12 years they looked like new.

Point being, you don't have to do it all yourself. You just have to make the decision about what you will keep. If you are willing to pay, there are companies like Got Junk that will take the physical pain out of what will seem insurmountable to you. They are worth every penny.

Does "Got Junk" charge by the truckload or item or weight?

[Umbria]

Originally Posted by MN2CO

Yes, good job! I'm plugging along - several trips to the recycling place - old paints, microwave, computers, TVs. Egads - the stuff I'm finding in my garage

I opened the lid on one of those cans of paint and even though it was 3/4 full, it was a solid chunk. I remember getting it, probably my first year here in '94, and the color was just wrong so I thought I'd use it somewhere else, like the garage. Right.

Gets easier and easier. At times, I have such a mess here - it's quite different when it's all stuffed away somewhere but when you start pulling it out - what I have gotten myself into to!

I also decided (thanks NEG) to get rid of the first piece of furniture I ever bought - it's a dresser - good stuff but so incredibly heavy. It's solid, thick wood and I remember the look on their faces when I moved last time - I warned these two guys that it was heavy and they might need a 3rd guy - I got the "Ya, right, lady" look - well, they had to get a third guy I'm keeping the matching armoire - I use it for office stuff.

Carry on