Downsizing Saves Money

Written by Elisa Hawkinson ~ 9/12/22

Tips from a Case Study

Learn from this true episode where downsizing would have made all the difference.

A couple in their late sixties talked about moving out of state over six months. They then hired a realtor six months prior to their planned move from Washington State.

For most of their life, they had been moved by the military; so packing and boxing things up was foreign to them. Two months before listing the home, it was clear they were not making headway on packing. They were swamped by decades of living in the same home and collecting new items required for yet another hobby.

A yarn shop could have been set up with all the yarn and knitting paraphernalia. Nothing (including models of military planes, tanks, DVDs, clothes and books) had been downsized or “edited.” Professional help was called in to pack everything up. There was no time for downsizing. The moving bill from Washington state was $35,000! Easily, one-third of the contents were never going to be used again.

The owner planned to get a dumpster at their new home and then downsize! So much would be thrown away. Had they called for help to downsize, they could have saved a lot of money.

It is not uncommon for health issues to show up with the stress of a move and the realization of how much needs to be done. High blood pressure, back and knee problems are the most common issues that show up, drastically impacting the effort to pack.

At this home there was no garage. The solution to prep the home for showing, was to place a pod in the driveway to store the boxes until the house sold and a moving truck could take everything away. Sadly, the owner refused to get a needed second pod, so boxes were lined up, all the way to the ceiling, along a wall in the family room.

For peace of mind and less stress for any move, regular “editing” of the contents of the home is essential. One way to accomplish that is to take one room each month and go through every drawer, cabinet, dresser, and closet to see if the contents are still needed and used.

The goal for a simpler and calmer life is to have the home downsized to what is needed and used so it would be comfortably possible to move in 30 days. That way, only the windows and carpet need cleaning because there has been a habit of staying on top of repairs, upgrades, contents and decades of accumulated stuff and there is no overwhelm for the owners.

Living simpler and calming chaos is the goal for your peace of mind and reduced stress.

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