DOWNSIZING! FROM 2700 SQUARE FEET TO 1300!!!!

I WOULD LIKE ANY THOUGHTS, SUGGESTIONS OR ENCOURAGEMENT.  MY HUSBAND IS TRYING TO RETIRE AND WE ARE DOWNSIZING TO A MUCH SMALLER HOUSE.  WE WILL HAVE 27 ACRES FOR OUR 6 HORSES.  I KNOW COUNTRY WOMEN HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS!!!!

ANGELA THOMPSON

MINEOLA, TX

we moved recently and had to go thorugh things we accumulated for 35 years.  If you haven't used it in 2 years you probably won't use it again....pitch it or give it to Good Will.  Box items you want to keep and possibly store those things maybe above your garage.  If you are building a great thing we did was put an actual stairs to the space above the garage.  I hated those pull down stairs,,,,never did feel safe on those.  Good luck - it isn't easy.

I live in a 1300 sq foot house. My secret to living here is to make sure everything is dual purpose. The living room couch pulls out into a bed for extra company. I sew in the kitchen and put bed risers on the kitchen table for waist high cutting table. Towels and Linens take up a LOT of storage space. Truth be told, if you have a washing machine, you need only one set of sheets per bed and one set of towels per person. Minimize your furnishings, scale is so important! Big overstuffed chairs just have no place in a 1300 sq foot home. Get honest about guests. For many years I kept extra stuff around for my guests. Then I realized... Do my guests really need 3 pillows on each bed? Do my guests really need a television in their room? Fact is, no they don't, and if they do they will bring their own. If you are going to be lucky enough for a guest room you can put interesting furniture in there. A hutch or a sideboard can fit nicely into a guest room. To make your house look larger, don't fill your walls up with pictures. As for the kitchen, make everything dual purpose. If you have a microwave put it on top of the fridge. (there is an outlet behind the fridge and everything!) after doing this I realized I don't use my microwave that often, so i ended up getting rid of it! You will love 1300 sq feet on cleaning day! Good luck Miss Angela.

Give the kids everything they want, Decide just what you need and sell the rest.  We moved from a three story house to a Condo, 1329 Sq ft. Havent missed anything yet.

Angela:  I read your post with interest because we are getting ready to do the same thing, including the size of our home now from what we'll be moving to.  Whatsmore, we've lived in this same house for almost 40 years (a wonderful brown stone home built in the 1700's) and we're moving to a little log house that we built in the 1990's as a vacation home.  The house we're moving to is already furnished and we really won't need much of our furniture from our current house.  Our home is decorated with lots of English-hunting prints, foxy things, etc.  We're right in the heart of horse country in southeastern PA, but it's just not the right look for an adorable little log home in the north PA mountains.  

Has anyone had any experience with having an auction of their belongings?  What sells best?  What shouldn't we bother with?  How about artwork?  My mother has made some beautiful crewel art for us, but it just won't fit with the decor of the house we're moving to.  Does anyone have experience with things like ebay or Craigslist for these specialty-type items? 

If you have grown children, tell them to come and get it!  That's what my folks did - worked well.  My personal advice (I have 2 kids and a hubby and we are a foster family with up to 4 additional kids in a 1200 sqft home) if you don't love it, share it - give it away, sell it (I don't, too much work).  You can always buy another pot or pan, but paring it down to the basics is a beautiful way to live.  Too many things clutter up your mind!  Good luck, you are in for an adventure!

Hi, Angela - During the course of my first 20 years married to a career Army officer, we moved 19 times, and found ourselves going from teeny-tiny abodes, to oversized villas, and back to teeny-tiny again.  So, I can understand your plight.  Inasmuch as you say your husband is trying to retire, I assume you will also be empty nesters, which makes downsizing a bit easier, I would think. 

You have received some good ideas here already, but my only word would be one of caution:  Don't be too hasty in tossing out family treasures.  It might pay you to rent a storage unit for a couple or three months, and take your time in seeing exactly what will work. 

Good luck, and we hope you continue to visit this website often !

I agree with you on this Beema. Family treasures are great things to keep and can't be replaced. Plus many of them are better quality than anything you can buy. I'm sitting on my Grandfather's chair right now! And the quilt on my guest bed is handmade. Avoid storage if you can though. Storage can cost well over 1000.00 a year for a climate controlled unit.

Likewise, we are moving from 10 acres in "horse country," to a completely-opposite type of living:  a condo!

I had several auctioneers come to our house, to educate me about sales, tell me what is & isn't appealing to buyers, & what my antiques approximately are worth.

...Auctions can be "on site," or taken to the auctioneer's location.  A truck, movers, & advertising are usual costs, & auctioneers generally charge less for an "at home" auction (15%), or 20-25% at their location.

 I ended up choosing a wonderful option:  an antique dealer affiliated with an auction place that charges $100 for a truck, no charge for the movers (because I have everything ready in one location of our house, & items other than furniture packed in boxes).  The lady that visited me keeps 30%, & other than the truck, gives the remainder of the sale proceeds to 19 different community organizations (battered women, troubled teenagers, etc.).  Things are attempted to be sold 3 times, & if they don't sell, I can either pick them up, donate them, or have them taken to the dump (I would pay a small charge for this).  All household things can be sold, & if furniture is a true antique, it is transported to another location, where antique dealers bid!  (...I signed a legitimate contract, & a check will be "cut" for my 70%.)

I was delighted to happen upon this kind of option (only be determining auction places over the internet, within a narrowed-down radius of our house).  I left messages at places that I called to make inquiries; it took awhile to have calls returned & visits arranged--but that happened...obviously from interested auctioneers.

 I live in Southwestern Ontario Canada!), & after many years of hanging onto furniture that I liked or had a sentimental attachment to, finally feel comfortable letting it go, & have a happy heart knowing that I am able to help others!  ...I also feel a sense of relief, in finally coming to the decision, & making it happen.

I hope that this type of opportunity can be found it your area.  Best wishes!

Fern R.

   

If you are building check out some mobil homes they have come a long way and utilize storage space. Also if u have a 2nd bedroom think abt a murphy bed. They r great & only come out when U need it & the rm can b used for other things. They also make LR furniture that have drawers under them for afgan, etc storage. Purchase or rent an on sight storage bldg for the things Ur nt sure if u want to get rid of. U can put seasonal, keepers, even a freezer n them. My husband bought me one for Christmas & it looks like a barn. I love it. I too have stuff left from my parents & am n the process of letting my kids go thru things they want. Trying to downsize isn't easy. My husband & I read along w/all of my craft, sew, crochet, knit things. Good luck on Ur new life.

from personal experience.....give the kids things they want....don't guilt them into things...and then pitch broken stuff...and then...RENT A STORAGE SPACE and store the rest for a bit....

 

we down sized in 2006...and I got rid of to much...and rebought most of it....so my advise is to store it till you are sure you won't use it again....then get rid of it...and that may take 6 months to a year....and mark the boxes really well so when you are looking for something you can find it easily....

 

editing...lol, I see you got that advise already....I wish we had stored things...and the cost of the storage unit is minor compared to rebuying items you got rid of...

My husband and I moved from a three bedroom house to a one bedroom condo.  I gave away and threw away tons.  The rest that I thought I couldn't live without we packed and moved into a storage area until we got settled.  With the exception of what the kids wanted,  I have taken maybe a half dozen boxes from that storage unit.  Believe me, it's amazing what you can live without.  Once you get used to downsizing, it wonderful.  Less clutter and less to clean.  Good luck and don't let it overwelm you.

I would suggest looking into Flylady.net, she has wonderful procedures for decluttering and moving.

My husband, 2 year old daughter and I live in a 8 by 32 foot travel trailer. Our plan is to be here for 2 years while he's in school. Anyways, it's been a fun challenge! We've realized a lot of things we "thought" we needed that we really didn't!

Make as much use with the space as possible. We have storage under our bed. Made a top bunk into storgage, put a shelf up, made the extra clothes closet into a food pantry, and store a lot of things in our outside shed. For me sorting through things and organizing has to be done often. I just do a little here and there where it starts to look messy and full.

We also have made our yard an extension of our house, with a grill, chairs and swing for my daughter. It's nice to just sit out there like it's our second living room!