Is It Time To “Rightsize” Your Life?

Are you tired of maintaining a big house and yard? Got empty bedrooms, a huge family room and utility bills that make you feel like you’re being robbed?

You’re not alone. Today, mid-life couples and individuals of all ages are scaling back to more convenient living arrangements. That can mean fewer square feet, but an exciting new home design.

In order to visualize your “right sized” life, visit some of the popular-sized homes designed for people with small families or homes and condos designed for people looking forward to retirement. When you understand the square footage involved and the room arrangements, you will have a better idea of how much you could keep and what you would get rid of.

Sometimes you have to sell the program to yourself, especially if you and your spouse have spent decades making your present home beautiful. A person’s identity, however, should not be tied to an oversized home that is difficult to maintain.

Right sizing doesn’t always mean going to a smaller place. It could mean going from two homes to one, which creates a big need to cull possessions. Or it can mean adding to a home in order to make room for parents or grandchildren. The important trend today is a shift to well-planned living quarters that suit a person’s age, stage of life and situation.

Discussing your wish to rightsize will help others accept it. Talk about it with your spouse, your grown children, and your parents, recommends Ciji Ware in her book Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most.

Paring down a lifetime of possessions, and furnishing a new home with things that have meaning, will not be easy. Depending on the size of your home, the process could take from a few weeks to a couple of years. If right sizing is in your future, better start now.

Whether you ultimately move or not, your home will be better organized and have less clutter.