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LIVING SIMPLER AND CHEAPER AFTER a Winter of Discontent when energy prices have rocketed and food prices have soared alongside them if there’s one thing we want to do this year it’s to live cheaper and simpler.
While your planned new property may well be easier to manage and much cheaper, it’s worth researching your new area for facilities and transport.
We learned much about what style of living we wanted during lockdown. And for many people what they had was not what they wanted long-term.
Charity Age UK has plenty of advice to help here. Go to https:// www.ageuk.org.uk
As a result, some house prices – especially those with space and a garden – have gone much higher as people vote to change their lifestyle by packing their bags and bringing in the estate agents.
Downsizing also means less space for possessions so you will probably have to do some radical de-cluttering. The best way to do this is to go room by room and be realistic about what you can take with you.
Certainly, what has happened is that we have all assessed whether we’re happy with our current accommodation and the lifestyle we have with many looking for ways to change them in 2022.
List what you want to keep, throw out or give away to charity and try and keep to your plan because there will be plenty of temptations to keep items for sentimental reasons.
While you may have a wish-list of things you want in your new home, what you might simply want is to downsize – thus giving you not only the place but the cheaper lifestyle you want.
Charities like Emmaus contact@emmaus.org.uk and the British Heart Foundation https://www.bhf.org.uk/ informationsupport/heart-helpline will take unwanted furniture.
The children might have left home.Your health might mean you need easier or supported accommodation.You might just want to slash domestic bills by living in a smaller home like an apartment.
Local hospices and the Salvation Army may also take furniture. They will certainly take household items at local charity shops along with unwanted, good-condition clothes, shoes etc.
It may be that the maintenance on your current home is too difficult or that you need to raise funds for your retirement or care.
If you really don’t want to move house but need to cut your bills, consumer experts Which? provide a good place to start. Go to https://www.which.co.uk
There are many alternative options including a smaller house or flat, a bungalow or other single storey accommodation, a retirement home or village or a park home.
Which? Switch may be useful if you need to switch ENERGY SUPPLIERS. They also advise choosing paperless bills and managing your account online as some companies charge extra for paper bills.
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