down sizing!

what am i going to do with all of my stuff?

your floor plan, make a list of what you need, what you need to buy new (toaster oven upgrade), and what you are going to take with you.

clutter. “If you don’t need it and you don’t love it, it’s clutter. Don’t move the clutter. Get rid of the clutter. Keep the best of what you have,” says Xhazzie. “Make your good china your everyday china. Make your good silver your everyday silver.”

The things that cannot be sold or donated—paperwork, broken things, anything that doesn’t have a use for anyone else—needs floor plan. It helps to know where you are going to determine what you will need and how much space you’ll have. A floor plan will allow you to map everything out. If you don’t have a floor plan for where you are moving, Xhazzie recommends buying a designer’s kit online. Based on sell. “Dealers, people on Craigslist, book collectors… there is an amazing number of

Born in London, Xhazzie Kindle has worked as a nanny, a housesitter, and a house cleaner—jobs that allowed her to see how people live. “I really got a sense of how much stuff people have and how they think their stuff gives them roots. In reality, it ties them down.” Combining this insight with her interest in interior design, she became a professional organizer and now operates New England Organizing. Xhazzie’s favorite clients are downsizers because it’s a finite project. “When people have made the choice to downsize, the hardest part is choosing what to take with them. And the second hardest part is what to do with the stuff that you have to leave behind.” Here are some tips to get started.

Once you decide what you don’t need, there are three options: sell, donate, or trash. “You’ll be surprised how much stuff can be sold or donated. And, if you have something that you are going to give to a relative, do it now while you can see them enjoying it.

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800-492-8331• 508-842-8331 people who will buy the most obscure things,” says Xhazzie. “Not everything can be sold. Just because it isn’t trash doesn’t mean that it has value.” donate. Xhazzie recommends making donations to nationally known non-profi ts like the Salvation Army or Big Brothers/ Big Sisters. Local organizations such as halfway houses or group homes also accept donations. Some organizations will make pick-ups and deliver a tax receipt. The free section on Craigslist. org, and Freecycle.org, are also good ways to fi nd a new home for your things. trash. “It’s very difficult for people to wrap their heads around the idea that something that could still be used is going in a landfill, but unfortunately that is what it comes down to,” says Xhazzie. “Anything that cannot be sold or cannot be donated has to be let go.” parting advice. Retirement is a huge milestone. Downsizing to a smaller living space and getting rid of clutter can seem overwhelming, but is ultimately a wise decision. To maximize your new space, Xhazzie suggests using furniture that can do more than one thing like an ottoman that opens to be a blanket chest and also can be used as a coffee table. Shelving can be mounted under stairs or even above doors and windows if the ceilings are high enough. To stop procrastinating, book a mover so you have a deadline date. And through this journey, remember that your goal is to make things simple so you can retire to the good life. You deserve it.