- Consider getting rid of the big house and moving into a smaller one. Would save money for taxes, utilities, insurance and repairs as well as less hassle mowing and shoveling snow for a smaller property.
- Pay off your debt as soon as you can. Do you owe thousands on credit cards? So you still have a mortgage? The last question is one that I'm not sure of, since our financial advisor suggests not to be in a hurry to pay off a mortgage. If the rate of interest is low enough on a mortgage, it may be best to take any extra money you may want to put towards and extra mortgage payment and invest it another fund where you will gain more interest than the mortgage interest may be.
- How about getting rid of some clothes.
Hats I'll never wear again. - In the garage is shelf after shelf of old small kitchen appliances. We have a really neat bread maker that we haven't used in 20 years. We have two crystal punch bowls that we haven't used since we moved into our "Beach House" and had an open house. May be time to pass these items on to our next of kin or try and sell at a garage sale.
- And then the stuff in the coat closet that hasn't seen the outdoors in years. Scarves, gloves, jackets that were at one time in style and now occupy a hanger in the closet. More stuff for the garage sale.
- A few years ago I actually did what the article suggests and got rid of some of the memories of the past.
Books I never use again. - Then there is the old furniture that still is usable or the exercise equipment that sits in the basement waiting to be used. The furniture is tough to get rid of, but I did advertise in the newspaper in the "Free Stuff" section and we did get rid of a few rusting exercise pieces.
- And, what about the Christmas decorations that haven't been used for years and years. Well, they tend to be placed back in plastic tubs for future use. Some things are just hard to discard. We did move our decorations from an upstairs closet to the basement this year to make it easier to reach when we downsize.
- Once a year I go through my office and try to reason with myself that I'll never use that again or that hasn't worked for years, so why save it.
Bottles that at one time held rum,
but now hold sand. - But, there was one final item that AARP suggested downsizing, and that was the family car or cars. Does your family really need two or three cars? Do you and whomever lives in your house with you both work? Why do you need both, or in some cases, all those cars and trucks? They cost for insurance, in some case state inspections, registration, and maintenance. And that stuff isn't cheap in most states or countries. Maybe time to narrow it down to just one vehicle. I thought of that when my car died recently. I decided on a short term lease with a real small payment. Would make it easier at the end of the least to maybe downsize at that time.
If you are a senior citizen, such as me, have you found any ideas at all from my story today. You know, you will have to do something at some point in your life. The best way to not have to downsize later in life is to get rid of the stuff that you would put in a closet or store in a chest immediately. When you put something in a drawer thinking you may want to use that in the future, toss it instead. I can tell you that you will never use it again! I know from experience. Boxes, cabinets, drawers, etc. of ordinary stuff fill my house. Time to discard it! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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