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Hello, Just Downsize community!

🌨️As winter draws near, it's the perfect opportunity to infuse a sense of order into your surroundings and embrace this season's cozy vibes. I'm thrilled to provide a few tips to transition into winter, get a little more organized, and make the most of the winter season.

🧥1. Winter Wardrobe Prep:Transitioning your wardrobe for winter involves more than just swapping out clothes. Start by thoroughly decluttering your closet and assessing each item's usefulness and condition. Set aside summer items and create dedicated spaces for winter essentials. Consider donating gently used items to local charities, ensuring your decluttering efforts have a positive impact beyond your home.

🎄2. Seasonal Storage Solutions:Invest in practical storage solutions to ensure a seamless transition between seasons. Clear storage bins, labeled appropriately, are excellent for organizing seasonal items. For clothing, vacuum-sealed bags can save space and protect garments from the elements. Adding a note inside the bag before you seal it gives you a handy label to remind you of its contents. Designate specific areas for each category, making it easy to locate and retrieve items when needed.

👢🧣3. Entryway Essentials:The entryway is the first impression of your home, and it sets the tone for organization. Install hooks for coats, scarves, and hats. Place a chair or bench for guests to remove boots comfortably. A shoe rack or storage bench can also keep winter footwear tidy. A designated area for each family member prevents clutter from spreading throughout the home, creating a welcoming and organized entrance.

🏠4. Cozy Home Decor:Elevate your home's coziness with intentional winter decor. Before bringing out seasonal items, pack away summer decor in clearly labeled boxes. Invest in storage solutions for holiday decorations, such as ornament organizers and wrapping paper storage. Organizing your decorations ensures they're easily accessible and in good condition for future use.

🚙5. Winter Car Kit:Prepare for winter road conditions by creating a comprehensive car kit. In addition to the basics like an ice scraper and blankets, include non-perishable snacks, a first aid kit, and essential tools. Regularly check and update your equipment to ensure it's ready for unexpected winter adventures, providing safety and peace of mind.

Wishing you a winter filled with warmth, joy, and organized bliss!

Downsizing your home when your children have left the nest or when you are thinking of retirement is a common choice for many. A smaller home has several benefits, including lower monthly costs, reduced or no property taxes at all, and a smaller carbon footprint overall. Living in a smaller home can also free up financial resources that can be used to fund other adventures, such as travel, hobbies, and leisure activities.

Here are some steps you can take to help make the transition to a smaller home smoother:
 1. Evaluate your belongings
Take stock of your possessions and determine what items you need and use, and what items can be sold, donated, or given away. This process can be liberating and help you feel less weighed down by "stuff".

2. Determine your needs
Consider your current and future lifestyle needs and what type of living space best suits them. This will help you determine the type of home will be the right fit for you.

3. Decide if you want to rent or buy
Both renting and buying have their advantages. Consult with a financial planner to see what makes the most sense for you .

4. Decide on a location 
Think about where you want to live and what community you want to be a part of. Do you want to be close to friends and family or would you rather be in a quiet, serene setting?

5. Plan your budget
Downsizing typically requires significant financial planning, so it's essential to determine how much you can afford to spend on your new home and all associated expenses.

6. Work with a real estate agent
Find an experienced real estate agent who can help you navigate the buying or selling process and who understands your situation and stage in life.

7. Create a moving plan
Once you've found your new home, plan how you will move your belongings and settle into your new space. Consider hiring a professional moving company or enlisting the help of friends and family.

Overall, downsizing can be a great way to simplify your life, reduce your expenses, and free up resources for travel and other adventures in retirement. With careful planning and preparation, the process can be relatively stress-free and leave you with a new and exciting chapter in your life.

I can help you make your transition into a smaller home as smooth as possible. I have years of experience in downsizing and can help you ensure that every last thing gets packed up and put in its place so that you can move on to the next chapter of your life.

Tips and Organizing Ideas
Helping Parents Downsize 5 Things to Consider 

Downsizing is a significant project that will take many hours and involve many decisions.  Here are five ideas to help you get started.

   1. 🔜 Prepare in Advance It’s never too early to start planning!  If time permits, start with a few hours a week and do one bookcase or some small corner of a room at a time. Taking on a large garage or the entire basement can be overwhelming.  Begin with a small area to see what can be eliminated and start removing these items.  If you or your parents or organized, this can happen months or even years before a moving.  

2. 🎁Gifting Possessions If your parents start gifting you their possessions, accept their gifts graciously. They may give you things they think you might like or that you can use. You may not want these gifts but consider how you might pass them on to people who do.  There are many options including passing on unwanted items to a friend, a shelter or even Freecycle Facebook group.  Your parents will be happy knowing they are contributing to someone else’s enjoyment.   

3. 💵Selling Valuables 💰 Selling valuable items is very time-consuming. If something is worth the time and effort to sell, I strongly recommend you or another family member take on this job. Telling your parents, “Just post it on Kijiji or Marketplace,” can be daunting for them: downloading the app, taking the photos, recording the measurements, uploading the information, and managing all the questions and emails back and forth can be overwhelming. I have a hard time with it, and I know what I’m doing! Please take a few items at a time and post them for your parents. They will be happy with the extra money, and you will have gotten things out of their house.  

4. 🏡New Home Measurements🏘 Be realistic about what possessions will fit into their new home. Are they moving from a big four-bedroom house into a one-bedroom condo? Try and get measurements or floor plans for their new space to see what furniture will fit. Perhaps the queen bed is too big, or the china cabinet won’t fit along the dining room wall. It’s always better to find out before they move into their new home! Scaling down the size of the furniture is often part of the downsizing process.  

5. Storage & Closet Space 📦 Consider the amount of closet and storage space in their new home. Will they really need all their coats and boots? Storing out-of-season clothes is difficult when you only have one closet for two people. Will they have enough storage for all the Christmas decorations or surface area to display their tiny village? It may be time to pare down what will fit into their available storage space.  

Start small, take the time to look at photos and mementos that bring back fun memories. If you need help with any stage of the process, please reach out and give me a call. I can make this process much easier for everyone! 

https://joannegludish.com/organizing-your-photos