Blog #downsizing

We all have hobbies we once pursued with passion, perhaps along with family members. I share my experiences with sewing and how I'm trying to part with the many remnants of that once important piece of my life.

Flea markets offer a great learning opportunity for downsizers as well as a potential place for finding dealers who might want to buy your stuff. I went to Brimfield and share my experiences and my advice.

On this fifth anniversary of my blog on slow downsizing, I offer a summary of some of my best personal insights.

Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe TV critic, thumbs his nose at downsizing, and I offer some considerations to help him and other "savers" who are averse to downsizing shift their thinking.

While downsizing, we may go through emotional states that parallel Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Here are a few tips for finding, hiring, and getting the most from a professional organizer/downsizer to help you in your downsizing journey.

Although we had the time and were making progress, we found that taking advantage of a local decluttering/downsizing support group and hiring a professional organizer were game changers for us.

After more than eight years in slow downsizing mode, we have given ourselves a deadline of a year from now to clear. We pose questions to keep us focused on the big task ahead of us.

Downsizing the Family Home by Marni Jameson (Sterling/AARP, 2015) provides an engaging, practical, and personal summary of the downsizing process, with a focus on the emotional aspects.

When slow downsizing, it's important to have an overall sense of direction. But approach the overall project in any way that will keep you motivated.

I'm surprised to learn what how much I've gained from my downsizing project beyond various approaches to and methods for discarding and/or preserving artifacts from my life.

I review Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff by Matt Paxton (featured presenter on Hoarders and host of Legacy List). It offers helpful and specific advice for those clearing out a lifetime of memories while acknowledging the emotional challenges.