Downsizing
Posted by Ok_Knee1216@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 43 comments
I am downsizing from nearly 4,000 sq ft to 500 square feet next week.
After two and a half months of Garage sales I am not quite there.
Any advice from people who have done this?
Miss_L_Worldwide@reddit
Seriously, just rent a big dumpster and throw it away. Nobody wants it, it's a huge hassle to try to find homes for everything and it's worth your sanity to just toss it.
sir_clinksalot@reddit
Facebook Marketplace. When my MIL moved in with us we had to get rid of a lot of things (on both sides). We're one of those rare people who actually park our cars in the garage. But there was also washer/dryer, lamps, an extra bed, etc.
When the movers got here with her stuff there were actually already people who had purchased a whole bunch of it and were literally taking it off the truck. It was awesome.
Shot-Artichoke-4106@reddit
We didn't downsize this drastically, but we did go from a place with a garage, attic, and small yard to a condo without those spaces, so we had to get rid of a lot.
FB Buy Nothing groups and Freecycle are both great ways to get rid of stuff. FB Marketplace is good if you want to sell things. Habitat for Humanity Restore will take donations in good condition that they can sell in their stores. In our area, there are several non-profits that run thrift stores, so we donated a lot there. And, of course, if no one wants it - recycling or trash is an appropriate option.
Brilliant_Ice84@reddit
Assuming you are going to put some stuff in storage, use the introductory rate on the storage unit until it expires then move all your stuff to another storage unit at the introductory rate there. It’s a lot of work, BUT, it’s a great way to force you to assess what you really need to keep and what you really need to get rid of and after 3 moves you will likely need a much smaller storage unit.
GunSaleAtTheChurch@reddit
I did it years ago.
Same situation: https://satruck.org/schedule-pickup
There are often local charities that will pick up things as well, so it's worth checking Craigslist / Facebook.
The only thing I really miss are my books.
Ihaveaboot@reddit
500 square feet? That's a big closet.
None of my business, but why?
Ok_Knee1216@reddit (OP)
Divorce after 30 years and he took my money.
No_Goose_7390@reddit
500 feet isn't so small. That was about the size of the apartment I had before I got together with my husband. I moved him in and we were eventually in there with two dogs.
You've got this! Hope you enjoy peace and quiet with your new single life and your new place.
Ok_Knee1216@reddit (OP)
Thank you.
KingPabloo@reddit
It wasn’t split 50/50? You earned the money and it was all awarded to your spouse?
ToddBradley@reddit
It's really not your business. Or mine. Or relevant to the post.
lvsnowden@reddit
Even a 50/50 split can turn life upside down, especially if you're the breadwinner. With interest rates where they are now, I'd have to pay close to $1000 more a month for the same size house. Combine that with losing half my retirement and alimony, then buying/renting a much smaller place kinda makes sense, at least for a year or so.
Ihaveaboot@reddit
Ouch. If it makes you feel better, I lost my house and everything I own due to flooding back in March.
It forced me to live in a motel (roughly the 500ft same size) for 4 months with my dog.
It sucked. But was also strangely cozy.
Ok_Knee1216@reddit (OP)
So sorry for your loss.
dystopiadattopia@reddit
Toss stuff out. Worse comes to worse, call a junk hauler to take it all away. Or shell out the cash for a storage unit if absolutely necessary.
ToddBradley@reddit
In 2011, I downsized from 2400 feet to however big the back of a Prius is. We did two regular garage sales, and then a "Everything is free" garage sale, and what was left we hauled to the charity store of our choice in several pickup loads. The things that they wouldn't take went into the landfill.
InternetElectrical48@reddit
Been there. Gotta start giving stuff away and donating.
FrannyFray@reddit
We have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with a patio and parking. We would give it up for a 1 bed room and 1 bath but our rent is dirt and if we downsized we would be paying more.
mommacat94@reddit
For stuff bigger than I want to deal with, I have had luck with putting stuff at my curb. I live on a busy street but in the suburbs. The longest anything took to disappear was over night and the fastest was in five minutes.
unknowable_stRanger@reddit
I live in 350 square foot park model house.
You don't need as much of anything that you think you do. If you are moving into a tiny house, counter space is at a premium. Toaster, coffee maker, blender, air fryer, etc are going to need a new place to live between uses. Find other ways to do stuff. Like I traded in my ADC coffee maker for a quart sized percolator for the stove. Makes great coffee!
Clothes, you don't need nearly as many as you think you do. Downsizing is a conscious effort. Pick your necessities and a single favorite outfit and toss the rest.
When I was in your position, I measured out the same amount of square footage in my 2 story home and figured out what I could live with in that much space. Still tossed 2/3 out.
Just remember, nothing you own will mourn you if you fell over dead. I still miss some of the stuff I had to get rid of but I know 💯 that it doesn't miss me.
0ldEnough2KnowBe77er@reddit
Depending on where you live urban recycling (I.e. putting it on the curb) works pretty well in my experience.
newwriter365@reddit
I snagged a cabinet this weekend while walking the dog with my son. It helped me and the former owner win/win.
Brilliant_Bird_1545@reddit
Facebook Marketplace- put a low price on things, they should go quickly. I just cleared out furniture from our church basement and got rid of two sofas, four chairs and a desk in about 3 days.
Rambling-Holiday1998@reddit
We went from 2400 sq feet to a motorhome! And we challenged ourself to rent the smallest rental unit we could find for heirlooms only. There was a dumpster in my driveway, we sold and gave away everything else.
Our travel days ended last October and it was kind of fun starting from scratch in our little two person apartment.
We found that without our six kids, we actually prefer living small. We are always globbed up on each other anyway, why pay for extra space we don't need.
ONROSREPUS@reddit
On-line auctions. We are at the end of my uncles house clean out after he passed. We have put 90% of his items on on-line auctions. Once it is there it is gone. Someone else gets the item instead of just throwing it away.
rmas1974@reddit
Try advertising items that are worth anything on eBay. Old junk can be put on sites like Freecycle. I have found that people will take almost anything if it is free.
LayerNo3634@reddit
I gave away a lot of furniture. Some went to the kids, some to my brother, a nephew, some to the thrift store. I took truck loads of stuff to the thrift store. All the heirlooms went to the kids. I put a lot of stuff on the curb with a free sign. Threw out every single holiday decoration I owned. Also got rid of a lot of my kitchen stuff. It was time to replace with new.
We didn't go quite as drastic as 500□', we went from 4 bed/4 bath (with a game room, office, dining room, etc), to a 2/2. Went from the big landscaped yard to natural acreage.
Alternative-Law4626@reddit
We did this 4 years ago. Similar to what you are doing. We did it in 6 weeks. Recommend not giving it away free. Those days were a disaster. Sell it for a dollar but don’t go free. We got money for some stuff. Gave away most of the books because nobody wanted them. Even the used book store had a limit of two boxes per day to give to them. But, we got it all done.
dbrmn73@reddit
I did similar from 2500 to 750. After the yard sales I took what was left over to a local thrift store that all the proceeds go to the Womens/Childrens shelter.
WilliePullout@reddit
Start a fire, fuck the shit.
MellieInMi@reddit
I'm in the midst of a similar situation....If you're trying to get rid of more things, I recommend posting things for free on you local "Buy Nothing" Facebook group or donating items to a local charity of your choice. For things of decent value, I also recommend reaching out to estate sales agents.
I have had so much luck getting rid of large items on my local Buy Nothing Group. I posted an entire room of stuff, and I had takers on everything within 30 minutes. They then all came to pick up the next day.
Once I get to the point where I have things that no one is interested in, or things that cannot be donated, I'm getting a dumpster.
I'm so looking forward to living smaller and with less.
Good luck to you!
Master-Dimension-452@reddit
This is exactly what we did when we downsized to our 1350 sq ft one level home three years ago. I was all for getting a dumpster for everything and throwing it away, but my husband had time to sell/move the items to an empty lot with a free sign.
Afternoon_bathrobe@reddit
Find an organization that collects household items and distributes them to kids aging out of foster care. You will feel great about it, and you’ll quickly finish downsizing.
ShiftyBastardo@reddit
rent a 30 yard roll-off dumpster for anything you cant donate. we emptied two houses and filled a dumpster at each.
Legion1117@reddit
Remember Tetris?
Brush off those skills, you're going to need them.
*Posted from my bed in the kitchen floor because my living room is full of boxes and we have no storage yet.
keonni65bc@reddit
Donate donate donate. It helps others It raises money (charity) It's just stuff You feel good about it Before that ask any family or friends if they want any of your stuff.
cawfytawk@reddit
You don't need as much as you think. Make working piles of Bare Necessities, Valuable, Disposable. Whatever you can't sell then give it away or just dump it. For collectibles of real value that can be verified, not emotional value, put them in climate controlled storage. Your bare necessities for a 500 sq ft space would be a full/queen bed, 3-seat sofa, a dresser, small desk, 1 bookshelf, coffee table, TV console. Maybe a bedside table, small dining table and entryway bench.
JenMartini@reddit
What do you have left?
Ok_Knee1216@reddit (OP)
2 twin beds, a couple of chest of drawers, and my tools. Lots of tools.
Roland-Of-Eld-19@reddit
If you dont want your tools you can donate to a high school program that helps kids get into trades
JenMartini@reddit
If that’s all that’s left you’re going to have to take a hard look at your tools. Do you use them regularly? Do they contribute to your livelihood? If not, you’re better off donating them. Some larger libraries lend tools, you can also search locally for tech schools, Habitat for Humanity, etc.
It sounds like you have a lot of tools and very little for life. There are Hoarders episodes along this line, try searching on YT.
Meantime, think of what you can do to make living space better.
Ok_Knee1216@reddit (OP)
My tools are the most important! Use them every day.
Thirsty4Knowledge911@reddit
If you itemize your taxes, donate to a charity. If you just want to get rid of as much as possible, post on Craigslist under the Free section and leave it on your curb with a FREE sign.
If it hasn’t sold at a previous garage sale, it’s probably not worth trying to sell.