7 Top Tips to Begin Your Downsizing Journey Even if You Aren't Ready to Give Up the Big House
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Some parents spend years imagining what life will be like when their last child leaves home. But when it happens they often need some help figuring out how to make that new existence come to life when the family home suddenly seems emptier and bigger but they aren't ready to let go of the memories, extra space or possessions they have amassed. Rita Wilkins, "The Downsizing Designer," has decades of experience in helping empty nesters feel lighter, freer and happier.
And she has her own compelling story: she gave away 95% of her belongings when she downsized from 5,000 square feet to an 867 square-foot apartment. It was this experience that led her to write Downsize Your Life: Upgrade Your Lifestyle (Kennett & Woods Publishing) and to give a TEDx talk on the subject. She also has a YouTube video on the ABCs of Downsizing.
In an interview, Wilkins can reveal her top seven tips people can use for beginning their downsizing journey. Some of those tips include:
- Remove: It's cathartic to start letting go of some of the things you've been holding on to. Pairing down before you downsize will help you have fewer boxes and less stuff to worry about when you move
- Redecorate: Make rooms work for your new lifestyle. Moving furniture around can give you a new perspective. Buy a new sofa or repaint; refreshing your rooms will lighten your spirits
- Repurpose: Your life has new priorities, so how do you want to make use of the extra space now that the kids are gone? This is your chance to turn that extra bedroom into a home office, guest room, gym or sanctuary
- Rethink: Now that you have fewer day-to-day responsibilities, it's all about you. Maximize your lifestyle by recommitting your time, money and resources to what matters most now
- Reimagine: Begin thinking about your next home and whether you would be happiest in a smaller home, a cottage, or an apartment or an age-friendly community. It's never too early to start looking for a smaller home that will mesh with the new lifestyle you are creating. Once you have clarity about what you want or don't want, it will be easier to make a decision when the right house comes along
- Reevaluate: Spend some time considering whether living in a big house in the suburbs still makes sense financially, physically and emotionally
- Reinvent: Now that you have more time on your hands, use some of it to reinvent yourself. Put your energies into losing weight, pursuing new hobbies, exercising more or any new passion you can think of.
About the Author
Rita Wilkins has been featured on WHYY, Sirius-XM and in USA Today, Delaware Today, Mainline Today and more. She regularly speaks at national conferences as well as to groups of CEOs, senior-level business executives, financial and estate planning groups and members of the American Business Women's Association, AARP and the National Association of Baby Boomers. For over 35 years, she has designed thousands of interiors throughout the country including corporate penthouses and C-suites, Supreme Court Justice Chambers and thousands of residential interiors. Rita is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, attended Rhode Island School of Design, the University of North Carolina and University of Virginia. Downsize Your Life is her first book.
Contact: Rita S. Wilkins, (302) 354-0972; [email protected]; www.designservicesltd.com
SOURCE Rita Wilkins
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