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I originally wrote this post one year after our move, when enough time had passed for reflection. By then, the chaos had settled and daily life felt normal again. It was the first moment I could step back and honestly evaluate what we did well, what I would change, and what still lingered in my heart.
With even more time behind me now, I can say this: the move reshaped our routine, but it also clarified our priorities. If you are considering a similar transition, I hope this one-year perspective offers reassurance. Major changes take time to process, and clarity rarely arrives overnight.
In the fall of 2021, we made the decision to sell our family home and move to something smaller. The process was demanding, both physically and emotionally, but it proved to be the right choice for us. We recently marked the one-year anniversary of that move. As with most major transitions, the first year brought adjustments, unexpected lessons, and moments of clarity. Some changes felt immediately freeing, while others required patience and time. Along the way, many of you generously shared your own experiences and advice, which I gathered in this collection of reader reflections. Looking back now, I can see more clearly what worked, what I would handle differently, and what still lingers in my heart.
Our Decisions
One of the questions I have been asked most often is whether I have any regrets. The answer is no. That does not mean there were no doubts along the way. Doubt and regret are not the same. During and even after the move, I questioned certain choices, but as time passed and everything began to settle, those doubts gradually faded.
Moving from one home to another requires an overwhelming number of decisions. In the moment, you simply do the best you can with the information and time you have. From start to finish, our move took just over two months. Had we allowed more time, some decisions might have unfolded differently. I have since learned that time brings freedom. When you are not rushed, you have the space to think clearly and choose intentionally. Even so, everything ultimately worked out as it needed to.
What Would I Change?
When I look back at the move itself, there is one decision I would handle differently. I wish we had replaced the existing carpet before moving in. With more time and planning, it might have been possible. At the time, however, I was focused on painting every room, and that priority shaped the budget.
If I had relaxed on the painting timeline, we might have been able to fit new carpet into the plan. Instead, we also chose to replace the kitchen appliances, which, in hindsight, could have waited. It is far easier to update appliances after a move than it is to replace flooring once furniture is in place. The biggest lesson for me was this: large budget items require thoughtful sequencing. Think not only about what you want to change, but when it makes the most sense to do it. Since then, we have replaced the carpet in the upstairs bedrooms with the same flooring that runs through our main living area, which has made a noticeable difference. The basement carpet, however, remains and is still on the list.
Life is Easier
One of the primary reasons we chose to move was the desire for simpler upkeep. Although we had already invested in years of improvements at the Sutton Place house, it still required significant renovations, ongoing repairs, and the maintenance of a large wooded lot. In our new home, daily life feels more manageable. The yard is small, the house is only a few years old, and there are no major projects waiting for attention. The landscaping is attractive but contained, and both the house and garage are easy to maintain. Everything feels straightforward and within reach, which has brought a sense of calm and relief to our routine.
What Do I Miss?
There are two things I genuinely miss from the house on Sutton Place: my garden and the twin bookshelves in the living room. I broke ground for that fence-row garden more than twenty years ago, when I had the time and energy to nurture it season after season. I loved planting, watering, and watching it grow. There were failures, of course, but there were also beautiful successes. The idea of starting over at this stage feels overwhelming rather than exciting. Instead, I have chosen to expand my backyard container garden and add a few perennials to the front landscaping. For now, that feels like enough.
As for the bookshelves, they became a quiet centerpiece of that old living room. I loved decorating them seasonally and finding the balance between simplicity and character. That look is difficult to recreate in a new space, and I have made peace with that. Rather than trying to duplicate what was, I have embraced our mantel as the new focal point for seasonal decorating.
Food for Thought
There are many reasons people choose to downsize and move. Sometimes it is about simplifying daily life. Sometimes it is about being closer to family or finding a floor plan that better fits your needs. Whatever the reason, the process will come with questions, doubts, and more decisions than you expect.
If a move may be in your future, remember that no transition unfolds perfectly, and there is no single right way to do it. Make thoughtful decisions, listen to the people you love, and trust your ability to adapt. Take it one step at a time. The uncertainty may feel uncomfortable, but you are more resilient than you think.
Looking back, I can say with confidence that the move was not just about changing houses, but about changing seasons. Growth rarely feels comfortable in the moment, but with time, it reveals its purpose. If you are standing on the edge of a similar decision, trust that clarity does come, and that home is less about square footage and more about peace.
Follow The Entire Downsizing Series
If you’d like to read the full journey from beginning to end, each chapter is linked below.
- An Unexpected + Exciting Announcement – How the decision to move began
- Introduction to the Sugar Maple House – A first look at our new home
- Downsizing + Moving Tips – Practical lessons learned along the way
- How To Cope When Your Family Doesn’t Want Your Stuff – Navigating the emotional side of letting go
- OSP Readers Weigh In With Their Own Stories + Advice – Real experiences from this community
- Downsizing: One Year Later – What I see differently now
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Ann, I was away from OSP for several years and was surprised that you have moved. My husband and I downsized and moved just about 10 months ago and do I ever wish I had stayed in touch so I could have benefitted from your experience and advice! Our move was tough for my husband who inherited his family collecting/antiquing DNA. He even collected things for me and our two children and his feelings were hurt when we said we would let them go. He grieves still, but I’m thrilled with the empty shelves! Your blog remains as good as ever. Peace.
Reading your adventure brings a tear to my eye. If only… I begged my Mom (who died at 98 and had a great life), to go through the purging process decades before she passed. She just couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do it. As you get older, you get more stubborn and just want your stuff around you. Both of us went through hell trying to downsize my brother’s home (which was our former family home). She left a lot of her stuff there when she sold it to him, and he was a bit of a bachelor hoarder. Plus he was storing all of the documents from my Dad’s construction business – years after it was necessary. When he passed she was already in her 90s and I was in another city. What chaos! You know, the hardest thing to deal with was my Dad’s rifles. No one left in the family wanted to hunt and you just can’t sell them in Canada without a huge process. So we had to take them to the RCMP headquarters where they will dispose of them. I could honestly feel my Dad rolling in his grave. Yikes! It has literally taken me 2 years to mentally and physically recoup from this. I’m a “can do” person but this process nearly did me in. Please ask your readers to take this seriously. Your suggestions for downsizing have been perfect. Especially about the part that family DOES NOT WANT your treasures. It’s not personal.
We’ve lived in our farmhouse now for 36 years. My husband and I can no longer care for the property and house. I would like to move where our grandkids are, but my husband is reluctant, though he claims otherwise. I am stressed trying to make adjustments for the unknown. I have tried to start the downsizing process with my belongings. My adult children don’t want any of it. That actually makes it easier. I just hope and pray that I won’t need to be making these decisions alone.
This reply might be too late, but I feel for you. You just might have to make the decisions alone or with the grumbling from your husband. It won’t be easy, but you really have to make things easier for both of you. Before our downsizing and move my husband’s health began to fail and he was physically unable to be of much help. His way of coping was to pretend it wasn’t happening. We lived 40 miles from a medical center. It’s now one year later and he is in a rehab center after undergoing 4 months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer. I can’t imagine how difficult things would be now if I hadn’t pushed forward. Best wishes to you.
Hearing you give a voice to so much about your feelings about your move that so closely resemble ours has literally made my breathing more relaxed. Thank you so much. We also would have prioritized the carpet option. It did not help that my hsb. had a hip surgery and therapy that was not planned for.
But we are definitely in the right place at the right time.
Is it ok to say that I don’t want to talk about it? Has been quite the rough year since my husband decided to move us, filled with much sadness and challenges. Wanting to cry just thinking about it!
Hi Shirley…it’s definitely OK. But I truly believe that talking about it will help, and allow you to gain some perspective. It will help you work through the sadness, which by the way is totally normal. The thing that helps me the most when I’m facing a challenging situation is to look for the silver lining. Or sometimes I think of if as looking at the glass as half full, and not half empty. Focus on the good things, and the other things will take care of themselves. Good luck!
I am ready to downsize, due to my large yard with vegetable garden, and lots of flower beds. I hire my lawn mowed and fertilized, but the flower beds have gone downhill. Each year it costs more to take care of the yard. The house inside is not too much, but I cannot move until daughter, husband and grands move in a couple of years. I want to be close to them. It is hard here to find a smaller, yet quality house and neighborhood and I am afraid I would not like condo living. So after reading all your posts, I am thinking I will stay put and let things unfold as they will. But I sure am learning from your experiences. Thank you!
It’s almost New Year’s Eve. I sat here with my coffee and read all your moving stories (via Southern Hospitality), remembering all my houses and moves and my precious dog that passed away in 2003. My kids and I can still get weepy about darling Jennie. I have gotten rid of so much of our own relatives belongings for various reasons, and yet almost everything I have came from an estate sale or consignment store. I always think everything belonged to someone’s grandmother, maybe just not my grandmother. Thank you for your blog, your new home is just charming. Happy 2024!
We are coming closer to the day when decisions will have to be made about a move. From time to time, we talk about it, but moving is such a huge undertaking.Did your move take place in the same town, or did you move further away? Thank you for the sharing of your experience.
It will be. 7 yrs. this month that we moved from an 1820 home on a wooded lot complete with creek to a newly built condo on a golf course with a pond.two wks. In we. took a family trip but believe it or not the Congo was in good shape in that time. I organized it all on my handy dandy yellow pad! I had boxes of misc. to unpack and shelves to arrange….we have moved laundry to MBB replacing the built in tub…more convenient for our age…put hardwood down to replace carpet ,gas stove to replace elect..built a. banquet in th kitchen a great pantry now replaces the old laundry.left the lower space pretty much the same…it’s. His office,bar and tv space…why am I going. On about this? Just want you to know we are 88 and 92 and have done most of the work with little help…except floor and plumbing.
Never to late to change!
Just re-read all the posts about your move and downsizing — all are so well-written and down to earth. Thank you! I know the time will come for us, and I hope I am able to do all that will be required when the time comes. It is so helpful to have your story (and the comments) full of good thoughts.
I’m another person who didn’t realize you had moved, probably because we moved at the same time and so much of my life went on hold! We moved several states south to a 55+ community, built a new home there while still up north. We got rid of so, so much “stuff” and more has been donated and sold since the move. The process was intense and very stressful but we are very happy with our new home and neighbors, the area we are in. Adding to the stress was our dear, precious golden retriever passed on in the last month we were in our old home up north. I understand about your book cases and cabinets….we just had those added in our new home and we are enjoying them very much already. I wish you much happiness in your new home and look forward to seeing more posts from you!
Wow Ann, I didn’t know you had moved. Good advice on planning the move and where to spend money. I do a lot of planter gardening, mostly annuals so I have a constant drift of flowers in bloom. If we moved I doubt I’d ever have as much gardening because it took a good many years to get where they are at. Enjoy your new digs!
Moving from your family home is hard in every way! I agree with you that easier is better. I also miss some rooms that may seem silly such as my sunroom. I also miss “what used to be”, but appreciate the ease of caring for my new home.
We downsized almost two years ago so I feel your pain. However, even though we miss things from the past home, its been a fun adventure and we’re still working out some of the kinks, but we’re about there. We too waited to replace carpet. Luckily, the flooring company provided that service for a mere $300. We were happy to pay that for them to move the furniture. We had a great experience and I hope you do as well. Prayers help.
FYI
I posted earlier today and it would not go through. Comes up with an error message … duplicate. Repeated the process two different times this afternoon. This is the third time the past month this has happened.
Great post!
Ann, thank you for sharing all the great info. I downsized to be close to one of my grown daughters 2 years ago & have been very happy. You are right. It was a stressful but also exciting process but worth it in the end.
You are so right, there is no right or wrong way to move and things won’t go as planned no matter the time you have. Our last move five years ago to downsize was challenging trying to sell and finish a new house, having two mortgages wasn’t ideal but we pushed through. But I don’t regret making that decision . Your new home is lovely. It’s funny how your priorities change as we age. Things that we felt needed in the past isn’t so needed now.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us! I also moved from the home where I lived for 30 years and raised my children in to a different state and much smaller house. I got rid of so much stuff before the move, and then had to get rid of more once I got here. I’m still going through many of the things that I brought with me, but that gives me something to do in the rainy, dark winter months. While there are some things I wish I had done differently, I really love my new home and the city where I now live!
I loved reading this article and I must say that I too ravenously miss my bookshelves and all the joy and character they bring to our lives as well as any room!
Such a timely post Ann…thank you! I no longer can say we are thinking of downsizing next year because next year is now here. As I pack away our holiday items I reminded my hubby one more go through and see what we may want to let go of. Packing away and giving a bit more protection to special items. I am improving the size of my labels and have started a notebook to inventory what we have. It will help as we transition I hope. Our sons do not live here in Minnesota and each have about 8 large storage containers of things…Legos, special books to name a few. Hoping we can virtually pare down with the one that lives in Texas and the other one can go through on a visit. Neither has a home and I am thinking I may not be the only reader in this situation. Your posts over the year as well as Yvonne’s have helped me immensely as we look forward to a new chapter in our life. My hardest part will be letting go of the home we raised our kids in. My youngest told me one day, “mom my home is where you and dad are. Sure I have many memories but just think if the memories the new family will make”. It sure will be a new beginning.
Happy New Year Ann! I know I’m closer to downsizing as I turn 60. I think no matter what changes you make, you always miss some part of the old. I had a Welch cabinet in my kitchen before we remodeled it. I miss decorating it for the holidays. Seems silly but true!
Great advice! I know as we all start getting older what seemed easy enough to take care of is no longer feasible. As hard as it is to let go of a home that you put so much time into you have to gather your memories in your heart and find the adventure of bringing them to mingle with the new memories you will create in your new space.You’ll have a lot more time to do that if you’ve downsized and now you can take the time to make your new space a part of who you are and call it home ! It’s quite exciting if you let it be!
I truly love this article in regards to downsizing. You have covered every fear should the day come when I may do the same. I have printed out all of your process of this life change. Thank you so very much for your generous and honest insight.
Well written and full of sage advice.
We have downsized, too. The biggest adjustment is the smaller kitchen and pantry. I tried to get rid of stuff I did not use in the last year. Spacing and storage are big challenges with no basement and keeping garage organized for a car.
I’m glad that you are happy in your new home. Ten years ago I moved from my place where everything was just the way that I wanted it to my new husband’s home where suddenly I had to compromise. That was hard for me. Suddenly I had another person whose opinion needed to be included in every design decision. He wasn’t one of those “do whatever you want as long as it makes you happy” kind of men. He had strong feelings about most things as did I. We both had to learn to compromise but after being on our own for so long, it was at times a struggle. Congratulations on your new home. It is lovely and I really do like your design style.
Downsizing is hard and you are never completely finished! Remember that!! I moved into senior housing, I live in an under the 700-square-foot apartment. And I seem to always be sorting through things. I need to get rid of it!! I am thinking when I am gone the mess that I could be leaving for people to sort through and get rid of. So I sort through Clothing and books, nick-nacks. Just everything!! To make things easier!!
Hi Anne~
My husband lost his job 15 yrs ago so we had to move. We purchased a condo & took so long to get use to living upstairs. After 5 yrs I started slowly redoing a few things. I missed my house so much. We had just finished renovation on the entire downstairs. I think the one thing that sold me on the condo was the beautiful moldings around the windows. And, I still had a gas stove & fireplace.
It was not easy to leave our home, but everything happens for a reason.
My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 3 yrs ago so living in the house would not have been doable. We have someone to do all the yard work now. It’s working out great.
Much love,
Rose
I’m so glad to hear you don’t regret your move because we are also thinking about downsizing. I’m a little scared of making the wrong decision but I know it has to be done. Have a great new year.
This is just a great post!
Thank you very much.
Your new home is lovely.
Blessings to you and yours in the new year.
All good tips. One I will keep in mind is the new appliances that could have waited! That one makes so much sense to me. We’ve moved a number of times and had our last two houses built to our taste. This last one is all one level living but our lot is much too big. I’ve enjoyed the gardening aspect of it, but like you I don’t want all that up keep anymore. We have more perennials now and some container pots which I’m quite happy with. Still too much lawn to cut and maintain! Our final move will be one level living again, with a very small backyard.
Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
Your words are very down-to-earth and helpful. Thanks for not getting into the philosophical weeds or going into too much detail. You presented the positives and negatives for you and your move, with the positives winning but you didn’t present a downsize as easy as pie with no concerns. Thank you!
We downsized and moved to another state which is very overwhelming.I miss my other house very much especially the fireplace and kitchen.Like you ,we wanted to make life a bit easier and this house is one level.I had to get rid of many things that just didn’t fit and reinvent what I had to fit in.I’m still fine tuning after 7 years here.Always a work in progress.I’m glad you are happy with your new home, it’s lovely.
Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year !
Just curious…..whats the sq. ft. of this home vs. last? we are thinking of downsizing
We moved the majority of the things we are taking with to our new home (MI) December 27. My husband is staying in our old home (Il) until it sells with half the kitchen gear and the furniture we are not moving. This is a new build so I don’t have flooring to replace. The main thing I am running into is yes I have about the same number of kitchen cabinets and a pantry but they are not as wide or as deep as my IL home. More paring down will be needed and that surprises me. If I had paid better attention to dimensions. I am going to enjoy getting this home organized but right now I am giving myself permission to be lost in my own small kitchen.
We sold our family home in Charleston, SC, 3 years ago, a home we had lived in for 45 years. The move after the sale and finding a new home gave us ample time to replace carpet and paint throughout; the checklist of things we wanted to do has been accomplished over the past 3 years. Perhaps the biggest challenge was replacement of appliances and upgrades in kitchen during Covid. Another challenge was a large covered porch addition that took 10 months to complete. My biggest regret was parting with some sentimental items, but they were only stuff. I have the memories and my daughter won’t have to deal with that when we are gone.
We, too, downsized 2 years ago. We replaced our flooring and the flooring people moved all the furniture out and back (in one day no less) so don’t stress about that. They’re young and strong! My biggest issue is our furniture doesn’t fit in the spaces. That has been an on-going struggle to get it right. I also miss the wall to wall bookcases! Your new home is beautiful, bright and airy! So glad you are enjoying it!
So honest and straightforward about a decision that I’ll be making in the not too distant future.
Thank you for all the insights you gleaned.
My husband and I downsized in September. We’re not young anymore and my husband has had health issues for several years. We owned 23 acres we could no longer maintain and a 3000 sq ft home that was much more space than we needed.
We bought a smaller house with a tiny yard in a new development. Another plus is that everything we need is so convenient, something we didn’t have living in our old house. My only regret is that we don’t have a 3-car garage in our new house! But, we’re managing and we’re working with the space we have.
Our decision happened quickly, but everything fell into place. We were able to list our old house for sale after we moved – a bit of a worry – but it sold in 3 days with multiple offers. Moving and selling our old house was a LOT of work but nothing worth having comes easy!
It takes a while to adjust, there will be headaches, and I miss our old home, but our new house feels more like home every day.
The decision to downsize is one my husband & I have never regretted.
I like the blue vase with white base that contains white tulips and is on your mantel. Did you purchase that recently and if so where? Also, we went through downsizing 6 years ago. I identify with your sentiments, especially missing your previous garden. One of my regrets was not being able to move my rich compost pile. 😂
Just in case you’re not aware the carpet layers will move all your furniture, you don’t have to. We replaced two room recently and all I had to remove were the things like lamps, knick knacks, anything loose. They are experts at moving the furniture around as they remove old and lay the new. So don’t let that stop you!