I originally shared these downsizing and moving tips in early 2022, not long after we had completed our move. At the time, everything was still fresh, and I was doing my best to sort through what we had just experienced. Some of it felt organized. Some of it felt overwhelming.
Now, with a little distance, I can see the process more clearly. Downsizing is not simply about packing boxes. It is about making decisions, managing time, accepting help, and working through emotions you may not expect. If I were doing it again, I would approach a few things differently, but many of these lessons still hold true. What follows is the advice I wish someone had handed me before we began.
After sharing our moving story, I received several emails asking for more details, especially about the clean-out process I briefly mentioned. At the time, everything felt too fresh and overwhelming to organize into a clear set of thoughts. Now that life has settled, I am finally able to reflect on what worked for us. What follows are practical lessons we learned along the way. Our approach may not be right for everyone, but I hope you find something helpful as you navigate your own move.
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Hire Professional Help
The weekend after our offer on the new house was accepted, my daughter came home to help me map out everything that needed to be done before moving day. The main living areas were already in good shape, so our focus turned to the basement, the attic over the garage, and the garden shed. Every item in those spaces had to fall into one of three categories: throw away, donate, or store. Because we were downsizing, I knew it all would not fit in the new house. Purging was not optional. We rented a storage unit for the things we were not ready to part with but did not have room for. The hardest truth of downsizing is this: you cannot take everything with you.
Once we were clear on what needed to be done, we began searching for professional help. From the start, I knew this was not something we could manage on our own. After calling several companies, we found one that could handle both the cleanout and the packing. When I spoke with them, I was completely honest about the scope of the project, including the fact that I had not been in the attic for years and had no idea what we might find. They arrived with a dumpster, four packers and movers, and all the necessary supplies. I stayed nearby to answer questions and guide the sorting process. The entire cleanout took nearly two full days.
As each space was emptied, everything was sorted and packed methodically. Items headed for storage were grouped together, the few pieces coming to the new house were set aside, and the rest went directly into the dumpster. When the cleanout was complete, they transported the storage items to our unit. Hiring professional help was not an insignificant expense, but we prioritized it because the timeline required efficiency. Pricing will vary depending on location and availability, but for us, the investment was well worth the peace of mind and momentum it provided.
Lean On Your People
This process may not require a village, but it does require support. I am certain our move would not have been successful without the involvement of our two adult children. Our daughter, along with her boyfriend, came home often and helped in countless ways. She kept me organized and served as the extra brain I needed. Our son traveled from New Jersey to Ohio for two long weekends, and what he accomplished during those visits was remarkable. I was especially grateful to our daughter-in-law for encouraging him to come.
If you have adult children, involve them early. Ask for their input and truly listen to what they have to say. Even if they cannot be there physically, they can offer perspective and moral support. Downsizing and moving can feel overwhelming, and it is difficult to manage everything alone. If family help is not possible, reach out to friends. And if that is not an option, consider building professional help into your budget. Having support makes an enormous difference.
Give Yourself Time
I’ve had so many of you write and ask how we got this move accomplished in just two months…and the answer to that is mostly luck and a bit of planning. I talked about the way things fell into place in this blog post, and even after we sold our house, it continued to happen. But if I could do it over again, I would definitely give myself more time.
The time of year matters more than you think. I was determined to be settled before Thanksgiving, and that decision pushed the entire timeline forward. Looking back, the added pressure was not necessary. When planning a move, build in more time than you believe you will need, especially for painting and installations. If a contractor estimates one week, plan for two. Our painters ran behind schedule, and our stove was delivered just days before Thanksgiving. Everything worked out in the end, but there were more stressful moments than there needed to be.
Breathe Through The Emotions
Even though I knew moving was the right decision, the emotions that surfaced along the way were varied and often unexpected. There is a line in the song “I’m Movin’ On” by Rascal Flatts that says, “I never dreamed home would end up where I don’t belong.” That lyric captured exactly how I felt at times. I had to work through waves of sadness and even guilt. For a while, I questioned whether I was walking away from a house that had given me so much. I have never been one to “cut and run,” yet in the weeks leading up to the move, that is how it felt.
In the end, the only thing I knew to do was place it all in God’s hands and trust that we were being led in the right direction. By the time moving day arrived, the guilt had eased and peace had taken its place. It was our turn to have a home that required less upkeep and better suited our family’s needs. There was no reason to feel guilty about that, but I had to sort through those emotions to fully accept it. If you are walking through a similar season, do not push your feelings aside. Let them surface, acknowledge them, and breathe through them.
The practical side of downsizing and moving is only part of the story. Letting go of belongings, especially when your family doesn’t want them, can be even more challenging. In the next post, I’ll share five ways I learned to cope with that reality.
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, thanks so much for these details. I had a full year to pack and plan, so my situation was different. I didn’t know where we were going, but we knew the 3500sf lake house couldn’t remain home for much longer.
Because my husband had been in ministry, we’d moved a lot, but we always were packed and moved by the church we were going to. This time, we were on our own, because we were retired.
My key things:
1. Start in the most remost parts of the house–attic, garage, etc., and take everything to storage as you go.
2. Keep the boxes small, except for lightweight things like lampshades and bedding. We ended up with 305 boxes, but they were all small.
3. Keep a spreadsheet on the computer of every single thing you pack. Using the “find” feature keeps you from digging through endless boxes.
4. Keep a sweet spirit! It was easy to do because I had so much time. I did a couple of garage sales during the process, but still had lots to donate from the new place.
It’s worth the effort; we love our newer smaller place!
Hi Ann
Your advice and tips on packing and moving is invaluable!
Thank you for detailing the entire process.
I’m sure you will make the new home as comfortable and beautiful as Sutton Place.
Congratulations
Lucy
I can appreciate everyone’s comments as I’ve read them all. Hubby and I have lived in our second home already 26 years! My how time flies! I’m the one to review house contents periodically and either donate or save for a future garage sale. Nevertheless, hubby is a saver of stuff that is in the basement and in his room….what he’s saving these items for I have no idea. ha If he should die first, I know exactly what will go, and if I should die first, he will be dealing with his stuff because there won’t be that much of mine. lol One other thought to share which is so true……..years ago I helped a friend pack her home in a weekend (spare story). My mantra became if you cannot pack your home in a weekend, there’s too much!! That’s been my new approach since that day! =)
Hello! We moved into our “new to us”home three days ago so we’re in the big middle of boxes and trying to figure out where everything goes. I know we’ll love it as soon as everything is put up. We had one month to pack up and move so Christmas was somewhat absent this year, especially when our daughter and son-in-law came down with Covid these last two weeks. There went our help. However, our grandsons and professional movers got us in this week so what a relief! It’s all good! I just bundled up in our 30° weather and took a walk in our new neighborhood! God has richly blessed us! Happy New Year to all!
You did a great job of moving. sorry the painters let you down. I love Wow-One-Day painters, they do a beautiful job. They come the first day to prep everything, and bring a painter for each room to finish everything with two coats the next day.they are all over the US and Canada.
We knew we would need to move to a one story at some point so when our son’s family moved an hour away we started planning. It took two years before we found the right home which gave us time to decide what really needed to go with us. I sold quite a bit of furniture and household items and used the money to purchase new items that better fit our new house. Focusing on the future helped me get through the emotional goodbye.
I love this “focusing on the future”…wise way to approach it. When we sold the dream home we built and moved into a much older home that needed work, I was depressed. My sister said “you had one dream and now you have a new one” and that helped me. Now I love this home.
My father in law passed away Christmas Day (he was 98) so we have started the process of cleaning out his house to sell. This has definitely got us thinking about cleaning out our home. We have no intentions of moving but this has showed us we can certainly clean things out so our kids won’t have to. I did a lot of organizing at the start of the pandemic but I now see I can do more, you don’t have to move to clean out.
As I entered my 50’s I started reading about minimalism and began decluttering our home, attic & even the backyard shed that was packed to the rafters. Good thing we did at the time as my husband now has a disability and is unable to help with anything except for some light cooking. We hope to “age in place” but if the house & yard become too much of a hardship in the coming years, or my health changes, we will need to move. My advice is to declutter now while you are in good health, even if you are not planning a move. I am much more content with less things to look after & clutter. It would be much harder to do now if we had waited. Life can change quickly.
Hi Ann, so happy for you! This is never easy and it sounds like everything went well for you! So nice to hear. In looking at your pictures I’m wondering what color paint was used on the shipman fireplace? Beautiful!!!
Hi Gwen…the color is Snowbound from Sherwin Williams. Happy New Year!
Four years ago we sold our house and moved to an apartment—a wonderful move in every way. I would say to anyone that is considering downsizing to do it sooner than later. The physical demands will become harder, the emotional changes will be more difficult to cope with, and moving while you can be in control is far better than waiting until you HAVE to move! Stuff is just stuff!! And, while some stuff is quite precious and memorable, relationships and the time to spend with family and friends is most important!!