Is it time to downsize? Suggestions I give to my clients:

Here are five examples of things to downsize in your home

Downsizing can give you so much freedom from stuff.

1. Clothing: Go through your wardrobe and remove items you haven't worn in the last year. Consider donating or selling clothes that no longer fit your style or that you don't love. Making room lets your clothes "breathe" and avoids over-crowding in your closet. Think about the trends. Do you still have items from pre-pregnancy or night club clothes if you're a seasoned mom? If date night involves jeans and heals, then those revealing dresses can go if they don't flatter you anymore. Bless someone else with the dress you only wore once!!

2. Books: In this technological age, a lot of us use streaming services, listen to podcasts and enjoy a good book in an audio format like Audible or county libraries. If you no longer have time to read the physical paperbacks or hard covers, let them go. If you have a large collection of books, consider keeping only your favorites or those you'll read again. Donate or sell the rest to free up space.

3. Kitchen Gadgets: Evaluate your kitchen tools and appliances. Keep only the ones you use regularly and let go of duplicates or items that are rarely used. For instance, if you have more than 1 rolling pin and you only bake cookies once a year, you don't need to own more than 1 of them. If you no longer bake at all, then get rid of all those cookie cutters, icing supplies, angel cake pans and toss all the rusty cookie sheets or cupcake tins. A friend told me that they got a new set of knives. Seems like a perfect reason to donate your old knives and knife block. Why keep extra??? You aren't ever going to run out and need to go back to your old set. You know who you are if you still have these... WINK, wink friend! LOL.

4. Decor Items: Assess your decorative items and keep only those that truly bring you joy or have significant meaning. Consider a more minimalist approach to your decor. Less stuff on shelves and mantles, means less dust accumulation. That's something we can all appreciate... less stuff to clean. Do you need more than 10 vases if you no longer buy or get flowers more than once yearly? Even then, you probably use your favorite vase every single time. So, keep 1 or 2 and let the rest of them go. Living with less stuff is FREEING!

5. Furniture: If you have larger pieces that take up too much space or aren't functional, think about downsizing to smaller, more versatile furniture that fits your current lifestyle. If it's broken, trash it. If you aren't a DIY expert, you probably aren't going to fix it. If having too much stuff gives you anxiety, imagine how much more free your mind will feel.

These examples can help you get started on your downsizing journey! As always, feel free to message me if you need help with decision making or a friendly smile to get through the hard work of decluttering.