Retirement Planning, Elder Law, and Senior Finance Decluttering Tips: Say Goodbye to Excess Stuff 1/11/2024 | By Sandra Block Downsizing in retirement forces you to make some difficult and often emotional decisions about the possessions you’ve accumulated over the years. These decluttering tips can help. “We tell people to give it more time than they think they need because we want it to be a thoughtful process,” says Mary Kay Buysse, co-executive director of the National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers. “You don’t want to have any regrets.” Margareta Magnusson, author of the best-selling book “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter,” recommends starting with large items, such as furniture, and working your way down to smaller things. Cleaning out your clothes closet is another task to tick off early because it’s usually easy to figure out which items you no longer wear. Save letters and photos for last, Magnusson recommends, because you may get stuck on memory lane and fail to get around to anything else. Take the time to talk to children and other family members about items they may want to keep. Although your children probably don’t want your leather couch or china cabinet, they might like to have photos and other keepsakes. If you have an attachment to an item you rarely use, take photos, Buysse says. Otherwise, the item will likely end up in your garage, taking up space. “We’re just a country of stuff,” she says. “We’ve got to get over it.” Don’t succumb to the temptation to put unwanted items in storage while you make up your mind about what to keep, Buysse warns. If you plan to store items for a couple of months — until your granddaughter gets married and takes possession of your dining room set, for example — renting a storage unit is fine, she says. But if you’re doing it to postpone getting rid of items you can’t bring yourself to donate or sell, you could end up renting the unit for years at a potential cost of thousands of dollars. If the task becomes overwhelming, consider hiring outside assistance. A senior move manager will help you organize and sort your items; dispose of items through estate sales, consignment and donation; oversee professional movers; and provide other related services, such as cleaning. The move manager will walk through your home and give you an estimate of the costs while working within your budget, Buysse says. You can search for a move manager in your area at www.nasmm.org. If you can handle the move but need help getting organized, consider hiring a professional organizer. Search for one in your area at www.napo.net, the website for the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. Sandra Block is a senior editor at Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com. ©2023 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. See similar articles on Seniors Guide: Downsizing Makes Sense, Even in Today’s Market As an Amazon Associate, Seniors Guide earns from qualifying purchases of linked books and other products. Read More Sandra Block Sandra Block is a senior editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.