Downsizing

[Nana]

Of late I've been thinking of my own mortality. (Natural after a death in the family). I'm in my mid sixties soon & re-evaluating my life. We have a four bedroom house. There are eight rooms in total, plus bathroom & two loos. It's already getting too much for me to keep clean & my OH must get tired working full time, caring for me (when necessary) & seeing to the house, although he never complains.

I started a discussion yesterday over dinner, on our future years. Should we think of downsizing now or leave it til later? Would it be better to do it sooner rather than later so we settle into an area & put down our roots? Could we adapt our present house if needed & not move?

A couple of years ago our home had trebled in price.....a little less now. Looking at smaller places they're not a patch on what we have for the value of money. How on earth do you get rid of two sheds of stuff & a packed garage of clutter? How do you actually downsize without loosing precious things?

We've got a bedroom for DD with cot & another bedroom for DD with double bed & moses basket. OH works from home so needs another bedroom for his office. He's not due to retire for another five years.

I'm wise enough not to rush things in the wake of grief, but it does need thinking through. How did you Grans who downsized manage? I'd be interested to know if it worked for you & how you actually did it. Thanks.

[Avo]

Very interesting question Nana. We already know that we won't stay in our present home when we are 'old' because it is large and old (requiring lots of maintenance) and we have 1 acre of garden. But when is 'old', and as you say you want to settle in and make friends.... i'm 58 and hubby 62 and we are both fit and active, our grandchildren love the garden and will do for some time. I'm quite happy to get rid of some furniture the precious sentimental things will be harder. I look forward to reading the comments which follow.

[Oma]

Nana your house sound like my old house , we downsized from a large 4 bed too I knew the house and garden was going to get too much for me , we downsized to a little shoe box new build and hand on heart it was the best thing we ever did , we did one room at a time deciding what we couldn't do without and what we would sell we emptied the loft into one of the spare rooms and went through that there was stuff we hadn't seen in years and forgot about , we hired a skip and took a week to empty the shed and green house giving stuff away and selling again anything we didn't need , it was hard work but we were ruthless , We boxed stuff up and put it back in loft till we needed them and found the final move a lot smoother , I only miss the large kitchen /Dinner we had , you do have to get rid off excess furniture etc but it's a excuse to have a good de clutter too , I did worry I would miss the space and cupboards but you learn to adapt and be creative with space , we boarded the loft out and had proper pull down steps it's amazing what you can get in a loft 😀It takes no time at all to clean and decorate

[Enfys]

We downsized just over 12 years ago from a big 3 bed roomed house to a 2/3bedroom bungalow. Like Oma I don't regret it at all. I was under 60 then and really felt it was the best time as we both had more energy to cope with the move and sorting everything out. Yes, we did have to get ride of loads of stuff, but that's all it was ...stuff. Things we'd kept simply because we had the room to keep them. It was quite liberating getting rid of items we no longer had any use for but we kept smaller things of my parents etc. we love our little bungalow, so easy to look after, decent size but easily maintained garden and very near our DD. We will hopefully end our days here, and I'm so glad we made tHe move when we did .

[Mimi]

Nanna we downsized from a big three bed house to a two bed flat. At the time our eldest DS was living with us but if it had just been the two of us we would have looked at a one bed option.
We haven't regretted the move one single minute.
I know they is an awful lot of sorting out when it comes to your possession but it's worth it in the end. As we were determined we were going to move we started sorting out our possessions long before we actually moved, that way it wasn't so stressful as we weren't under any time limits.
On the plus side of moving we have
Lower heating bills
Lower council tax
Lower water bills
Smaller garden
Easier to keep clean
Don't need to pay for a window cleaner as we are on the ground floor.
But best of all, no struggling with stairs when my back and knee is playing up. Also now that I don't have stairs to climb my knee no longer gives me as much jip as it used to !
Saying this only move when you are truly committed to the idea, find somewhere you like and be prepared to let go some items that are not going to fit into your new home.

[ZIZI]

We Downsized fifteen years ago but not from choice. Husband had been diagnosed with glaucoma and within days had his driving licence confiscated. It decimated our business and meant that we had to close. He got a job at Heathrow and I would have to get up at 3am to get him there for his first shifts as the buses didn't run that early. It quickly became evident that we had to move. We did not have the choice we were hoping for but finally opted for a two bedroom first floor maisonette with a garden and garage. We moved out of our beloved four bed, two bath, huge kitchen and sixty foot split level sitting room/dining room and massive garden. We only really had about three weeks (before I descended into the madness no sleep brings as I was dropping husband off and then doing a whole day myself).

We had a garage full of all sorts which we sorted and gave to charity shops, could have done with the money from a car boot but didn't have the time. We gave away a lot of the furniture to my brother (who mistreated it and I found myself very upset when I saw my lovely sixteen seat pristine dining table had nasty marks all over it from not using table mats and coasters). Same with three piece suite. We came here with a transit van full and my little Renault 5 full including the two cats wailing in the back!!

We brought with us a futon for sitting on until we could get a suite, some kitchen stuff, our bed , bedside tables and a large old pine chest of drawers. Apart from that not a lot. I do have to say that there are things in the garage that haven't seen the light of day for years............

Now I think about the house and sometimes wish we were still there because it would be better for the children, they don't often go downstairs to play unless we are there too BUT it was absolutely the right thing financially and for work for husband. One of the biggest things when looking for smaller places was the lack of space to put a table and chairs. Some of the places just had nowhere. Even a friend of mine who I was talking to the other day said that she and her partner eat off trays on their laps as their two bedroomed new build didn't have the room for a table. We had a table for a while, the one that was originally in the kitchen but then, to make space, bought a table that flaps down both sides and has fold up chairs which store underneath. It isn't the prettiest of things but I make sure it is always covered with a cloth. We have had it for some years and occasionally I see a small table I like but stick with the one who have as it can be made for just two people or at a push can seat six.

We have spent a lot of money on the flat in the last few years so it will be comfortable for when we are finally retired (sometime never as things are going) and of course will be spending even more in the next few months with the kitchen and I want total redecoration, curtains etc. and wooden floors in the bedrooms (well he wants that). It is much, much nicer now than it was when we moved in and having the garden, garage and off street parking is a definite bonus.

I can testify though that having a smaller place, for someone pathologically averse to cleaning it is much easier to live here (although do not get the idea that I am a great cleaner!!!

[Shemadee]

We are in the very early stages of decluttering with the idea of moving to a flat or bungalow in the not too distant future. Our previous next door neighbour,( a few years younger than us) had a heart attack and we realised that having five steps down to our house could effectively maroon us! They moved to a bungalow. They had just finished their five year plan renovating the house and were sad to leave but realised they had to be practical! Would happily consider a flat but my main concern is not being able to hang out the washing! Our loft is in a jumble as the men doing loft insulation were not at all careful and since then it has got worse and worse. I would hate to leave the children to sort out our muddle. We were just talking about it the other day and have decided to make a start on the shed on Saturday and then gradually move through the house. If we haven't used something for a year then is there a good reason to keep it? I am actually looking forward to it. OH is 66 and I am 64. He is probably going to retire in the summer.

[ZIZI]

Oh and Mimi yes lower heating bills as downstairs neighbours has hers on full pelt, lower water as now metered and only £11 a month, Council Tax however is more than it was before as we are in a different area. The garden is much smaller which we discovered is a bonus especially when husband had his double knee replacement. It is a good size for us.

[Qwerty]

Nana we have talked about this a lot lately we have four bedrooms all furnished 2bathrooms 2 lounges a dining room and kitchen also conservatories seemed a good idea at the time but now the kids have fled the nest, and OH is 70 this yr it makes sense to get something smaller we have been in the house for 36 years lots of memories we like where we live it's next to a farm so very quiet apart from horses hooves. We are in walking distance of docs, dentist shops etc and 5 mins from M1 and M62 the trouble is to buy a bungalow would cost as much as the house seems ridiculous, but we have no downstairs loo and this could become a problem unless if things get bad we can put in a stairlift but don't want to resort to that. We have 4 suites, 6 coffee tables and a nest of tables a marble dining table which we would need to reinforce the floor, it's too much for me to contemplate at the moment !!! If you can do it Nana do it

[Gemini]

Nana my OH wants to upsize and is always looking at larger properties!!
I'm here to keep her feet on the ground however. We have 3 bedrooms. One is my therapy room as I work from home, one is the spare room, for grandchildren and any other overnight guests. We have a living room, dining room and conservatory, that's enough!
I do have problems with my back knees and hip, so like you I sometimes think ahead and wonder about single floor living. I don't think OH is quite ready to think that way yet, as she thinks we need more space.
What we would do with the contents of the loft, shed and garage if we downsize is another matter!!

[Nanto2girls]

It's been interesting reading your stories about downsizing, but I don't think I could ever do it. I'm 64 and hubby is 67, but we are both fit, for now anyway.
On the 19th of this month, we will have lived in this home for 47 years, both of the children were born in this house. We have so many memories here.
Hubby has done so much work on the house, knocking walls out,bricking up doorways, not to mention what he has done with garden, and built the conservatory.
Move, I just couldn't contemplate the idea just now.

[Gemini]

My mum still lives in the house she and dad bought when I was 3 Nan2. It's slightly too big for her on her own, but she can't contemplate leaving it. I hope she never has to.

[Daisy]

Nana - I believe that there comes a time when you 'know' it's time to move on to a different stage in your lives. Your and your OH's health and strength will inevitably play a large part in your decision, but It's useful to look at what other people have done - or not done.

We have moved around a lot and I have no sentimental attachment to any of the homes we've had. The bricks and motar are just that - a building. I really understand that most people don't feel the same way about their home, but it's how I feel.

We downsized to our current house about 20 years ago! We were living in a large chalet bungalow with 4 huge reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a few other 'odd' rooms. One evening OH and I were both working in the study, which was right over one side of the house, behind the garage. I went to make us a cuppa - through the sun loggia, the lounge, the dining room, down the hall and into the kitchen, opening and closing 5 doors to keep the heat in. One son was at uni and the other taking a Levels. We no longer needed this lovely but sprawling house which we only saw in the evenings and at week-ends! So we moved round the corner into a 4 bed, 2 reception, 2 bath and a cloakroom house with a smaller garden. We then extended the incredibly tiny kitchen and dining room to a decent size - and we're still here. It doesn't feel too large yet. We're in our 70s, but lucky enough to be reasonably fit, and I spend as little time on housework as I can get away with without reducing the house to a hovel! OH says this is his last move, while I feel that it's ok for now, but if things change (as I'm sure they will) then we might want to move again.

As for the clutter! We have loads of that - mostly OH's - and he's slowly sorting through it. He's got a half-built kit car in the garage which he'll never finish, and hopefully that is going next month, so we'll be able to sort the garage out. Who knows, I might even be able to put my car in there next winter. The loft is groaning with all sorts of junk and most of that can go, too! I'd like to get to the stage where our kids won't have to get a skip in to clear the house when we pop off!!

You're right to take your time over any decision you make - keep us posted.

[Shemadee]

We've moved a lot as well, Daisy. It's very different to those who have stayed in one house or area. One of the positive things about moving is the decluttering that goes with it. We've spent a couple of hours in the shed today and OH has finally parted with some of the rusty tools and hardware some of which have probably been following around with us for 44 years! He has agreed not to pull his usual trick of taking a phone booking then disappearing to put it on the computer then not coming back!

[Daisy]

Well done Shem - to you and your OH. When we were moving a lot we kept things in case they came in useful in the next house. But of course all we've done now is added to all that stuff - in case the kids need it at some stage. The time has come for it all to go!