How do I downsize?

Hi Gail, I hear you, I am going through the same thing right now, because I work full time and I am not a spring chicken anymore I dedicate about 2 hours per week to sorting and boxing items to either, sell, donate or toss, mostly I donate as it's the easiest. Pick a drawer, a space in a room like a closet or whatever and work on just that, sort then take it out of the house, don't pressure yourself, do what you can manage, maybe more some days or less depending how you feel.

Read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo or check her website at https://konmari.com/. While I don’t necessarily follow everything she does, this is an excellent starting point and she forces you to look at the reasons you’re keeping stuff. Then gives you smallish steps to work on so it’s not so overwhelming. Just do one category at a time and it becomes easier and slightly addicting as you gain more space and more time since you’re not cleaning and maintaining all that stuff.

Weve had great success selling things on Facebook marketplace.

I like Debbie's idea. Pick a room and go through it section by section, if you haven't used it or worn it for a year, donate it. The only time that doesn't work is for seasonal things like Christmas decorations, Easter decorations, etc., but still try to get rid of some of it. It will be easier to do one room at a time, but not the whole room at once and not get stressed out. Donations should be taken wherever frequently so you can't second thought them. When you finally finish a room, be good to yourself and treat yourself to something. It will take time, but it will be worth it once the house is done.

There are many companies like the Veterans that will come to your house and collect whatever you want to donate. You could have a garage sale first if you'd like to make money but it is a lot of work. I usually just bag up everything for donation and they pick it up at the front door.

Sell, donate, and throw out.

Hi Gail - This is one of my favorite articles on cleaning, organizing and decluttering. It really breaks down the steps of the process, and even includes an interview with TV show Hoarders star Matt Paxton. Hope this helps! Hugs, Holly

https://pinkfortitude.com/hoarder/