Big changes in your life often involve cleaning your home at the same time, but it’s not always the same. Downsizing your retirement home is a different process than cleaning up after you pass away. One author said that the way one organizes space for the next chapter should be called “rightsizing.”
inside her latest books, “Right-Size Today to Build Your Best Life Tomorrow” After losing a loved one, going through a divorce, and merging her family with her widowed husband, Marni Jameson decided to size her home to create the best life for tomorrow. After downsizing, we explore the concept of “right-sizing”. Jameson is also the author of the syndicated column “At Home With Marni Jameson.”
“I’ve gotten really good at getting rid of things,” she said.
Just like when moving, everyone’s retirement will be different. Some people choose to stay in their current home by default, Jameson said, while others feel attached to it because they’ve raised a family there for years. But retirees should instead ask themselves whether their current home is truly the perfect place for their later years, and if not, where that perfect place would be.
Jameson spoke to MarketWatch about “rightsizing” and how to approach this challenge.
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Market Watch: What exactly does “right-sizing” mean to you?
Marni Jameson: I define it as moving into or building a home that is physically, emotionally, and financially perfect. You have to click on all these parts. People don’t take a long-term view long enough. They just stay there and do the same thing every day. I think they are missing out on an opportunity to move on and live a better life.
Molecular weight: Could you please elaborate on that?
Jameson: I think a lot of people are negative and don’t want to think about it. They say moving is a hassle, but I have to say that doesn’t mean it’s not the best life. Let’s overcome those difficulties and dream a little. That’s the outline of my book on paper. What does your best life look like? Where? What kind of home do you want to live in? A condo with lock-and-go access, or a single-family home where the grandchildren can come home? On the water, on a golf course? What do you want to do and what is holding you back?
The four factors that hold people back are: First, what they have. If furniture is standing between you and a better life, think twice. There are so many places now, like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. There are people you can hire to sell you better items. Don’t let that become an obstacle.
People talk about their memories and great times. You can have a great time even at the house next door, and the memories will last forever. Memories are what you take with you, so just because you have memories in a house that no longer serves you is no reason to stay there.
People fear change. Everyone is doing it. Change will come to you anyway. Again, we never know how many days we have left on this earth.
and self-satisfaction. I’m just lazy. What I’m saying is, don’t let laziness or fear of these things hold you back. Let’s analyze each obstacle one at a time.
Molecular weight: What are the people on the other side of this process saying?
Jameson: This is amazing. Of those who moved in the past five years, 26% of them moved to a new state. Not only are we in the same state, but we have moved to a new state. That takes quite a bit of courage. They left behind everything they knew. 88% of them said they were glad to participate. That’s pretty positive.
I truly believe in course correction. Sometimes the changes you make are wrong, even if they are correct. Therefore, you must always be agile and have a “what if” plan. What if it doesn’t work? So I moved from Colorado to Florida 10 years ago. I said, what if it doesn’t work? I knew I could return to Colorado. I knew I could make a U-turn. Luckily, Florida liked me and her daughter, so it worked out. But know that you can course-correct.
Molecular weight: In your experience, have you noticed that the process of disposing of things changes depending on the situation, such as after a death, divorce, or downsizing toward retirement?
Jameson: The way of thinking and filters are slightly different. Cleaning my parents’ house is something everyone has to do for their parents, in-laws, and grandparents, but it’s a different process. Because they are the people you loved holding on to things and you have to be them because you love them. Decide what is important and why. Find out what’s valuable to your family, rather than financially, and what you can turn into something more useful, like donating a wedding dress to your local theater department. Having that extra aspect of wanting to respect their life makes it more difficult than experiencing your own.
I divorced after 24 years of marriage and married someone who was a widow. When they searched his belongings, they found some of his late wife’s belongings, as well as a landmine. He didn’t want her ghost to live with us, but he wanted to honor her at the same time. It’s covered in another book. What to keep and what to let go of depends on your circumstances and stage of life.
Molecular weight: Is there anything I can do now to right-size it?
Jameson: This is not a one-and-done process. Proper sizing is a lifestyle. You can’t just tidy up your house and expect it to stay that way. Because things are always coming in and life is always changing. Therefore, you need to think about what you want to surround yourself with. I think it’s something we always have to think about. Continually whittle down the cabinets in your garage or kitchen.
I like doing trial separations. This will reduce the pain. Keep bags in the garage and closet and put borderline items in there. Once I’ve seen what it’s like to live without them and it’s full, I’ll take another look and then take it to Goodwill. It’s not final, it’s more transitional and helps people say goodbye. For most of us, the less we have, the less we have to maintain and organize, and the more simply we can move around with less. It’s a lifestyle.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
