As an interior designer for the past 35 years, I have had the opportunity to help baby boomers design their first, second and even third homes, their beach houses, mountain retreats, and country cottages…
Read MoreAt this stage of life, you’re looking forward to a simpler lifestyle with less clutter, more freedom, new friends, and new memories. Your kids are now grown and have left the nest. You might be single, widowed, or a couple. No matter what, holidays…
Read MoreWhen I began my reductionist initiative a few years ago, I assumed I would actually end up with fewer things to think about. Less stuff to worry about and more emotional freedom. Seemed a logical expectation at the time and in fact was my motivation…
Read MoreIf you knew Gayle and Marc, you would think that it was entirely Marc’s idea for them to move into a cottage home. For years, Marc led a fairly frugal life. He carried the same briefcase to work. He had the same lunch with leftovers from the previous night…
Read MoreThere’s only one good answer to the question of when to downsize – before you have to. As we age, the psychological benefits of choice increase and the opportunities to choose decrease. Things happen to us that are beyond our control…
Read More“Much of what we acquire in life isn’t worth dragging to the next leg of our journey,” writes Gina Greenlee in Postcards and Pearls: Life Lessons from Solo Moments on the Road. “Travel light,” she adds. “You will be better equipped to travel far…”
Read MoreThe colonial furniture had made its way from my childhood bedroom to my first apartment and my next four places of residence, but now that I was downsizing and leaving my home of 36 years, it was time to say goodbye. In Marie Kondo fashion…
Read MoreAs someone working with people in transition, I meet a lot of interesting women. Amanda is one of them. A wonderful, professional woman approaching 60, Amanda had her mind made up. After spending several months carefully considering…
Read MoreYou’ve gone through the incredibly hard process of downsizing your house to a smaller place – maybe a much smaller place. You’ve moved, organized things, and figured out just where to put everything you took with you. Read More
If I read one more article about downsizing and decluttering, I think I’ll scream. At first it was refreshingly liberating, this KonMari method of asking, “Does this item bring me joy?” – yes, you’re in; no you’re out. Boom!
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