Downsizing - am thinking about - how have others done downsizing?

Murphybear

We upsized from a 3 bedroomed house to an old house on a farm which had 4 bedrooms and 3 reception rooms.  It was great to have a proper dining room but as it’s just the 2 of us we didn’t often use it.  

After 8 months (long story) we moved to a lovely over 60s house with 3 good sized bedrooms and one lounge and big kitchen.  We got rid of a lot of stuff at the council recycling centre then have slowly been putting things on Freecycle.  I don’t know if it’s just our area but everything went quickly and we didn’t have any no shows.  We decided to finally get rid of the big plastic crates which we’d had for years and I was gobsmacked to find I had 20 requests for them.  I chose the person who was the friendliest and very polite.  He was even lovelier in person and as he was a professional gardener he gave us lots of advice to our miniature garden.

DigForVictory

Two things: how old are you? As while in your 50s, worthwhile & likely you have the strength. Each decade after that the cost benefit shifts…
The other is a tip on getting rid of stuff - a colleague used eBay & collect in person so shift All sizes of things - listed for a penny, it was affordable, simple & polite & she got rid of internal doors etc for the effort of snaps & tape measurements. 

cannonballdaze

Not just location - you have little choice over neighbours either.

EIGHTOF8

Get some part time lodgers! People who work away from home during the week! And go home on weekends! 
Adds to your social life too! 

wolfehouse

One way to get rid of unwanted stuff is the use of internet based bartering site.  These have really taken off recently in my area. 

Surprising what people will take and if it is a popular item you can request things you want in return.  The going currency seems to be Prosecco just now though.

whydoineedone

The big carrot for us is to downsize from our 6 bedroom detached now  children have gone, and retire (I’m nearly 64 and working 46 hours a week). Been looking for ages though and can’t see anything we like. Tiny gardens, built up areas, small rooms....I think we will stay put! 

Caramac

We ‘downsized’ last year from a 4 bedroom detached in a village to a newbuild  4 bedroom semi in a small town. Our previous house and location had been ideal for raising children but lack of regular public transport could potentially become a problem.

We ended up getting a house clearance company in because I was having difficulty arranging for a charity to come and collect, though I did get rid of some things through Facebook. I found it very time consuming queuing up to take things to the tip, and arranging dropping stuff off in charity shops.