Downsizing is really emotional

RelievedSheff

We have had a fair bit of success selling unwanted and unloved items on Ebay and local Facebook Groups.

Very little has to be thrown away if you have the time to sort and sell the items.

Mind you that said our last move was from a 2 bed house to a larger 3 bed house but we were still ruthless and sorted and sifted through everything. We only had 3.5 weeks from reserving the house (new build) to moving in so we didn't really have time to sell items and ended up getting a big skip and throwing a lot away. It was quite liberating actually.

I would definitely give the kids a deadline to pick up their stuff and move it otherwise it gest disposed of.

We found breaking the house down into a room at a time helped.

SusieT

I would be brutal and tell the kids that your house is not their dumping ground and that if they have not collected their stuff it will be disposed of, if it is so important to them they can take it.
Then start with the "easy" things and if something is obvious rubbish black sack time and take a load to the tip. Anything worth say £10 or more see if a local auction house will sell for you if its batched in lots. Give stuff away, freecycle, facebook, gumtree, car boot sales (probably only indoor ones now). As you dispose of things the space will free up and you will gradually have empty rooms which really does help. Start early and sell whatever you can, its amazing what people will buy!

gingercordial

I do love collecting vinyl so will chip on on the records.  Find your local independent record shop - there has been such a resurgence lately that there is bound to be one.  If you need some help with that, try the shop search function at https://recordstoreday.co.uk/shop-locator/  Then give them a ring to see if they buy whole collections, or if not (or if, say, it's a rock collection and they only sell dance music) do they have the contact details of someone who does.  They will know a dealer.

On your children's stuff... When I bought my first house two years ago, my parents came to see it not long afterwards and arrived with their car stuffed with all the boxes of things I'd left in their loft for years.  They were quite brutal (ha ha) in that this was absolutely my problem now and they would not keep it a moment longer.  Do the same and tell them they need to collect it asap if they want it so much, or it's going in the bin.  Good luck!

NameUnavailable

I have been through this recently and had to clear out my parents home (when my Mum moved into sheltered accommodation) and then I had to move when I sold my flat but hadn't bought another property.

Although difficult you need to ask yourself if you are ever going to need/use each item. It's OK to keep a few sentimental items but keep the smaller stuff.

That box of records - you don't play them and therefore probably never will. Take them to a record dealer to see if they are of any value/interest. Some are worthless and dealers won't want them but others are very valuable and in demand!

Charity shops are quite picky these days and don't want any old tatt! British Heart Foundation will take furniture but again they can be picky and they are taking stuff to sell in their shops, not give away.

Stuff you just want gone is ideal for Facebook Marketplace and buy/sell groups. Just a photo and brief description, first come first served! Low prices (or free) will ensure it goes!

You could do a boot sale for some of the smaller/better stuff (or donate to charity).

I whittled stuff down over a period of time - got rid of the 'obvious' stuff first then had to put my things into storage. When I bought the next property I had no need for some things (wardrobes as I had built in at the new place for example).

The more it went on the more ruthless I became! I still have a few boxes in storage and need a 'final' sift to sell what is left that I have no real need of, even though there's things I'd like to keep, but really it will just end up as clutter.

The advice is to start by making 3 groups, must keep, not sure and must go. Keep resorting!

I had a large box full of photos - old holidays etc. Hadn't looked at them in many years but they bring back memories. I allowed myself to keep a couple of photos from each set of photos, the rest were dumped. A large box became one albums worth.

Ultimately it's quite liberating to be free of so much baggage and you can also make space to buy some new things.

thegreenone

Slightly different but when we were having our roof replaced (new tiles/ batons/felt/insulation/boarding out), we needed to empty the loft completely.  We hired a storage unit and went through everything, filling boxes, chucking/charity shop.  When the roof was done, we brought the boxes back a few at a time and went through everything again.  More chucking out.  I won't tell you how much is up there now, but it is a lot more organised than before!!!

babyblade41

Once you have done it you will feel liberated .. trust me I've done it 

theoretica

I suggest talking to charity shops/asking around - there may be one in your area grateful for more stuff than others, and sometimes the managers know - eg the Heart Foundation furniture stores might say no thanks, but know the Salvation Army wants different stuff...  When my parents were downsizing, they explained to the charity furniture shop what was going on and they sent a more knowledgeable person out with the van who could decide what they could take - and they got a good load out of it.

Eldi_Dos

Think of it as Rightsizing and a new phase of your life and as other posters have said it can feel liberating.

Be quite ruthless when clearing things, we still have boxes of items unopened in bottom of cupboards nine years after moving.

Start early on any old paperwork and correspondence, it can be quite time consuming as you end up on trips down memory lane.

Good luck.

Norman_Castle

GDB2222 said:

The children are aghast that we will throw away the stuff that they left here years ago, yet getting them to come and take what they actually want is proving difficult. We parents are also finding it difficult to part with perfectly good stuff that we no longer need. It’s all quite emotional at the moment.

Tell your children to take the lot and store it in their home. Send a photo of their favorite teddy in the bin. Its easy to keep stuff when its not in your way and easier to leave it where it is. Most of my toys were in my dads house when I cleared it. Quite a few came back here but have been reduced and are slowly heading for ebay. The Scalextric set I remember getting one Christmas, still boxed and usable was great to see and set up again but I knew I would just store it and look at it briefly every 10 years. I took lots of photos which are a good reminder and much easier to store.

Disposing of good stuff you no longer need is easier if you find a good home for it. Ask friends and family, offer it to charities and freecycle. I've always got stuff that needs to go. One measure is if I moved home would I be happy to pay to transport it then find somewhere to put it. If the answer is no then why am I keeping it?

What are the vinyl albums? Possibly not a big market for Val Donican/ Herb Albert but others are likely to be appreciated. (Any Zeppelin? I'll pay the postage) Whatever they are definitely try the charity shops before the tip.

silvercar

There are professional declutterers who can help you through the process, they should also be able to identify anything of value. Consider taking photos of rooms and pictures of kiddy items that you then throw away.

A friend's parents went through this and hired storage space. 4 years on they still have the storage space as they can't bare to get rid of stuff and now it doesn't clutter up their home!