patski

there are "estate" sale specialists in all areas, when we downsized we had "the Girls" a local group, they came & cleaned up crystal and china, set everything up and because they have a following they had people in at 6 am, we ended up with over $10,000. and I can truthfully say I don't miss anything we sold!

bearisgray

The time is approaching when we will have to do this, too.

The problem is - our kids pretty much have everything they need now - so they are unwilling to take very much of our stuff -

mighty

I hope I do not have to do this. Our place is small enough. I am one of those people that gets rid of things. If I do not use it and it serves no purpose for us then out it goes.

kuntryquilter

We downsized almost 16 years ago and I still regret doing it. At the time I didn't quilt just a lot of sewing and only bought fabric when I wanted to make a new dress or suit. Now I have a huge stash of fabric, 3 machines, a serger & a professional hemming machine. A sitdown quilting machine and a long arm quilting machine. Did I mention I live in a 2 bedroom house. We did make me a sewing room in the garage. Have the long arm quilter in our bedroom and the sit down in the guest room. We are talking about adding a 15x25 foot room to the back of our house to accomadate all of my toys.
If I had it to do over I would still be living in the 2400 sq ft house instead of the 1200 ft house.

DebbieG

I moved 3 years ago from a 100 yr old farm house we had been living in for 23 years...it was 3 floors..with the basement full of what I couldn't bear to get rid of after my parents passed away!!! We had 3 months (with both of us working full time) to pack up and get ready to move 800 miles. We loaded up all that we couldn't bear to part with in to a POD and then had an auction...we lived in a 5th wheel for 3 months until we found our new home. It is all one floor, 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a detached guest house. Other than my sewing room I have tried hard not to accumulate too much STUFF (as my husband calls it). I love this house but I miss my old farm house!

ptquilts

We moved from a 4-6 BR house with basement, down to a 750 s.f. house with basement (2 sm. BRs) - take my advice, get rid of stuff BEFORE you move!! We didn't, the basement was full for months.

If I move again, very little of my furniture will go with me. It is old and I have no sentimental attachment to it.

Best of luck in your move and your new home.

stitchinwitch

Funny you should ask - I am in the long process of getting ready. With a huge home, I guess (didn't realize it before) and my husband passing, I feel like I could live on a minimum. Looking for another home is terrible. There are several features I want - but they are either in a bad neighborhood, or they are not fit to live in - in a good neighborhood - OR they are too $$$. Someimes Im looking online for HOURS - they look so cute and then I see them for real and FORGET IT! Living out in the boonies, it is difficult to sell things - but I will keep trying..and then, when it is pretty much cleared out, and the house sells, only then will I buy a place - whether it be in THIS state or another. You might say that I might be "homeless" for a while. With winter coming up who knows! and word has it that it is going to be long and hard this year...remember when July and August were the hottest months?? We had that weather a few months back! Have fun!

lclang

We all collect a lot of things we do not use. Go over your sewing area and really think about what you use and what you don't. We moved to a much smaller home for the same reason and I gave boxes of quilting books and notions to my daughters, friends, and took some to Quilt Guild for freebies just to make sure they got to someone who would hopefully enjoy them. Odd fabrics went to the thrift shop. Yarn to a friend who crochets all the time. You won't feel so bad about getting rid of stuff if you know someone else will use it. Be tough! No place for being sentimental. If you make a mistake you can always buy more. I even gave away three sewing machines!

coopah

We downsized three years ago and moved 3200 miles to new digs. We tried a couple of yard sales and those didn't really pay us for our investment of time and effort. So we had our son take the things he wanted (and some he probably didn't, but had been family things). After that, we decided what we wanted to keep and gave the rest to Salvation Army. After we got here, we realized even more things should have been left as they really didn't "fit" the new place. Take pictures to remember, but purge as much as possible. Good luck. It is painful!

Stitchit123

The hard part is over-The decision to down-size is made. I moved from a 3 floor 3 bed -large living room-lg kitchen and lg dining room. So I sort of stepped outside of myself and looked at all the stuff I had. My system was --It's to heavy-bulky pain in the but to move --It's a pain in the but to clean--That piece is nothing but a junk collector -- I have not seen-worn-or used it since who knows when.. These things were sold or donated or I gave them to people I knew needed and would appreciate them. These acts gave me a bunch of good feelings. I helped people in need and the weight of off my shoulders was pretty good too. And since moving I have down-sized once again. My son and DIL and my 3 beautiful GDs moved out here and I was able to give them a living room and dining room in full.Things I no longer used. Now on my next move I'll only need one trip in a pick-up to move furniture stuff because every thing else will fit in my car and I won't need help to load or unload.I'm so happy to be rid of all the excess bulk in my home and my life.