Downsizing in order to live in the Villages
 

Anybody have some downsizing tips they would like to pass along? We are wondering that when we move to the Villages, there won't be much space for "stuff". Where do you put your things that need to be stored such as Christmas decorations? It appears that there has to be some serious downsizing to move into the Villages.

We majorly downsized five years ago before we moved down here. Sold most of our furniture, almost all of our winter clothes, and went through our Christmas decorations and chose just those that held special meaning for us.

After we moved here, we discovered “stuff” that we didn’t need, so we downsized even more. Even some of the furniture we kept, didn’t look right in our new home, so sold it. The few winter clothes we kept were either too hot, even in the “winter” months here, so I kept a few sweaters, two pairs of long pants, and that gets me through the cold weather.

IMO, don’t plan on storing stuff down here off site. Usually not worth it.

sell everything you have and buy new. just bring old photos,some small tools,maybe a lawnmower.

certainly get rid of what you really don't need

all the houses in our Village have a huge storage area above the garage....that's were we have stored our Christmas decorations for the past few years without issue

we gave away most of the yard tools and have folks take care of the outside for us

We have an oversize 2 car garage and golf cart garage...we've purchased a lot of shelving racks and installed them in the garage...that's really helped

all that said....there are lots of self storage places in the surrounding areas

Moved here in Feb and tossed lots of stuff and gave a bunch to neighbors.

Like everyone else we took to much going from 3200 sq ft to 2000.

We do have golf cart garage and no golf cart so we have some shelving units and filing cabinets and keeping stuff there until we figure out the rest of it

we gave a lot of stuff to charities especially the Humane Society Thrift Store in Ocala.

Bring smallest car, jewelry, summer clothes, sunshield, umbrellas, sneakers, screwdriver, pliers, hammer, half your dishes, smart phone, laptop, toothbrush, medicine, favorite pets and compatible mate. Golf clubs if inclined.

In other words minimalize.

Try prioritizing your items
 

You may want tor try prioritizing your must have items. You can use some sticky-notes and tag those items that are “must haves”

Then decide on everything else.

You’ll be amazed on what is really important, nice to have, or just stuff.
Good luck
-c

Sell or donate everything. Don’t bring your furniture. It is refreshing to be rid of all the junk (stuff)

My advice: Go room by room in your current house. You will find that some rooms you can get rid of everything. Don’t move furniture unless it’s an absolute must have. If you haven’t used something in a year, you probably don’t need it.

We sold our house and packed everything in the garage. The deal fell through at the last moment and after we had sold some furniture. It took 2 1/2 years to get another decent offer. We left the stuff in the garage and the house looked barebones. At the two year mark, we realized we didn’t miss ANYTHING in the garage. It was quite liberating. We went through it again and took only a very small portion of what we “thought” we needed. The move was much easier. If you want to know how much you need versus want, go out in an RV for a few weeks.

Downsizing
 

After talking with many villagers who suggested selling all . and finding out it was going to cost $12,000 to move me , I sold almost everything. Facebook marketplace and a neighborhood web site Did the trick. I’m heading down with a small one way trailer. I would also suggest an oversized garage. Or an extra bedroom/ office.

When we moved we sold EVERYTHING. From furniture to spoons forks and towels. We started all over. Best thing we ever did. We only bought what we needed.

If you haven’t used it or worn it in the last 3 years donate it. That’s how I did my downsizing. Just a thought. If you still need storage there are several in the area.

I agree with most all who responded. Sell all furniture; it’s expensive to pack and move it anyway. Start new; it’s liberating. Keep photos, favorite summer clothes, a few winter clothes (if you ski), and a favorite jacket or two. Donate almost everything else to charity. You can even buy new dishes, pots/pans, silverware, etc. at Costco when you get here. It’ll be sparkling new and not that expensive. Most homes in TV have attics with some flooring. Have extra flooring installed in attic, pay for pull down stairs to attic and some sturdy plastic shelving in the attic. It’s amazing what we accumulate over the years that we really don’t need. Shed it - you’ll be glad.