Tips to Downsize Into a Retirement Living Apartment With Your Spouse

Downsizing your home can seem overwhelming. Especially when going through the process with your spouse. Downsizing to an independent living apartment allows you and your spouse to enjoy fewer daily chores and household maintenance while spending more time doing what you love. 

It also means sorting through decades of belongings and deciding what to do with everything. You’ll want to organize all your keepsakes and furnish a new space that suits both of your needs. If done correctly, downsizing your home can be a breeze. With proper planning, you can feel calm and collected while staying organized and making smart decisions.

How Do You Downsize Into a Retirement Apartment With a Spouse?

Successful downsizing with your partner begins with planning together well in advance of the move. Start measuring your new floor plan together months before the move, and shop for multi-purpose furniture. Declutter your home by getting rid of doubles and applying the one-year rule to things you haven’t touched. Consider passing on those treasured family mementos as gifts and digitizing old photos to make more room.

Start Early and Plan Together

Give yourselves ample time. Sorting through and parting with decades of collected belongings can’t be rushed or done all in one marathon weekend, especially if you’re trying to decide on items as a couple. Begin going through things months in advance of your moving date. 

You and your spouse can spend an hour or two each week sorting through your belongings. Breaking up the work allows you to maintain progress while sitting down together to map out and pack. It also prevents you both from feeling overwhelmed and throwing old pictures into boxes because you can’t part with them “just yet.”

​Measure the New Floor Plan

You wouldn’t want to get that antique couch all packed if you don’t even know if it’ll fit. Before you start packing, obtain a tape measure and write down the exact dimensions of your new retirement floor plan. 

Grab a seat with your spouse and map out where everything you’re taking will actually go in your new place. Having a clear picture of your new home will prevent disagreements later on about what will fit and what won’t. If that king-size couch is taking up an entire hallway, you’ll know it when you draw it out.

​Implement the “One-Year” Rule

It’s amazing how easy it can be to keep stuff “just-in-case.” But you don’t have room for “just-in-case” anymore. One way you and your partner can quickly make decisions about clutter is to implement the brutal one-year rule. 

Ask yourselves about each item: Have you or your spouse used, worn, or looked at this within the last year? If not, it’s time to say goodbye. Donate those extra sweaters and coats, sell that lawn mower and rusty tractor, and clear out Christmas decorations you no longer display.

​Declutter by Category, Not Room 

Cleaning out an entire garage or cluttered attic can seem overwhelming, even to two people working together. Break the tidy-up into smaller chunks by decluttering by category instead. Make a rule that today, you will only touch books, or only kitchen items, or only linen closets. 

When you pull every.single.spoon from every nook and cranny in your house, you’ll gain perspective. You and your spouse will quickly see how many duplicates you own and be able to make fast decisions together.

Digitize Paperwork and Photos

File cabinets and old photo albums aren’t just bulky. They also eat up valuable real estate that you’ll want to have available in your retirement living community. Set aside an afternoon to scan old family photos, tax papers, and love letters with your partner. 

You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can store everything on an external hard drive or online in a cloud storage service. This project lets you keep your memories intact, easily accessible, and shareable with your children without losing any space.

Resolve Sentimental Items Gently

Memories are hard to part with, but you don’t want to bring every belonging with you to your senior living apartment. Start by passing on family heirlooms to your children, grandchildren, or friends. There is nothing quite like seeing someone you love using your fancy dishes or displaying that painting you loved. 

If you can’t bear to part with something but can’t bring it with you, take a photo. Create a digital photo album to keep that piece of your history alive and easily accessible.

​Focus on Dual-Purpose Furniture

Make sure your furniture has multiple uses. Your new home in the independent senior living community will be smaller than you’re used to, so make sure each piece of furniture justifies its space. Go through your furniture with your partner and prioritize versatile items like an ottoman with hidden storage for blankets, a bed frame with drawers underneath, or a drop leaf table that only extends when you have guests over. 

Invest in furniture with hidden storage so you and your partner can keep your new place organized and entirely clutter-free.

​Eliminate Duplicate Belongings

You two have likely been sharing a home for quite some time. Chances are you own multiple of pretty much everything. Sort down to what you truly need. You need one or two great sets of sheets, a couple nice towels, and your favorite kitchen utensils. 

Help each other go through your kitchen cabinets and get rid of excess baking trays, extra can openers, and those lonely sets of towels you’ve stored for years. If you only keep the things you truly love, it’ll be easier to keep your new senior living home organized, and you won’t have to clutter your daily life with unnecessary extras.

Create a “Maybe” Plan 

You and your partner are going to disagree on some things. To keep the peace, decide ahead of time that if you come across something that you can’t agree on, you’ll throw it in the “maybe” box. Don’t fight over it. 

Set the box aside and come back to it in a week. When you both look at the item later, you’ll probably both feel less attached to it and will be able to agree happily.

Ready to Find the Perfect Space for You and Your Spouse? Visit Asher Point Independent Living Amarillo Today

Moving into retirement living with your spouse is an exciting chance to downsize and live simply. You’ll no longer have to worry about cleaning and maintaining a big house. You and your spouse will have more time and energy to enjoy an active, carefree lifestyle surrounded by a friendly community you’ll call family.

If you are looking for retirement communities in Amarillo, TX, consider Asher Point Independent Living of Amarillo. Our senior living homes are built to simplify retirement living for you and your spouse. We’ll help you move into your new maintenance-free apartment. Schedule a tour with us today and take the first step towards simplifying your life.