Downsizing Help: How to Edit Your Belongings:
My mother was the most wonderful lady: gracious, giving and loving. But she was a child of the Great Depression, so she never threw anything away. “I might need them someday,” she would explain when I suggested that a 30-year accumulation of rubber bands might be excessive. My reaction to this was to throw away everything — whether I needed it or not (much to my husband’s chagrin). The upside of this admittedly knee-jerk response was that when it came time for us to downsize, the editing part was fairly easy. But it is most assuredly not easy for most people. Whether you are moving from 6,000 square feet to 2,500, or from 2,500 to 900, the requisite divesting can stop one’s desire to downsize in its tracks. So let’s talk about some ways to give direction to that necessary purge and make it more comfortable. Cozy Little House Mementos and collections. People who want to downsize often start with a room that looks something like this — packed with mementos, fa