14. Downsizing to a Smaller Home: What to Keep in Every Room

Downsizing to 1200 Sq Ft – A Room-by-Room Guide

Are you trying to fit your life into a smaller space—but not sure where to begin?

In this episode, Jodi and Heather break down the process of downsizing to a 1200 square foot home, one room at a time. From kitchen cabinets to closet space, they’ll walk you through the essentials you actually need—and what you can confidently let go of.

We’ll talk about how to:

• Determine what truly serves your lifestyle
• Create a functional and beautiful living space without the clutter
• Use space-saving solutions and furniture to maximize comfort
• Deal with sentimental items and hobbies that take up space
• And build a capsule wardrobe that works in any sized closet

Whether you’re moving, simplifying, or helping someone else transition, this episode offers practical tips and permission to let go of “stuff” and focus on what matters most.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to leave us a review and Follow our show so you never miss a new episode. We’re here for your downsizing questions — on the podcast, in your community, and when you’re ready to move. As Realtors®, we can connect you with the right specialists to make your next chapter smoother. We’d love to hear from you!

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Let’s simplify, declutter, and create space for your next chapter—together!

Transcript

Jodi Rosko 0:01

Welcome back to another episode of the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast with your hosts Jodi Roscoe and Heather Fisher. We're talking about all things downsizing, from our own experiences with clients to guest experts. Let's make downsizing easier, one conversation at a time. Welcome to Downsizing Roadmap. I'm Jodi Roscoe. I'm Heather Fisher. And we are going to talk about downsizing to a smaller property today. So whether that's a 3,000 square foot house to a 1,200 square foot house, we're just mostly going to talk about room by room how to downsize things to a to a smaller Yeah, appropriately to a smaller house.

Heather Fisher 0:39

You can't take everything. And we talk a lot on other episodes about the heirlooms and the memory items. Today we're talking like your household. Yeah. Like literally. The things, your day-to-day things, not the hard stuff, not um you know the harder decisions to make, but but literally you don't need as many things. Right. 27 tablecloths to manage a smaller house and what you'll use that smaller living space for.

Jodi Rosko 1:09

So I think what we have seen is that people really underestimate um w what how much the smaller space will hold. And they don't overestimate, maybe? Yeah, whatever. Whichever way to say that, but they don't get rid of it. They bring too many things. And they think, oh yes, well we can uh you know, that'll all just fit right into that smaller space and it doesn't. And um they live you know, we've definitely seen people who are living among boxes and kind of have little paths that they can go through, and that is really just not the goal when you're downsizing to create yourself a such a crowded space that you can't even feel comfortable in your home and feel comfortable living there.

Heather Fisher 1:53

So downsizing can create so much freedom in your life by the time and energy and and maybe financial pieces that uh you know change when you move. But if you just bring everything with you to a smaller place, you're just compounding problems and hurdles. Um so don't do that. Let's talk about some things you can give up and don't need and and might think that you do, but you really don't.

Jodi Rosko 2:20

Yeah, when we when when we have people who are moving, when we've you know helped them sell their property and they get boxes and then they get more boxes and then they get more boxes because things just seem to come out of everywhere, out of the clubboards and out of the garage and the attic and all the things, and it just it ends up being way more things than you than you even think you have. So number one, I would say start early on this process. I know that's what we're always preaching, but you know, just get started on it. You can wait, you don't have to move right away, but you know, have that in mind when we we're we're gonna talk about this room-by-room kind of guide, but have in mind how much you think you can take to the next place as you're doing that. But just kind of start early and get it done. Um but like for example, um we're gonna talk about how to determine what to keep and what to let go. Um, we're gonna suggest numbers of things for your rooms and um space safety space huh, space saving tips for a smaller home. That was a lot of S there. Yes. Um, and then um we have a checklist uh uh of what we can go through. So let's start with the kitchen. We have a lot of things in our kitchen, a lot of people have a lot of things in our kitchen.

Heather Fisher 3:31

Yes. And I think for all of us, if we were honest on when was the last time we used any number of things, it's a long time ago. I mean, yeah. There's a lot of gadgets, trays, bowls, pans for different things and wine glasses. Yes. I mean, I think I have like a cheesecake for, you know, the pan, the spring-loaded pan for a cheesecake that I have made one cheesecake in my life, probably 25 years ago. I'm doubtful I will ever make another one, but I've carried that cheesecake pan kitchen to kitchen, like, oh, I have one. And it would probably cost me five dollars on Amazon if I needed another one. Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 4:20

Yeah. So Or you could probably borrow borrow one maybe from somebody for the amount of times that you make cheesecake. Because it's not like that's a daily thing that you do.

Heather Fisher 4:29

Right. So I think there's a lot for any of us that if we were honest about how much we use things, we could all reduce. But certainly if you're going to a smaller space, it will make your life better if you reduce and just have space for the things you are going to use.

Jodi Rosko 4:48

Yeah. Yeah. I think that things that multi that multiply for me in my kitchen are the like whisks and spoons and like all of the that drawer that care it just seems to get we buy new ones and we don't let go of the old ones, and I don't listen to myself and all my advice sometimes. I will clean it out every once in a while and be like, why is all this stuff in here? But I think some of that stuff really for me.

Heather Fisher 5:14

Yeah, we got the some drawer dividers that go front to back a a couple years ago, and so instead of one giant drawer where everything's all tangled, you know, it's got the sections. That was a game changer, actually. Okay. Because you had to kind of think compartment-wise and I don't know. Oh, it's one thing, you know. I don't advocate for a lot of organizing things, but that definitely helped my drawers.

Jodi Rosko 5:40

Well, I think organizing things are okay if unless it's like buying more bins to put your stuff in bins in the basement or the attic or whatever because you're hiding it and you're not looking at it. But I think like inside drawers and things that really do help keep you organized and honest, because like you know if the whisks go in one place and all of a sudden you have, you know, somebody gave you something or you got, you know, whatever, now you have four of them, then you know, like, hey, I don't need all those.

Heather Fisher 6:08

Yes, and it's always the whisks that are tangled with everything else.

Jodi Rosko 6:12

Always big. Bulby. Yeah. So okay, so consider what you actually use day-to-day. I mean, if you are a cookie baker, then you definitely need your cookie sheets in your, you know, mixing bowl. But if that's not something that you do very often, something to think about. So and when you're going, what what what we're doing this room-by-room checklist is on for two people. You know, so two people are gonna live in a property that's not huge. And so what could what would they need to take for those?

Heather Fisher 6:43

I think, Jodi, a lot of times in this move, um, whether it's to a condo or or where it is, when you're taking this step-down move, a lot of times part of that is um holidays and things shifting to um someone else's house because of the space and the those considerations. So um, you know, there's a little bit of emotion around, you know, that you're not gonna be the host for those. But if that's the case, you know, either pass some of that to that next host so the family traditions can can carry on, but also be realistic on whether you're going to be having people in the numbers that you may have had for different occasions before and not needing to keep hosting all the paraphernalia that comes around hosting, I think fills a lot of our cupboards.

Jodi Rosko 7:41

Yeah, I agree. Guests and all of that coming over and whatever. And to be honest, y'all aren't gonna have your big dining room table in the new house either. So um, so yeah, somebody else may be hosting, or you may just be doing it in a little bit different way.

Heather Fisher 7:54

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 7:55

Um, so uh so essentials for a two-person household in the kitchen, um, multi-purpose tools, number one, are a great way to save space. So single taskers are not so great, right? So is some do you have something that can do all the things? I have a little oven that's also an air fryer, and it kind of, you know, multi-purposes is all and it's a toaster. It's like a toaster oven, it can do all the things.

Heather Fisher 8:19

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 8:19

And so instead of having the air fryer and the toaster and you know, lined up on the counter. Yeah, so think about if you can find things that are multi-purpose. So plates and bowls, we're talking about um four to six per person. Um four to six pe people's worth of plates, right? So four to six plate servings. Oh my goodness. Not per person, like not each person needs four plates, right? Yeah. We're talking about four to six total plates. For two people. Four to six plates. Goodness. Um and then uh same with drinking glasses, four to six total. Um, six service for six in your silverware. Again, we're not having the whole family over with all the people. And if we are, maybe we switch to you know, paper plates and and you know that. Maybe we make some new traditions, or all the Christmas dishes go to somebody else if they want them and they have that. Or I just took my mom's salad plates of the Christmas dishes, so maybe you kind of change that a little bit and somebody else has it the dinner, but you don't keep all the that entire serving set. So the different ways that you can do that. But pots and pans, one small, one medium, one large, one frying pan. So really simplify, just you're really simplifying some of the things.

Heather Fisher 9:38

Yeah, in your day-to-day use, you're not uh well, I'm not using all four burners and I think we use the same one burner all the time.

Jodi Rosko 9:47

Like it's my favorite burner.

Heather Fisher 9:48

Yeah, like two burners maybe at a time, you know, cooking a meal. So I don't think any of us need huge sets of pots and pans, but um just one for each use.

Jodi Rosko 10:01

Mm-hmm. And then the cooking utensils kind of one of everything. Um so not four or five whisks, one whisk, one slotted spoon, you know, all of the things as they go along. But and also I think those are the kind of things that like we already talked about, multiply in that drawer that are single use things. And so can you do you really need like an avocado slicer or could you use a knife for that? You know, things like that.

Heather Fisher 10:28

Yeah. I mean, you know, the larger size for a lot of these things. Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 10:39

Mixing bowls, um, just a set, like a two or three, like the nesting bowls, you know, measuring cups, measuring spoons, cutting board colanders. So just kind of think really pared down because I have all of these things, but I have more than one of these things. And you probably do too. And so which are your favorites ones of each of these things and and let let the rest of it go?

Heather Fisher 11:00

Yeah, for sure. I mean, I as I've said before, combined houses and um, you know, some of my stuff is in storage as we get ready to move again. And I don't need I mean we've been using what's in our current home, and I just need to take those duplicate kitchen things straight to donation. Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 11:23

As soon as I get in there and put them in a box and they're go to Lauren's house.

Heather Fisher 11:26

Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, apartment next year for both the girls. So they will be well furnished. We'll just weed out all of our things. Your duplicates, my my storage unit. We got them covered.

Jodi Rosko 11:42

Yep. Yep. And then, you know, in some obviously, if you're going to a smaller house, um the kitchen's not going to have as many cabinets or as much storage space. So a couple things that I think are really useful. Um we had a pot rack that hung from the ceiling at our last house. Uh, so the pots didn't have to go in the um in the oven or I mean in uh in the oven drawer. That's another place you could put it, but or in any of the cabinets, we had a pot rack where they hung, um, which was useful. And um I just bought on Amazon they had these uh metal, these spice racks that actually like are magnetic and they go against the side of the refrigerator. And so you can put your spices and they just line up and they're black and my fridge is black and they just kind of line up there, and then your spices can go on the side of the refrigerator. So you can find some good storage.

Heather Fisher 12:35

Yeah. I think too, um, to some degree, thinking uh vertically on storage where you're not you're gonna have less floor space if it's a smaller place. So where can you go onto the walls for storage where you can still reach it? It's not, you know, don't need a stepladder, things like that, but where can you go up or use a wall surface or the side of your refrigerator, like you said? There are a lot of um ways you can store things without another piece of furniture, another cabinet, another shelving unit, you know, being just things to bump into. I mean, I've seen the magnetic strips where you can have your knives, you know, kind of on the backsplash where uh they're holding utensils, or I mean, there's just a lot of ways to store those where you're not adding big bulky items. Yeah. And no bins.

Jodi Rosko 13:36

Yeah, I was thinking too, like, if you really felt like you couldn't get rid of something, um, you could put like a little piece of blue painters tape on it or something and put the date on it, and then if you haven't used that in a year, um it could probably go.

Heather Fisher 13:48

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 13:49

So uh just kind of little tricks on what to how to help yourself realize that you we only use 20% of the stuff in our house most of the time. Yeah, I know. Absolutely. 80% of the stuff is not being used. That's crazy. But um so okay, moving on to the living room. Um so that doesn't mean that you have to, you know, you're gonna get a smaller space. It can still all be, you know, functional and beautiful. You may realize though that the furniture that you have is a different size, and this is for every room, honestly, is a bigger scale. The furniture has a bigger scale. So the couch, which fits perfectly in your big family room, may feel really huge in your smaller space. So you may have to look at going to a love seat or downsizing that furniture as well as the house a little bit.

Heather Fisher 14:39

Yeah, and and that's okay. I think there's some um great options for making those multi-use too. Um, you know, the coffee table could have some storage in it, or you know, they have the coffee table where the tabletop kind of comes up and and can be a surface for you if you're sitt seated on the couch or an ottoman that you're storing the blankets or games or whatever. Yeah, whatever you want to store in that, but then it's still an ottoman for extra seating when people are over. Um, so always be thinking outside of the box on how you can um have furniture that can work in multiple ways for you.

Jodi Rosko 15:22

Yeah, yeah. I like the storage ottoman or the storage coffee table or yeah, you know, even the end tables could have some storage in them.

Heather Fisher 15:30

So um I think too, just a suggestion, anytime your storage, um, especially when you're in that smaller space, when you go back to um that study we talked about in one of our other episodes with the visual clutter and being overwhelming to be stimulated all the time, I would say when you can, when you're making those choices, if it can be behind a closed door or a closed ottoman or a closed, you know, versus open shelving that is full of items, um, you know, when you can make those choices to have that storage, um, if rooms are functioning in in those ways to hold extra things. If you can make the outside aesthetic peaceful and not um feeling so multi-use, I think that that helps our brains.

Jodi Rosko 16:24

Yeah, so I was thinking about that same because uh exactly what you were thinking, but when it comes to all the knickknacks and like or or or collections or any kind of things that are sitting around, you aren't gonna have as much space to put those. Yeah. So maybe if those also have to be pared down.

Heather Fisher 16:46

Display your favorites so that you see those, but then uh don't have so much on shelves everywhere and all of that where your space just doesn't feel peaceful, it feels crowded.

Jodi Rosko 16:58

Yeah.

Heather Fisher 16:59

Um if that can be behind um doors or or inside things, that can just feel better at the end of the day when you're sitting around.

Jodi Rosko 17:09

So if you have collections of things, maybe pick your top three favorite things and you know put those out. Um or or if you have tons of books, um pick the ones that you would actually reread again. I think we keep a lot of books sometimes that we aren't gonna read again. We read them once and one one and done.

Heather Fisher 17:30

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 17:30

Um so keep the ones I always say, if you if you think you might read that book again, if you loved it that much that you want to read it again, then keep it. Otherwise, yeah.

Heather Fisher 17:40

And I think again, going up off the surfaces and onto the walls when you can to display those treasured items um and keep room on the surfaces so that you can, you know, use those day to day for whatever um you need to. If you don't have the giant dining room table that becomes a collection spot and you just have one small dinette table dinette table that is gonna be where you eat and pay bills and do a puzzle or whatever, the more stuff that it's not the the holder for, the more space and freedom you'll have to switch activities.

Jodi Rosko 18:20

Yeah. Yeah. Yep. So so basically in the in the living room we're talking some kind of a love seat or a couch, smaller couch with a couple of chairs, a coffee table, uh, maybe a few side tables, you're gonna need a couple lamps and then a media console or whatever you're gonna do with your TV. If you could just hang the TV on the wall, you might put a little console underneath, maybe little shelves that just hold those few collectibles that you want to keep. So pretty minimal on the living room.

Heather Fisher 18:50

Yeah, absolutely.

Jodi Rosko 18:52

Bedroom.

Heather Fisher 18:53

Yeah, so um again, you want to make sure that you're not making it difficult to maneuver around. So depending on the size of the bedroom, you really want to evaluate if the bed you're bringing from your current house is the right size. You know, if you have a king, it might be time to go to a queen, or um, you know, if it's just you, maybe you want to go to a full, or just make sure that there's plenty of room to maneuver around the bed, especially if mobility and or health concerns may be, you know, something to look at in the in the future for getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, um, or needing assistance and someone to be able to help you in that room. You don't want it to be difficult to maneuver around with a giant bed in a room that might be smaller, or dressers, you know, in the way where you're bumping, you know, your hip on them every time, you know, you turn the corner to get up in the middle of the night. So whatever you can do to give yourself just some space in the bedroom, I mean, realistically, we need the bed to sleep on and a table, a nightstand. And then, you know, are there options in the closet where you can have that clothing storage, uh, you know, pair that down so that it all fits in the closet and you don't need um, you know, giant dressers. I think that was such a thing. Um, you know, I know my parents had the full, like the the long dresser with the big mirrors and the tall dresser and the heavy nightstands and the bed and um all of those beautiful furniture sets that all came together, but there comes a a time when that doesn't work s quite so well to have all of that furniture.

Jodi Rosko 20:48

So I've never had a dresser as in my adult life. Like I had a dresser when I was little, um, but when I moved out, I I think I had it I I had it when I lived in California, and when I came back I didn't bring it, and I haven't had a dresser since I've like always had all of my clothes in my closet and I have some shelves in there. I've always made some, you know, shelves or even those rolling plastic things that I did when I was younger, and socks went in there and underwear went in there, and I never I've just never had a dresser.

Heather Fisher 21:21

Yeah, the funny thing is I um gosh, when I was in my early twenties and moving into my first apartment, my uh next door neighbors from you know, my beside my parents' house where I grew up, they were getting new furniture and knew I was starting out on life, and they gave me like their full bedroom set because they were getting new. So I had this, you know, the giant traditional long dresser and the the armoire. And so it had been through their whole, you know, twenty years and um the tall dresser is still still what I I love it. It's you know I Might be time to get a new one, but it's very well made and it's sturdy and you know, th the the long dresser with the mirror went away long ago, but I still have that tall.

Jodi Rosko 22:10

So it's lived a good life through the But the first words you say were you said were I love it and so that's great. Yeah. Like if you love it and it's working for you, then then that's fantastic. You would have to just in if you were moving that to an you know much smaller space, you'd have to just figure out if that works in that room uh with the bed like on on one wall. And most bedrooms have enough for for a dresser.

Heather Fisher 22:32

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 22:33

Um but often we see those many dressers in rooms. When when we go, you know, to properties to list properties and and um it's just very common for, you know, people to have several dressers in their room and the bed and the nightstand and the dog bed and the something at the end of the bed and lots of things and it just starts to really feel small.

Heather Fisher 22:56

Yeah. And it it legitimately can be a a trip hazard as we get older, we're getting up more in the middle of the night, and y you just don't want to be bumping into things and and needing assistance you know, in the at the crack of dawn in the morning or in the middle of the night.

Jodi Rosko 23:14

So linens, oh gosh, the linen closet. You know, often the linen closets is just stuff, stuff full of sheets that you know we haven't used in a while and towels that we haven't used in a while, and we get new ones and we keep the old ones and all of that. So um quality over quantity, get some really good sheets and just have two sets. You have the set that it's on the bed and the set that's waiting, and you rotate them out, and that's really all you need.

Heather Fisher 23:42

Yeah, I've gone through most of my adult life with just actually the one set, and I on the laundry day I strip it all down and I wait for you know it to finish through and then make the bed with those fresh se fresh sheets. But when you do invest in that quality pair, it's nice. Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 24:02

Yeah, and I back out of it. We really honest to be to be honest, we do the same thing. I have another set, but I never use them. We just, like you said, I I have a really good set of sheets and we wash them and put them right back on, and yeah, that's what happens.

Heather Fisher 24:16

Yeah, yeah. So I think that um, gosh, it would be such an interesting experien experiment to just go open people's linen closets house to house because towels. Oh my goodness. So many. So many towels that accumulate, and I think do all of us just buy new towels and never get rid of the other ones? And we think they'll become our cleaning towels. And then I have enough to have enough cleaning towels. Right. You can only use one bucket and right.

Jodi Rosko 24:48

I will say, like Sixa loves that stuff. The the the dogs, they can be tattered and it, you know, whatever, and the dogs there, they use them for all kinds of things. So if you have a whole bunch of towels, that's a really great place to take them. Yeah. And they don't they can be stained, it doesn't matter. So it's not like it has to be in great, you know, yeah, comforters, blankets, pillow, all of that stuff. Um, so it doesn't have to be in great shape because um the dogs enjoy them no matter what. And so um, yeah, we and when we cleaned out mom's house and grandma's house, I mean it was like tatters of towels like that were clearly from like the 70s.

Heather Fisher 25:28

They and they have new towels too, so it wasn't like that's what they were using, like just like the Jerry Seinfeld video that keep getting demoted, like the brand new towels that you use every day, and then you have the the even better like guest towels that no one uses, and you know, maybe get used once when you have an overnight guest, and then you know, demote it down to oh, those are the kids' towels. Sorry, kids, you're yeah, you're on the lower tier, and then the cleaning towels, and then the garage towels.

Jodi Rosko 25:57

Yes, I know. So, yes, so four bath towels, four hand towels, four washcloths. You're good.

Heather Fisher 26:04

Just you know, that go through them and then throw them in the wash and yeah, and I I think um bedding um and towels, donation uh places and homeless shelters. Um if they are in good quality and they're not tattered, um, that would probably be the first um donation place. And then if they are, like Jody said, a little more worn and tattered, um lots of animal shelters, um sixa here near us, but um in any town, the animal shelters would love that for the the dog cages and and for those dog beds and things.

Jodi Rosko 26:41

So your closet's probably gonna be a little bit smaller too. So um going through the your clothes, you know, following that same one year rule, if you haven't worn it in a year, you're probably not going to. So um again, if you start this stuff early, you can clean out your clothes, put it all back into your closet, put the hangers backwards on the on the rod, and a year later, if you haven't turned, you know, washed that thing and put the hanger back again normal, you don't need it.

Heather Fisher 27:11

Yes. I was finishing all the laundry yesterday and I was like, wow, I have four things to hang up and only four hangers of my matching hammer hangers. So I am at my limit. At your limit. I am exactly one more shirt and you have to get rid of something.

Jodi Rosko 27:25

Exactly. So she's what she's saying is have them have a maximum amount of hangers that you have, and that's it. And if you don't have a hanger to hang something up, that means it's time to let something go.

Heather Fisher 27:36

Yeah, absolutely. I thought of of you yesterday. So let's hang out. This is the last one. Good thing it worked out this way.

Jodi Rosko 27:45

Um bathroom, bathroom. So oh my gosh, that's something else that I think really accumulates is um products that you thought you were gonna use or whatever you used used part of, or makeup, or any of that stuff, and also old medication that you haven't, you know, you took whatever that you needed of it and there was still some left. And there's so much in bathrooms that I think can be let go of really easily, honestly.

Heather Fisher 28:10

Yeah, and uh it's a hard one because you know, you think maybe I'll use it, and you just don't.

Jodi Rosko 28:19

If you haven't, if you've moved on to some new cream shampoo, lotion, you know, whatever, you aren't going back. You didn't use it, you didn't finish it because you didn't like it. Like for whatever reason you felt inclined to buy something new, and so the other one's gotta go.

Heather Fisher 28:37

Yeah. I think too, um, we tend to get some of those products as gifts around the holidays and things. And so really, if you have um that forethought when you get it uh before you've opened it, if you just know you're gonna stick with your own stuff, those are great things to donate again when they're unopened and unused. There's plenty of um women's shelters or homeless shelters that would love to have those products to share. So um, you know, you can think ahead and just not not open them and donate them right away. So you're just not tucking them in the cupboards.

Jodi Rosko 29:16

Yeah. Yeah, I think that yes, that's what cupboards are for, right?

Heather Fisher 29:20

Tucking and to hide the things that we aren't really using.

Jodi Rosko 29:24

So um, yeah. So I think that that, you know, keep only your essential, like the whatever you're using now, whatever products you're using now. Makeup has a shelf life, you know, lotions and all that stuff have a shelf life. So if you've had it for a while, it's time to just let that go. You can buy a new fresh one if you really decide, oh my gosh, I really want to go back to that.

Heather Fisher 29:45

I think um this is another spot where some good organization, once you have cleaned it out, not to organize too much, but once you've cleaned things down, some good organization, um, you know, small bins in a linen closet to keep like things together or um drawer organizers in the bathroom to um give you know your makeup or your products a place to live so you know where it is, so you're not buying things you already have. Um I think that um you know condense all of your your Tylenol, your day-to-day medications in one spot so you know if you're out and you don't end up with four bottles around the house of the Advil or whatever it is.

Jodi Rosko 30:32

Well, and I think that's on a that's a great tip too for the new house because you're gonna have less storage in the bathroom probably. Um same thing, you can use things on the wall, shelving, you know, and whatever. But you could have a little bit of the stuff that you use every day and you just pull that out, put it, you know, use it and put it in the city. But under the cabinet, yeah. Mm-hmm. And so you just keep it all together. But yeah, you're gonna have a little bit less less space there. So maybe wall-mounted shelves, maybe an over-the-door hanger. So this is this is where we think organizational um items to help you organize are good, but also you have to limit it first.

Heather Fisher 31:11

Yeah, start with paring it down before you organize it, and then you will know exactly what you need.

Jodi Rosko 31:18

Um keep limited backups of stuff. This is hard for me in the toilet paper department. I'm on one of those that feels like I have to have a lot of toilet paper all the time. But yes.

Heather Fisher 31:29

Don't let my husband listen to this episode. I need lots of backup on the paper products. But um I think if you again, if you um you know, have what you need and and have what that comfort level is for the space that you have. Yeah. If you have the the space to man, you know, the spot to manage what feels like a comfortable level to you, that's okay. Um just don't have it spreading out and um you know, causing disruption other places because you're storing too much.

Jodi Rosko 32:05

Yeah, you can't fit anything onto the thing except your extra toilet paper. So now your bathroom items just live all over the counter all the time or something.

Heather Fisher 32:13

Yeah, so find that spot and you know keep that stocked up with a manageable amount.

Jodi Rosko 32:19

Okay, moving on to your home office and other spaces. So um, you know, maybe you still need a desk um and you have a small office area, maybe that's a hobby room. Um maybe that's a reading room, you know, maybe y you know, you kind of have some kind of a flex room um in that space. So a tiny, you know, a compact desk would be good. I get this this room is harder to say exactly what to bring because it just depends on what your hobbies are or what it is that you are doing. You know, I have um a client who's gonna have a Lego room. They love doing Legos and that's what they're gonna have. That's amazing. I love that. Yep. So um, so who whatever that room is, then you need to take, you know, what if that's a desk, if that's another little love seat because you wanna sit in, you know.

Heather Fisher 33:09

I think the key is when you're being smart about um decluttering all of these things, it leaves that space for what you want to do, whether that's Legos like your client or puzzles or whatever your hobby is, when you've you know listened to our episode on paper clutter and you've reduced that down to just one box and you've you know streamlined your photos and you've made all those decisions, then when you find this beautiful place that has that second bedroom or flex room or study, yeah, the world, you know, it's open to so many fun things that match your interests and not a storage room. Right. And so that's totally the key is think back to our step one for everything, be dreamy about that room. Right. What would make this an amazing room that I want to spend my afternoon in or come home to? Yeah. What is that? And how can you make the room function that way versus oh we have a second bedroom, look, it's like a storage unit. Yeah, it's got how many boxes we can stack to the ceiling. Yeah. You know, don't do that. Be dreamy about what that space could be, and then manage the other things to leave that space for it.

Jodi Rosko 34:24

For sure. So, and then you gotta downsize the storage and the garage and the attic and all the stuff that you've put off making decisions on until now, and now it really genuinely isn't gonna fit. Do not go get a storage unit to put it in there because you can't decide on what to do with it. So you definitely want to now take that time, figure out if those are things that you're gonna use. It's not doing anybody any good in a bin or a box in the dark basement or attic. So somebody can use that item somewhere in this world um if you aren't using it. And if you have forgotten that you absolutely love it, then get it out and be in that small group of things that you want to display.

Heather Fisher 35:13

Find a place of honor for it and use it. Yeah. Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 35:17

Um in the garage too, a lot of times we'll have a lot of um tools which you may not need. You know, maybe it's a condo and you aren't gonna have to do any yard work. Woohoo! And so, you know, all of the yard tools can, you know, go limit your holiday decorations. You're gonna have less spaces to put your holiday decorations up. So just picking your favorite ones. If you used to put up three Christmas trees, you're probably just gonna put up one Christmas tree.

Heather Fisher 35:45

So Yeah. It's really an opportunity too to um make things a little bit the same and a little bit different. So you don't have to recreate the exact way you know, your decor, uh, your you know, furniture, your decorations. It doesn't need to just be replicated in the same way. What fun to be able to redecorate with pieces of your own things and maybe some new pieces and make it a totally, you know, new space that feels like you and has some of that uh nostalgia, but also is just a new house. And that's exciting. Yeah. You don't want to forget that piece of it.

Jodi Rosko 36:31

Yeah, that it's a fun place that you want to come home to, not just you know, you've tried to cram all your stuff into it because you needed to go smaller. So that makes it feel like versus you know, giving it that uh grace to giving yourself the grace to let some of that stuff go so that you can create a new space that really feels amazing to you.

Heather Fisher 36:52

Yeah. And it if you have the resources, um there's some amazing people, um, you know, designers or boutique owners and things that can help you mix your pieces with some new ones to make it really fabulous. So if you've got that um a little bit of budget to have someone help you, that can be a fun process to be like, here are the things that I want to bring that I love so much. Um, and they might have some creative ways to um turn those furniture pieces into multi-function or incorporate some of your accessories in a way you hadn't thought of so you can love them and and enjoy them without crowding yourself out. Yeah, maybe change up your color palette a little bit and have it feel fresh.

Jodi Rosko 37:40

Yep. Do some things like that. So um okay, so be honest with yourself about your heirlooms and your collections and your hobbies. Um a lot of people are serial hobbyists, right? They they get all excited about a hobby and they start doing that, and then they let that one go and move on to the next one, and then you know, the carcass of the like of the old hobbies are still, you know, laying around not being used. So if that's something that you tried and it wasn't for you, let it go. You're not going back to it. Yeah.

Heather Fisher 38:17

Yeah. Hard to convince, but you know, maybe the better plan is to um start a new hobby on on less purchasing and try it, you know, with items on loan, borrowing equipment, or you know, on a smaller scale until you really feel like this is gonna be the hobby for me.

Jodi Rosko 38:38

Yeah. So um so digitize your photos and documents. So that's a key. Um storing a lot of paper is probably not you're not gonna have the room for that. So make sure that you get those photos digitized. Keep only those important papers. We did a whole podcast on on paperwork, so go listen to that one and figure out how to get rid of really pare yourself down to the essential paperwork that you need.

Heather Fisher 39:03

Absolutely.

Jodi Rosko 39:04

Um so limit your books to a small collection of the ones that you would you would read again. You know, just the things that we've already talked about. Just keeping, you know, just keeping those few cherished things.

Heather Fisher 39:17

So Yeah, I think all good points. And we will talk about all of those categories in depth have on some of them and will on future episodes.

Jodi Rosko 39:29

We'll do photos and all the things. Yeah. But stay tuned.

Heather Fisher 39:32

Yes. Yes.

Jodi Rosko 39:34

Because those are the harder ones, honestly. We do have a podcast on heirlooms too, if you if you want to g dig deep into that one.

Heather Fisher 39:41

Yeah. It can be a challenge, but definitely doable. And when uh your new space isn't overloaded, then everything is better.

Jodi Rosko 39:50

Yep. So create a checklist for yourself about what you think you're gonna take. Um so that makes it easier to make decisions as you go along and realize I don't need, you know, 12 of these, I just need this one.

Heather Fisher 40:03

Yeah, we went through the checklist a little bit piece by piece as we were going through, but if anyone would like the downloadable checklist, um reach out through our website by email. Our email is on there and just request that downloadable checklist and we'll uh get it over to you. It can be really helpful to have a starting point and you know, like you're packing for vacation or whatever when you have that list to know exactly what you need.

Jodi Rosko 40:28

Yep, that's at downsizingroadmap.com. So reach out to us if you have questions about it, and um good luck in in paring things down. I think it I think that everybody that has done that, done this feels so much freer, and all of our clients will say, We wish we would have done it sooner.

Heather Fisher 40:46

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 40:46

So I think that w the stuff that we have around us makes us feel sort of safe somehow, but it also really weighs us down. And I think when when you let it go, it is just so freeing.

Heather Fisher 40:59

Yeah, the the people that we know that have not quite pared down enough are the ones struggling the most with the smaller space. The smaller space. Um, and it it's just because of those delayed decisions.

Jodi Rosko 41:14

And now it feels like, oh, now I'm just crammed into cramped space.

Heather Fisher 41:17

Yeah. Instead of we do not want that for people. So um do what you can to make those decisions, and we will talk more next time. Good luck with it. Awesome. Thanks, Jody. Thanks, bye-bye. Thanks for joining us on the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast. If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who might need a little downsizing inspiration. Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Reach out to us on our website, www.downsizingroadmap.com. Until next time, let's keep simplifying and moving forward.