Decluttering & Downsizing Blog

How to Decide When the Time Is Right for You “Rita, when do you think I should downsize?” It is one of the questions I am asked most often. Recently, after one of my speaking engagements, a woman waited patiently until everyone else had left the room. Then she walked ...

I’m going to tell you something I have rarely said out loud. When I sold my 5,000-square-foot home in the beautiful countryside and downsized to an 867-square-foot apartment in Center City Philadelphia, I was certain it was one of the best decisions I had ever made. But about three months ...

Many people believe that expanding their lives requires starting over completely. I disagree. Your next chapter does not have to begin with a dramatic reinvention. In fact, some of the most meaningful changes begin when you approach life with curiosity rather than certainty. You may not need to become someone ...

If you could sit down with the person you were five years ago, before you retired, what would you tell her? Would you tell her to travel more? Save more money? Make fewer plans? Or would you tell her something deeper? Perhaps you would say: “I wish I had known ...

Have you ever felt invisible, even when you were surrounded by people? That feeling may be connected to retirement loneliness, an experience many women are not prepared for when their careers come to an end. You may have spent years looking forward to retirement. You planned your finances, considered your ...

Have you ever quietly wondered, “What if I never find another partner?” Not next year. Not in five years. Maybe never. And what if you spend the rest of your life alone? This is one of the most common fears women experience after divorce, widowhood, or many years of being ...

Nobody warned us that one of the hardest parts of getting older might not be the wrinkles, retirement, or even downsizing. It might be friendship. It is the quiet loss of the people you once imagined would be sitting beside you during this chapter of your life. Perhaps you have ...

Are you in your 60s or 70s and feeling alone? Maybe the house feels quieter than it used to. Maybe another weekend arrives and you realize you have no real plans. Maybe you look around and think, “Is this all there is?” And perhaps the harder question quietly follows. “Will ...

Are you newly retired and not quite sure what to do with yourself? Maybe you thought retirement would feel like freedom. No alarm clock. No meetings. No pressure. No one needing something from you every five minutes. But now that the noise has quieted, you may find yourself wondering, “Who ...