By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Downsizing is the natural solution, but there are a lot more ways to downsize than you might realize. You can downsize to a cozy little apartment, a little two-bedroom home with a garden, a senior living community, or even downsize in your own home. As a professional moving company, we've helped seniors enact dozens of unique downsizing moves, and today we're here to share a few of the most practical and rewarding alternatives for any seniors currently considering a downsize plan.
Many seniors get the false impression that downsizing requires you to move into a little apartment somewhere. And perhaps you've been putting it off because you know you'll miss having a garden, living in a friendly tree-shaded neighborhood, and the sound of children coming and going from school each day. Fortunately, you don't actually have to leave all that behind when you move to a smaller home. Why not look for an affordable little house instead?
Two-bedroom homes are usually too small for families with growing children but moving to a tiny house in a family neighborhood could be the perfect place for you to become a neighborhood's honorary grandparent. Two bedrooms is just enough space for you to keep up with minimal effort and still have a guest room for when your adult children come to visit. And you can enjoy your retirement with the friendly family-style surroundings that you've always loved.
Of course, some seniors can't wait to change their lifestyles completely in retirement. After years of being a responsible professional, careful parent, and well-behaved grandparent, it's finally time for that big vacation you've been saving for over decades. For seniors looking forward to hot tubs, dance parties, and being surrounded by other fun-loving seniors, the right downsizing plan for you might be a senior living community.
Quite the opposite of a "nursing home", senior living communities are a lot more like moving into a vacation resort. You can choose between a high-tech apartment or a private two-bedroom home surrounded by other seniors who are also there to socialize and have a good time. Olympic swimming pools, restaurants and meal delivery, and a full event calendar are only a few of the attractions you can find if you choose to go the resort-retirement route in a senior living community.
By far the most popular choice for downsizing seniors is to find a cozy little apartment that is blessedly easy to keep clean and up to your personal standards even as you slowdown in later years. Modern apartments can be marvels of convenience for a tech-savvy senior. Especially if you find a luxury apartment building with amenities that work well with your plans for retirement.
Look for apartment communities that offer amenities and services that you may find useful, like laundry pick-up, dog walking, or a pool where you can enjoy low-impact exercise close to home. And if there's an elevator, you can even get an upper-story apartment with a beautiful sunny view and a little balcony where plants will happily grow.
Finally, did you know that you can even downsize while still living in your house? Whether you still live in the house where you raised your children or finally bought your dream house after they were grown, sometimes seniors simply can't bear the idea of leaving their beloved full-sized house. And even if your finances or energy for cleaning says "Downsize", you don't have to leave!
Instead, you can choose to downsize inside the house itself, claiming a suite for yourself and your things while opening the rest of the house to other residents who will help with the upkeep. If you have an adult child with a family of their own, they may love the idea of raising their children in the house they grew up in and would be happy to move in as the primary residents while you downsize into the master or mother-in-law suite.
Or, if all your family is happily settled in their own houses, you can always take in renters. Many seniors have found joy opening a boarding house for students, a Bed & Breakfast, or even hosting a new family who are happy to share the home with a new honorary grandparent.
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What are your downsizing plans? As you can clearly see, there are far more options than you might assume at first. From moving to a senior-living resort to downsizing in your own home, the options are limitless. All you must do is make your decision and we'll make it happen. Our professional movers are ready to help with whatever downsizing plan you choose. Even if your solution is so personally creative that we've never heard of it before!
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