Sensitively counsels readers on how to downsize a family home filled with a lifetime of memories, sharing practical recommendations for strategies based on the expertise of antiques appraisers, garage-sale gurus, professional organizers and psychologists.

America’s top cleaning expert and star of the hit series Legacy List with Matt Paxton distills his fail-proof approach to decluttering and downsizing. Your boxes of photos, family’s china, and even the kids' height charts aren’t just stuff; they’re attached to a lifetime of memories--and letting them go can be scary. With empathy, expertise, and humor, Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff, written in collaboration with AARP, helps you sift through years of clutter, let go of what no longer serves you, and identify the items worth keeping so that you can focus on living in the present. For over 20 years, Matt Paxton has helped people from all walks of life who want to live more simply declutter and downsize. As a featured cleaner on Hoarders and host of the Emmy-nominated Legacy List with Matt Paxton on PBS, he has identified the psychological roadblocks that most organizational experts routinely miss but that prevent so many of us from lightening our material load. Using poignant stories from the thousands of individuals and families he has worked with, Paxton brings his signature insight to a necessary task. Whether you’re tired of living with clutter, making space for a loved one, or moving to a smaller home or retirement community, this book is for you. Paxton’s unique, step-by-step process gives you the tools you need to get the job done.

Say goodbye to clutter, reduce stress, and live simply with this easy-to-use guide to downsizing! Whether you are selling your family home, blending households into a new home, or cleaning out your aging parents' home, sorting through a lifetime's worth of accumulated possessions can be a daunting and stressful experience. Decluttering guru Peter Walsh recently went through the process of downsizing his childhood home and dividing his late parents' family possessions. He realized that making these decisions about mementos and heirlooms creates strong emotions and can be an overwhelming chore. In Let It Go, Peter will help you turn downsizing into a rejuvenating life change with his useful tips and practical takeaways, including how to: • Understand the emotional challenges that accompany downsizing • Establish a hierarchy of mementos and collectibles • Calculate the amount of stuff you can bring into your new life • Create strategies for dividing heirlooms among family members without drama This new phase brings unexpected freedoms and opportunities, and Peter walks you through every step of the process. You’ll feel freer and happier than you ever thought possible once you Let It Go.

As life unfolds, things tend to accumulate. When older adults undergo health, residential, and marital changes, they will face a reckoning with their lifelong store of possessions—special, ordinary, and forgotten. Such a predicament now confronts tens of millions of Americans as the Baby Boom cohort passes into retirement and beyond. Despite what a thriving industry of clutter manuals tells us, for most older adults, downsizing is no simple task. Drawing on in-depth interviews with recent movers in over a hundred diverse U.S. households, David Ekerdt analyzes the downsizing process and what it says about the meaning and management of possessions. He details how households approach and accomplish downsizing, exploring the decision-making process and the effectiveness of different strategies. From an expert gerontological perspective, he considers the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social tasks that the process entails and the role of factors such as gender and class on the divestment of things. Ekerdt finds that despite the fatigue and emotional challenges people encounter, afterward they report satisfaction in having completed a downsizing and feel empowerment on the other side of the task. Offering an empathetic and practical look at one of life’s major transitions, Downsizing brings forward the voices of elders so that older adults, their families and friends, and practitioners working with older clients can understand and benefit from their experience.

The cupboards are overflowing, the linen closet holds towels and tools, and your once tidy family room might as well come with a ringmaster. But that's called living, right? Wrong! Marni Jameson is here to prove that you can turn a hectic home into a haven--and do so without being voted off the island. With chapters such as "Kids are Great--They Only Dismantle Your Home One Piece at a Time," you'll laugh as you learn whether to opt for solids or patterns; what constitutes "indestructible flooring"; how to organize your house from top to bottom; and how to decorate so home appeal goes up and blood pressure goes down. House of Havoc is that indispensable guide for making the most of the house you have without driving everyone around you nuts.

You can’t take it with you, but you can ensure that what you leave behind has value and meaning. Whether you want the fruits of your life’s work to benefit your family, the environment, science, human rights, the arts, your church, or another cause dear to you, one thing is certain: It won’t happen unless you plan. What to Do with Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want is a step-by-step, DIY guide to turning your money and “stuff” into something meaningful that will outlast you—whether you are in the prime of life or your later years, single or partnered, have kids or not, are well-off or of modest means. With her trademark practical wisdom, downsizing expert Marni Jameson offers plenty of comfort (and even some laughs) as she guides you through the following: Identifying whom you want to benefit from your legacy Navigating wills, trusts, and other paths to your goals Heading off potential family conflicts Making the best plan for your material assets This book will encourage and inspire you through every step of your final downsizing project, helping you make a positive impact on the people and causes closest to your heart.

Part journal, part workbook, part scrapbook, this guide provides valuable advice and how-to checklists along with a place to reflect, record, and retain an important piece of family history, gently walking downsizers through the journey.

*The basis for the wonderfully funny and moving TV series developed by Amy Poehler and Scout Productions* A charming, practical, and unsentimental approach to putting a home in order while reflecting on the tiny joys that make up a long life. In Sweden there is a kind of decluttering called döstädning, dö meaning “death” and städning meaning “cleaning.” This surprising and invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage but should be done sooner than later, before others have to do it for you. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, artist Margareta Magnusson, with Scandinavian humor and wisdom, instructs readers to embrace minimalism. Her radical and joyous method for putting things in order helps families broach sensitive conversations, and makes the process uplifting rather than overwhelming. Margareta suggests which possessions you can easily get rid of (unworn clothes, unwanted presents, more plates than you’d ever use) and which you might want to keep (photographs, love letters, a few of your children’s art projects). Digging into her late husband’s tool shed, and her own secret drawer of vices, Margareta introduces an element of fun to a potentially daunting task. Along the way readers get a glimpse into her life in Sweden, and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go.

Moving in the Right Direction shares Bruce's experience and expertise on the many issues involved when seniors consider moving from their long-term home. Now seniors all across the country -- as well as the friends and family who care for them -- can turn to this simple, direct, and comprehensive guide as they make this important transition.

Do you know the biggest mistake seniors make when downsizing their lives? 'Thoreau's Downsizing Planner for Seniors' will help make sure you avoid the mistakes that cost seniors time, possessions, and money, and cause heartache. The biggest mistake seniors make when downsizing is a lack of organization. Items can get lost or damaged, important documents and records are often misplaced, bills can go unpaid, mail not received, and an overall sense of confusion can add to the stress of moving. Moving is considered a high-stress life event: This relocation for seniors can be mixed with uncertainty, loneliness, possible illness, and a loss of independence. Due to the many additional decisions to be made for many seniors, downsizing can be more complex than just moving. Whether you or loved ones are moving across town or across the country you will likely be: Tackling major living decisions. Dealing with belongings; sorting through decades of family history, organizing, selling, giving way and discarding possessions. Hiring a moving company. Packing and unpacking. Organizing and cleaning. Selling, donating, and discarding items. Shutting off and turning on utilities. Stopping services and starting services. Changing addresses and notifying everyone. Gathering, organizing and keeping important documents and records. And with a myriad of other tasks all on a schedule, this is a formidable challenge for anyone and even paralyzing for many people. Thoreau's Downsizing Planner for Seniors is designed to help seniors, empty nesters, children or relatives of seniors, and caregivers make this move easier through guiding information, organization and planning. If you are a caregiver or adult child helping your parent downsize, use this planner to help you be supportive, assist with choices, and have an efficient plan.There are easy to use lists and worksheets for: How to get all your documents and records in order . What to do with vehicles. How to downsize your wardrobe and still have all the clothes you need. How to downsize your belongings and what to do with each item. How and where to donate items. How to dispose of any household hazardous waste. Every one you need to notify of an address change. The list of things you need to shut off or transfer when you move. And there are inspirational quotes by Henry David Thoreau throughout the book. This is a big 8-1/2 by 11 inches book with 124 pages! There are LARGE PRINT worksheets, checklists, and easy fill forms designed for each step of your transition. Keep this planner with you from now and throughout your move and then as a collection of records if ever needed. Complete the to-do lists, calendars/timelines, 'notes to self', and anything you might forget. Get your copy of 'Thoreau's Downsizing Planner for Seniors' now or send one to someone that will be downsizing. Organize your downsize!