When we first met JoAnn, her husband had passed the year before and she was feeling lost and overwhelmed in their home of 30 years. As a very practical type of thinker, she wanted to be proactive for her next move. JoAnn did not want to leave the downsizing work of the family home to her five children nor did she want them to have to make the difficult future decisions for her. JoAnn wanted to make her own decisions while she could.

She kept her 5 children informed on her decisions, even when it was painful. Four of her children were excited for her move but her youngest (now fully grown with his own children) had the most difficult time. He wanted mom to keep the home exactly as it was and stay there. This is very common for at least one child to want to hold on to the memories.

To honor their childhoods and their life-long home, JoAnn held a summer family get-together. She and her adult children and their families had a big BBQ party, celebrating the home and the stuff. Each family member went around the home and said good-bye to items or chose what they wanted to keep. The family took the items with them at the end of the weekend, thus aiding JoAnn in the first downsizing step.

Now JoAnn could downsize the remaining items without fear. True to her practical personality, JoAnn let go of nearly all her old furniture. She moved with minimal items to her new community and treated herself to modern furniture that would better fit her condo’s style and size. Her son-in-law helped her outfit her new home and they had a blast shopping and hanging out together.