Top 7 Reasons Seniors Downsize

Like many things in life, there are no courses or manuals for making some of its most important decisions. Whether they’re emotional or financially driven, or a combination of both, sometimes you just have to go with your gut. And while there’s no easy answer, recognizing your motivations for downsizing can help you make the final decision on whether it’s time to stay or go.

Financial stability: Are you retired or experiencing financial hardships? Have your monthly expenses increased over the years due to the escalation in the cost of living? If so, this may be an opportune time to downsize, especially If you’re feeling a financial crunch. Selling your home for a smaller, lesser expensive place can help you to save money, reduce your monthly expenses, and possibly increase your disposable income.

Home equity: If you’ve owned your home for several years, there’s likely a lot of equity, particularly with the rise in home prices over the past few years. This may be a great reason to sell as you can use the proceeds from the sale to downsize and have some cash left over to add to your nest egg.

Homeownership: Are you tired of being a homeowner and no longer want the responsibilities of the upkeep or ongoing expense? Whether it’s due to financial, physical, or other circumstances, it may be a good time to discuss selling and explore rental options or consider a Senior Living Community.

Home upkeep: Having less maintenance is often the key reason for downsizing. Not only can it be costly, but it can also be dangerous. For example, if you’re older and have to climb on your roof to clean the gutters, you may be putting yourself at risk of a serious fall. If you’re beginning to feel overwhelmed with your home’s upkeep, it may be a good time to consider a downsizing move.

Life changes: Unexpected major life-changing events, such as divorce or the death of a spouse or partner or an illnes or injury, may require you to make some changes, both in your financial life and your lifestyle. They may even be the catalyst for making your final decision to downsize.

Lifestyle: Have you aged out of your neighborhood? Are you an empty nester and your home now feels lonely or too big for you? If so, it may be time to consider downsizing to a smaller home and into a community that makes sense for you. There are many options in the Phoenix and Sun City area for Active Adult Communities and Senior Communities that match your financial and lifestyle needs with other like-minded people.

Proximity to family: Your adult children and grandchildren may not live close to you anymore and chances are you want to be in closer proximity to them. Whether you’re retired or still in the workforce and able to work remotely, it may be the right time to sell and downsize.

If you’ve decided to begin the downsizing process, be thorough in your research—the options are endless. Whether your motivations have to do with a lifestyle change, lower cost of living, or health challenges, be sure to contact Arizona Senior Moving to assist you in your downsizing adventure “Home upkeep: Having less maintenance is often the key reason for downsizing.” “Life changes: Unexpected major life-changing events, such as divorce or the death of a spouse or partner, may require you to make some changes, both in your financial life and your lifestyle.” .

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How To Be In The Top 15% of Women With Your Shoe Collection

“According to a recent study by ShopSmart magazine, the average American woman owns 19 pairs of shoes, with 15% of women owning 30 or more pairs. How did I compare? Surely, not being a shoe person, I should be safe. So I counted the shoes in my closet. After about a dozen boots, 10 pairs of flats, and an assortment of wedges, pumps and sandals, I was fast approaching a total of 30 – and the prospect of officially being a “shoe girl.” Dreading this harsh reality, I simply skipped over several pairs of shoes that I intend to throw out at some point soon (just not today; I might need them!). Then I realized maybe I was – gulp – one of them. I had too many shoes” (Blake, 2008).

Sound familiar?

You open your closet, the prospect of moving to your new apartment in a senior community you’ve chosen motivating you to start packing and sorting through your belongings, only to be intimidated by the very first thing you see: Your shoe collection.

Shelf after shelf, stack after stack, shoes piled everywhere. Heels, flats, sneakers, and boots.
You lose count around fifty pairs, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of footwear you accumulated over the years.

Congratulations! You’re in the top 15% of women with a shoe collection!

So, intimidated by the prospect of having to sort through your shoes alone and struggling to choose the best pairs to take? Call Arizona Senior Moving Company! Our team of ladies will help you not only sort through your shoes, but also pack and organize the rest of your house so that you have as peaceful of a move as possible.

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Operation Declutter

What words would you use to describe your home? If you said peaceful, clean, inviting, or organized, congratulations—it sounds like you’ve cracked the declutter code. If you said chaotic, overwhelming, or messy, let’s chat. Of course, it’s perfectly natural for your home to alternate through phases of clean and cluttered; we’re human, after all. Here are some strategies for streamlining your space.

ENTRYWAY: Establish a landing area for your keys, wallet, purse, and shoes. A console table with a small bowl can hold keys, or a tiny hook in the wall will suffice if the space is small. If you don’t have a coat closet, install coat hooks along one wall and slide a shoe rack underneath it.

KITCHEN: Let the decanting begin! Choose some jars of various sizes to hold grains, nuts, seeds, pasta, and flour. To store smaller amounts, you can save money by soaking off the labels of pasta sauce or pickle jars. This will not only make your pantry look more cohesive but also make it much easier to know what you need at the grocery store to replenish your supplies.

LIVING ROOM: One word: curate. Pretend you are staging your living room as if it were an Airbnb. How do you want guests to feel in the space? What could you get rid of to make the room more livable and inviting? If you’re holding onto knickknacks solely out of guilt, give yourself permission to toss them.

BEDROOM: Are you overwhelmed by the amount of clothing in your closet? Consider a capsule wardrobe of thirty coordinated pieces that will make getting ready for the day much simpler. Try designating a “maybe” bin if you have trouble being decisive. If you don’t miss the items of clothing in the bin after a few days, you know it’s time to donate them.

BATHROOM: Change your habitat instead of your habits. If your dirty clothes always find their way onto the bathroom floor, move your laundry hamper into the bathroom. Do you have half-full bottles of shampoo that you used and didn’t like or face masks gifted to you by well-meaning friends? To paraphrase Elsa from Frozen, “Let them go!”

Think of decluttering as a journey and not a destination. It’s a constant process of assessing your habits and establishing systems, like taking out the trash every Tuesday or hanging up three shirts before going to bed. Instagram is a great resource if you are someone who likes to follow a plan. Search #declutterchallenge for weeklong, monthlong, or even yearlong strategies. Or commit to a “no-buy month” (other than essentials) and get to the root of your motivation to accumulate. Go forth and declutter!

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Easy Tortellini Spinach Soup Recipe

This easy soup recipe is from Taste of Home. A simple, but flavorful soup that will provide savory warmth in these cold days of winter. Fast and easy, all you need is a large pot and you are good to go!

Ingredients
16 frozen fully cooked Italian meatballs (about 1 pound)
1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 32 ounce cartons chicken stock
2 cups frozen cheese tortellini (about 8 ounces)
3 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 4 cups)
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a 6-qt. stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 10 minutes.
2. Return to a boil. Add tortellini; cook, uncovered, until meatballs are heated through and tortellini are tender, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach until wilted. Serve immediately. If desired, top with cheese.

Can be made and frozen in single serve freezer containers. To keep the tortellini from over cooking, simply wait to add the tortellini until you reheat your frozen soup and cook for 3-5 minutes.

 

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Easy Marshmallow Snowman

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Staging Your Gingerbread House

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Downsizing Your Recipes

Now is the perfect time to go through your recipes and make sure your family members have copies of your family’s favorite recipes. Once that’s done, you can downsize the rest of your collection.
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Gift Wrapping Downsize

It’s time to get rid of all gift wrapping supplies that have previously been used and are in poor shape. Buy only what you need this year. If you have a small gift, don’t buy a whole roll of wrapping paper. Simply buy a gift bag and a small package of tissue paper. Wrap the gift with the tissue paper, put it in the bag and fill the bag with the remaining tissue paper so that it decoratively sticks out of the top of the bag.
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Fall prevention for seniors

Falling is one of the main concerns for Seniors. A trip or stumble when at a younger age may have very little consequence. But as you age, that same trip or stumble can trigger a cascade of complications that have the potential of being debilitating. It is so important to create a safe environment to prevent falls. And, there’s more to it than just rugs and flooring.

Lighting Considerations  Have you noticed that rooms seem dimmer and reading is more difficult because it seems you can’t get enough light on the subject? Besides waning eyesight, less light reaches our retinas as we age. This causes us to need more light in our environment so that we can see not only what we are reading, but also where we are stepping and walking so that we can avoid falls and other accidents.

The best way to light your environment it to use motion sensor lighting as much as possible. Some new beds include this under the bedframe so that you can see in the dark when you get up at night. Motion sensor lights can also be installed in closets, hallways, and bathrooms. Motion senor lights could also be installed on stairways close to the steps for better visibility. Painting stairs so that the top and bottom steps have a lighter color on them makes them easier to see. A handrail is essential on steps whether they are steep or not.

Doors & Door Knobs French door handles or lever handles are much easier for Seniors to operate than round doorknobs. Round doorknobs can be difficult to grip with arthritis or weak hands. The lever handles are much easier to operate and more convenient. If possible, install sliding and pocket doors rather than barn or swinging doors. Swing doors consume a lot of floor space to be operational. Barn doors take less space than swinging doors, but you still must consider the wall that the door will hang on when open and you may not be able to place any furniture in front of it.

lace rugs with nonskid mats on polished floor surfaces, and invest in anti-slip tiles for bathrooms and kitchens. If you get carpet, it should be flat and dense, not fluffy, which can lead to tripping.

Floors Floors are usually the first things that are considered when evaluating a house for fall hazards. It’s best to use flat and dense carpet that a wheelchair or walker can easily be moved on. Thick carpet pads, carpets, and fluffy or shag carpets are difficult to maneuver on and cause tripping hazards. Rugs are best avoided as the corners and edges can be trip hazards. However, if a rug is used, it also should be as flat and dense as possible with nonskid backing. For hard surface flooring, anti-slip tiles are a good investment. The transitions used from one surface to another should also be carefully considered. They should be as flat as possible so that they do not cause tripping or difficulty in getting over them.

Technology and Communications. Technology is not always considered when thinking about falling. However, cords and connections can be hazards to overcome. In addition to making sure the technology in the home is up to date, it is important to have ease of access to the outlets. Power strips set within easy reach instead of on the floor behind furniture so that the Senior does not have to struggle to reach their chargers or cords is essential.

Seniors need to be able to communicate easily. Make sure that High-speed Internet service, working smartphones or tablets, and access to social media or messaging services is available. A Fitbit or a voice assistant that uses a smart speaker, such as Alexa, can be used to help with medication reminders, grocery lists and tracking the weather. And, for added security, the Ring video doorbell system allows you to monitor who is at your door. It’s important to choose technology that is simple to use and easy for a Senior to navigate so that the effectiveness of the device can be beneficial.

Another part of communication for Seniors is to be able to send and receive messages, photos, videos and live chats. Finding easy to use, secure apps that facilitate these communications easily is a great way to help Seniors not feel isolated from their loved ones. It is easier now more than ever to stay in touch.

Bathroom. Handrails or grab bars by the toilet and by shower controls help with stability. It is helpful to have a bidet toilet with a night light. Not only do they conserve toilet paper, they are gentle on the skin, more sanitary than toilet paper, and make it easier for Seniors who suffer from arthritis or shoulder pain or other injuries that make reaching around difficult.

For the tub and shower, it is important to have easy access. Avoid having any steps into the shower. Make sure there is a seat in the shower. Many Assisted Living Communities have built in shower seats. Install a shower head that has a hand sprayer. If you have a tub, make sure there are plenty of grab bars placed in the correct position to assist getting into and out of the tub. The tubs with the side-panel doors are an excellent choice.

Kitchen. There’s no need to struggle with heavy pots and pans such as cast-iron skillets. Remove them from the kitchen and use lighter pots and pans. The same goes for any heavy plates, dishes, coffee mugs, glasses, and serving dishes. There is more of a chance of falling when struggling to carry something too heavy. Try to place the most used items within easy reach. Get rid of the step ladder! Place the microwave at eye-level. An automatic shut-off for the stove can be installed to prevent a fire. Air Fryers should remain unplugged at all times when not in use.

Living room. Power chairs and lift chairs that are wall huggers are excellent choices for the living room. If moving into Assisted Living, keep in mind the space will be smaller and choosing a wall hugger chair will give more space to maneuver around the living room. This is important because many times Seniors want to take their oversized easy chair and a coffee table and end tables and a sofa. It is nearly impossible to fit all of those large pieces of furniture into the living room and still have enough room to maneuver around without bumping into corners of furniture and bruising. Be realistic about enough space to use a walker to navigate your living room. Choose furniture that has multiple uses if possible: coffee tables that the top lifts for a desk or tray. End tables and chairs that have chargers built in. Avoid glass tables or furniture with sharp corners. These often cause falls and bruises.

Bedroom. The ideal bed height is 21 inches from the floor. This is the same height as a chair. Footboards are easily bumped into or catch toes and cause falls while walking around the bed. If you use a bench or chair in the bedroom, choose one that has side arms so you can get up easily. Nightstands should be able to accommodate glasses, medicines and a drink. If you have a CPAP machine, it needs to accommodate that as well. The nightstand should not be so large that it impedes getting into or out of bed. There should be light next to your bed. Some bed frames or adjustable bases include motion sensor lighting which is also very helpful.

Follow these basic guidelines and you will be well on your way to preventing falls due to the furnishings in your home.

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How Seniors Can Sell Items on Facebook Marketplace (part 3)

In Parts 1 & 2 on this series on selling on Facebook Marketplace, we discussed the important terms you need to know and how to start your listing. We’ll cover the remaining elements of creating your listing.

Caption

The caption you write is just as important as the photos of your item. It’s time to put on your salesperson hat! Be as specific and detailed as possible in your description so your potential buyers don’t ask questions that could easily be answered by a thorough description. Here are a few pieces of information you can share:

  • Brand, name, and/or model number
  • Highlights of the item (what makes it better than other items like it)
  • Size/dimensions
  • Working condition and any damages
  • Age of the item
  • The original purchase price (optional)

Hashtags

When buyers want a particular item, they’ll search keywords into the Facebook Marketplace search bar to find options. It’s important to attach hashtags to your listing that are both general and specific. For example, if you’re selling a nightstand, you want to include “home” “home decor” “side table” and “nightstand.” Notice that those words started as general and became more specific, but all the words are fitting to the item. Avoid hashtags that make no sense. For a nightstand, you wouldn’t want to say “car.” This seems obvious, but a lot of people use the wrong hashtags and don’t attract the right buyers because of it.

Location

Before you can post your item for sale, you’ll need to set a location, either globally, nationally, or within a certain radius of your current location. Depending on the item and how quickly you want to get rid of it, it may not be worth the shipping hassle of listing it globally or nationally. High-value, compact items are best to list for shipping. Listing the item within ten miles of your home should get you a decent amount of interested buyers.

These tips should help you create your listings on Facebook Marketplace. If you decide to sell on Facebook Marketplace, make sure that you take measures to be safe with the delivery of your items and accepting buyers’ payment. Sometimes, when considering the amount of time and effort to list items, take offers, take payment and deliver or arrange pick up of items, you have to weigh that time and effort against the profit you will make so that you can decide the best use of your time and effort.

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