Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most

Being a bit ahead of teh baby boomers I went through this process a few years ago. At the beginning of the process I had: a big suburban house and a wife; a car and a truck; a boy and a girl; a dog and a cat. Then the pets died, the children moved on to their own lives, wife wanted a divorce and the car. Sold the big house. Got rid of an incredible amount of junk, but still have more stuff than I need. Bought a quite small house one quarter the size. I wish I had had this guide at the time. Although I did most of what she says, it took me a lot of thinking to do what she's already thought about. And she pointed out that there were a few things that I wish I'd done differently. The real key is exactly as she says is 'keeping what matters most,' and if I had had her advice, I'd have kept a few other things, gotten rid of some of the things I kept. Well thought out, and worth the small cost.

Ciji Ware's reporting background shines in this thoroughly researched guidebook about finding a living space tailored to your specific needs. Packed with no-nonsense advice and attention to detail, it covers every imaginable area related to changing addresses, whether you're going upscale or downsizing to a condo or apartment. Ware walks you every step of the way, from identifying a space meeting your parcicular needs to tossing items you thought you couldn't live without. What could be boring material is spiced by real-life anecdotes (some funny, some horrifying) from people who've made this life-altering change. An expecially helpful sction is the "Rightsizing Resource Directory" with an invaluable list of books, websites and organizations to get you on the right track. If you want to dodge headaches in your next move, "Rightsizing" is seriously good medicine.

My husband and I were going through our own move into smaller quarters when I read Rightsizing. What a life saver, not to mention a marriage saver! Ciji Ware has come up with a logical, rational, yet surprisingly personal way of deciding whether to keep or toss clothes, books, memorabilia, etc. Instead of fighting with my husband over whether we had the space in our new house for his old magazines and my old pairs of shoes, we took Ciji's advice and came up with an actual PLAN. Now we've Rightsized and we don't even miss the stuff we got rid of. (Well, okay. My husband misses his magazines a little.) A must read!

I purchased this book after hearing the author speak at a meeting of the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM). All of us seem to struggle with having too much "stuff" these days but as a Senior Move Manager, I often see clients who are completely overwhelmed by all they've accumulated. This well-written book offers solutions I will use both with clients AND for myself. The best advice I can give to anyone contemplating "rightsizing" is: get this book and get started NOW.

The author does a great job of making the process a lot easier than it would be otherwise. One of the things that's tough about paring down your possessions is that you care about a lot of the stuff you've hauled around for years; or your husband does; or your kids do. This book shows you how to deal with all that. Plus it's upbeat. A few pages in, you realize that you really will feel better about not just your home but your life when you rightsize. The anecdotes are fun, too! I recommend it, for people of any age.