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Scaling Down: Living Large in a Smaller Space
How to make more of less--the book that shows you how to simplify your life, control clutter, and pare down your possessions for a move into smaller living quarters.There are plenty of anti-clutter experts around ready to exhort us to sort, store, and trash our belongings, but this book addresses the specific needs of people moving from a larger to a smaller space, or merging two (or more) people's possessions into a single abode.If you and your mate are about to swap your large, single-family house for a condo, or move your parents out of the family home of 40 years into an assisted-living center, where do you start? How do you decide what to take, what to leave behind, and what to do with your discards? What can you do to keep the move from seeming tinged with loss?Scaling Down not only offers terrific nuts-and-bolts strategies for paring down one's belongings to only the best and most meaningful items, but it also addresses the emotional aspects of streamlining--the complicated relationship we have with our "stuff." Countering the pervasive American prejudice that having less is a step down, the authors advance their concept of "living large wherever you are!"
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2005
24 people are currently reading
378 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
September 24, 2007
I got this book out of my local library, and read about 3/4 of this book right before bed. Next morning I got out of bed, pulled four overstuffed folders from my filing cabinet and, following the guidelines in the chapter on "Collaring the Paper Tiger," threw out approximately 95% of their contents in about 15 minutes.
So not only do I recommend this book, I recommend it be read before going to bed so that its advice can work on your brain overnight. Like Scrubbing Bubbles, it can dissolve almost every bullshit excuse you've ever had for keeping something you don't really need.
I only skimmed through the chapters on collections and cleaning out a loved one's home (neither applies to me).
So not only do I recommend this book, I recommend it be read before going to bed so that its advice can work on your brain overnight. Like Scrubbing Bubbles, it can dissolve almost every bullshit excuse you've ever had for keeping something you don't really need.
I only skimmed through the chapters on collections and cleaning out a loved one's home (neither applies to me).
June 14, 2008
I am one of those people who doesn't like to carry a lot of "stuff" around with me. I like the simple life. This book (though aimed primarily at empty-nesters who are looking at how to pare down enough to move out of a home and into a smaller space) is full of excellent information for anyone who wants to simplify and clear out. One of the reasons I like this book in comparision to others of a simliar theme is that it addresses the psychological reasons for holding on to our "stuff." It is also written in a very readable and engaging style.
April 28, 2011
Although it's not an immediate concern, I'll have to learn to live in a smaller space/share space again once I marry Ivan, so this book caught my attention. The tips it includes and the pep talks for decluttering are inspiring, and it has chapters devoted to unique situations (such as moving into assisted living, going through a loved one's stuff after she or he has died, marriage and consolidation -- followed, a bit disturbingly, by divorce, etc.) All the chapters are written sensitively and have good advice, although they do make it feel as if the book is trying to do too much at once. Some of the suggestions for scaling down seem likely to just be more sources for potential procrastination, although they do address some of the more common concerns and objections people have to getting rid of their stuff. Probably the most useful tool in the book is a checklist of items commonly found in a household, with a challenge to write how many of each item a household needs (DVD players, coffee mugs, etc.) Once you settle on that, the idea is that you can get rid of an excess of that "needed" amount. (I pretended books weren't on the list, as they are my one material "blind spot.") The best part of this book is probably that it inspires you to WANT to scale down and maintain simplicity, both of which can be daunting tasks on their own.
Read
November 4, 2022Learn how to be happy with fewer things.
You might think that we humans have changed a lot since our early hunter-gatherer days. Indeed, hunting has gone a bit out of fashion and most of us forage in the supermarket instead of the forest. Nonetheless, we still do a great deal of gathering. We just gather different things.
Our ancestors used to gather precious berries and roots whereas we modern humans like to hoard all kinds of useless junk. Old clothes fill our wardrobes, tchotchkes crowd our shelves, and the boxes beneath our beds or in our attics are crammed with precious junk – be it stamps, baseball cards or stuffed animals.
So, perhaps it’s time to scale down and toss some of this stuff out the window.
In this book, you’ll learn how to part with those belongings you probably don’t need, as well as how to decide which items to keep, which to toss and which items of sentimental value to let go of.
---
If you want to scale down, start by creating a Scaling Down Mission Statement.
Is your closet or garage overflowing with old stuff that you refuse to throw away? Or maybe you even pay for an external storage unit if you live in a city where closet space is a luxury reserved for the lucky few!
If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. Keeping too much stuff has been an American trend ever since the Great Depression.
In the early 1930s, people ravaged by the economic recession simply couldn’t afford to throw out anything unless it served absolutely no purpose.
But, of course, old habits die hard and mentalities are naturally inherited from generation to generation. So, even when conditions improved, the mindset of keeping anything that might be even slightly useful, whether now or in the future, was passed on to the next generation.
As a consequence, we’ve accumulated a lot of stuff, and what was once considered prudent thriftiness now looks more like out-of-touch greed.
So you own seven sets of china and an entire wall of sneakers. That’s not unreasonable, right?
Yeah, right. If you’ve realized that this hoarding mentality is ridiculous and wasteful, you’ve jumped one hurdle. But the next thing is actually to get rid of the excess, a process that can be a bit overwhelming – after all, there’s just so much stuff!
To help yourself out, try creating a Scaling Down Mission Statement (SDMS).
An SDMS articulates the motivation behind why you want to scale down. A sample SDMS might be something like, “My great aunt is moving into assisted living with less space, so I want to help her sort out the important belongings she’ll take with her.”
If you’re struggling to put your goal into a clear one-liner like that, try jotting down just a few keywords. Maybe it’s “make room for home office” or “simple living.” Putting your ideas and goals on paper will both give you a clear destination and help you get there, too.
---
People have many apprehensions about scaling down – but they’re easily overcome.
Hopefully, the SDMS has helped you figure out your goals. Nonetheless, the execution of the plan can still be daunting. If you’re feeling apprehensive, rest assured that this is perfectly normal.
Maybe you’re thinking, “But I might regret throwing this out later on!” Most people have done this – thrown something out only to regret it a few days later, so this is definitely an understandable mentality.
Here’s the thing, though: if you hadn’t been rummaging through your old stuff to organize and streamline your belongings, you probably would’ve forgotten you had, or would have been unable to locate, the thing you’re now worrying about throwing out!
So, dare to be bold. If you haven’t used something for five years, chances are you won’t use it in the next five, either. So chuck it!
A second common apprehension is fear of the task’s overwhelming nature – the worry that it’s going to take forever to make a decision about every item.
The antidote to this fear is simply to get started. Grab a bag and walk around your home with the goal of throwing out a certain number of items – maybe it’s five, maybe 25. Attack anywhere and everywhere, especially parts that look easy!
Of course, you’re probably going to have difficulty parting with things that have some kind of sentimental value, especially since life circumstances are always in flux. Relationships, hobbies and jobs can change in the blink of an eye, and some things are just too difficult to shrug off and throw out. So don’t be afraid to keep things for a set amount of time, and make a decision about it once that time is up.
For instance, maybe you just changed jobs and have a box filled with old meeting agendas, a coffee mug, sentimental goodbye cards and so on. Though some of that stuff might be ready for the garbage, give it a couple of months to see whether your life takes a new direction. In some cases, only time will tell.
---
Among the various strategies for scaling down are grouping and skimming.
Okay, maybe you’ve resolved to collect memories instead of shoes. That’s great! But there’s still the business of getting rid of all the excess that you’ve already accrued, so let’s explore some of the most common scaling-down strategies.
One strategy is called grouping. It consists of grouping together all the duplicate items to get a grasp of what should stay and what should go.
Do you have two, ten, or 20 umbrellas? In cases of such everyday objects, you might not even have been consciously collecting them. Rather, you may have added one here and another there as a precautionary extra, in case someone needed it in the future.
Of course, in the process of scaling down, some items will inevitably have to go. Grouping is a good method because seeing all the similar items together will make it easier to see which ones are worth keeping.
Skimming is a different approach with a similar effect: when skimming, you keep the best and throw out the rest without a second thought.
For disposing of anything, from jackets to vases, skimming is a great strategy. Just get started by identifying anything that brings you only a moderate amount of use or satisfaction.
Using this strategy, many objects might leave you wondering “what if” – and that’s actually a great sign that the item needs to go.
Maybe your cupboards are stuffed with dishes, so you open them intending to throw out all but the best two sets. But then another voice inside your head says, “But what if I want to have that huge dinner party one day and serve all 50 people with real china?”
Here, you need to counter that voice with another: “But am I ever going to have that party? And will they care if their food is on real china or not?” Answer: most likely not.
---
Performing triage and taking a photograph are more great strategies for scaling down.
Everyone is different, and different people will prefer different scaling-down methods. So, in addition to grouping and skimming, try out these two additional strategies to find the best fit for you.
Performing triage means collecting all the items in question into one spot, then picking out three from the pile randomly.
Out of those three, pick your least favorite. Once you do that, pick out another three random items, and again pick out your least favorite. In this way, you’ll easily cut down your belongings by one-third.
Triaging is an especially great approach for collectors who have a lot of variations of one item, but it’s also applicable for smaller, everyday clutter, too.
The final strategy is taking photographs of your beloved objects.
It might sound trite, but photos will truly help you hold on to the special memories or meanings attached to objects without taking up much space at all.
Of course, photos won’t have the same physicality as the actual item, but you might be surprised at how much satisfaction you can get from a two-dimensional reproduction.
Much of the time, the value of an object lies in its ability to evoke the feelings or experiences attached to it. As we all know, photos can be invaluable when it comes to remembering that special dinner party or vacation with your loved ones – and the same is true for photos of your belongings.
Maybe you don’t have any room left for your mother’s wedding dress or the vintage car that’s been sitting in your garage for years. It’s not easy to say goodbye, but photographs will help you remember and share the special stories behind such items, even when they’re gone.
---
You’ll feel better about scaling down if you give your stuff a good home.
You’ve now successfully found a strategy that works for you and have culled the best from the rest. But the idea of trashing all your old belongings is still pretty distasteful, right? Well, the good news is that you don’t have to!
Finding good homes for your stuff is actually an important part of scaling down in a happy, healthy way.
Knowing that your objects will go to appreciative new owners instead of disappearing into the landfill will make the process much more bearable and even enjoyable.
Finding the best match for one’s belongings might mean finding a specific person or donating them to the right charitable organization.
Let’s take Jeff as a case study. Jeff needed to scale down, and so decided, rather reluctantly, to part with his beloved old car, which held many great memories. Naturally, he didn’t want to give it away randomly, so he found a reputable charity that would ensure someone else would benefit from it. Doing good while also decluttering his life was a double-whammy, in the best way possible.
Recycling is another way to part with your things with a positive result for both you and society.
Instead of throwing your things in the bin, try to salvage what parts can be recycled. Many communities have recycling programs for paper, metal, plastic and other materials.
As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Knowing that your stuff will be reused will ease the process of scaling down since you’ll know someone will take advantage of it!
---
We don’t need a whole lot to be happy. Though it’s not easy to break the habit of over-consumption, finding ways to sort and reduce your stuff without sacrificing meaning and memories can help you live with less, and be happier for it.
You might think that we humans have changed a lot since our early hunter-gatherer days. Indeed, hunting has gone a bit out of fashion and most of us forage in the supermarket instead of the forest. Nonetheless, we still do a great deal of gathering. We just gather different things.
Our ancestors used to gather precious berries and roots whereas we modern humans like to hoard all kinds of useless junk. Old clothes fill our wardrobes, tchotchkes crowd our shelves, and the boxes beneath our beds or in our attics are crammed with precious junk – be it stamps, baseball cards or stuffed animals.
So, perhaps it’s time to scale down and toss some of this stuff out the window.
In this book, you’ll learn how to part with those belongings you probably don’t need, as well as how to decide which items to keep, which to toss and which items of sentimental value to let go of.
---
If you want to scale down, start by creating a Scaling Down Mission Statement.
Is your closet or garage overflowing with old stuff that you refuse to throw away? Or maybe you even pay for an external storage unit if you live in a city where closet space is a luxury reserved for the lucky few!
If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. Keeping too much stuff has been an American trend ever since the Great Depression.
In the early 1930s, people ravaged by the economic recession simply couldn’t afford to throw out anything unless it served absolutely no purpose.
But, of course, old habits die hard and mentalities are naturally inherited from generation to generation. So, even when conditions improved, the mindset of keeping anything that might be even slightly useful, whether now or in the future, was passed on to the next generation.
As a consequence, we’ve accumulated a lot of stuff, and what was once considered prudent thriftiness now looks more like out-of-touch greed.
So you own seven sets of china and an entire wall of sneakers. That’s not unreasonable, right?
Yeah, right. If you’ve realized that this hoarding mentality is ridiculous and wasteful, you’ve jumped one hurdle. But the next thing is actually to get rid of the excess, a process that can be a bit overwhelming – after all, there’s just so much stuff!
To help yourself out, try creating a Scaling Down Mission Statement (SDMS).
An SDMS articulates the motivation behind why you want to scale down. A sample SDMS might be something like, “My great aunt is moving into assisted living with less space, so I want to help her sort out the important belongings she’ll take with her.”
If you’re struggling to put your goal into a clear one-liner like that, try jotting down just a few keywords. Maybe it’s “make room for home office” or “simple living.” Putting your ideas and goals on paper will both give you a clear destination and help you get there, too.
---
People have many apprehensions about scaling down – but they’re easily overcome.
Hopefully, the SDMS has helped you figure out your goals. Nonetheless, the execution of the plan can still be daunting. If you’re feeling apprehensive, rest assured that this is perfectly normal.
Maybe you’re thinking, “But I might regret throwing this out later on!” Most people have done this – thrown something out only to regret it a few days later, so this is definitely an understandable mentality.
Here’s the thing, though: if you hadn’t been rummaging through your old stuff to organize and streamline your belongings, you probably would’ve forgotten you had, or would have been unable to locate, the thing you’re now worrying about throwing out!
So, dare to be bold. If you haven’t used something for five years, chances are you won’t use it in the next five, either. So chuck it!
A second common apprehension is fear of the task’s overwhelming nature – the worry that it’s going to take forever to make a decision about every item.
The antidote to this fear is simply to get started. Grab a bag and walk around your home with the goal of throwing out a certain number of items – maybe it’s five, maybe 25. Attack anywhere and everywhere, especially parts that look easy!
Of course, you’re probably going to have difficulty parting with things that have some kind of sentimental value, especially since life circumstances are always in flux. Relationships, hobbies and jobs can change in the blink of an eye, and some things are just too difficult to shrug off and throw out. So don’t be afraid to keep things for a set amount of time, and make a decision about it once that time is up.
For instance, maybe you just changed jobs and have a box filled with old meeting agendas, a coffee mug, sentimental goodbye cards and so on. Though some of that stuff might be ready for the garbage, give it a couple of months to see whether your life takes a new direction. In some cases, only time will tell.
---
Among the various strategies for scaling down are grouping and skimming.
Okay, maybe you’ve resolved to collect memories instead of shoes. That’s great! But there’s still the business of getting rid of all the excess that you’ve already accrued, so let’s explore some of the most common scaling-down strategies.
One strategy is called grouping. It consists of grouping together all the duplicate items to get a grasp of what should stay and what should go.
Do you have two, ten, or 20 umbrellas? In cases of such everyday objects, you might not even have been consciously collecting them. Rather, you may have added one here and another there as a precautionary extra, in case someone needed it in the future.
Of course, in the process of scaling down, some items will inevitably have to go. Grouping is a good method because seeing all the similar items together will make it easier to see which ones are worth keeping.
Skimming is a different approach with a similar effect: when skimming, you keep the best and throw out the rest without a second thought.
For disposing of anything, from jackets to vases, skimming is a great strategy. Just get started by identifying anything that brings you only a moderate amount of use or satisfaction.
Using this strategy, many objects might leave you wondering “what if” – and that’s actually a great sign that the item needs to go.
Maybe your cupboards are stuffed with dishes, so you open them intending to throw out all but the best two sets. But then another voice inside your head says, “But what if I want to have that huge dinner party one day and serve all 50 people with real china?”
Here, you need to counter that voice with another: “But am I ever going to have that party? And will they care if their food is on real china or not?” Answer: most likely not.
---
Performing triage and taking a photograph are more great strategies for scaling down.
Everyone is different, and different people will prefer different scaling-down methods. So, in addition to grouping and skimming, try out these two additional strategies to find the best fit for you.
Performing triage means collecting all the items in question into one spot, then picking out three from the pile randomly.
Out of those three, pick your least favorite. Once you do that, pick out another three random items, and again pick out your least favorite. In this way, you’ll easily cut down your belongings by one-third.
Triaging is an especially great approach for collectors who have a lot of variations of one item, but it’s also applicable for smaller, everyday clutter, too.
The final strategy is taking photographs of your beloved objects.
It might sound trite, but photos will truly help you hold on to the special memories or meanings attached to objects without taking up much space at all.
Of course, photos won’t have the same physicality as the actual item, but you might be surprised at how much satisfaction you can get from a two-dimensional reproduction.
Much of the time, the value of an object lies in its ability to evoke the feelings or experiences attached to it. As we all know, photos can be invaluable when it comes to remembering that special dinner party or vacation with your loved ones – and the same is true for photos of your belongings.
Maybe you don’t have any room left for your mother’s wedding dress or the vintage car that’s been sitting in your garage for years. It’s not easy to say goodbye, but photographs will help you remember and share the special stories behind such items, even when they’re gone.
---
You’ll feel better about scaling down if you give your stuff a good home.
You’ve now successfully found a strategy that works for you and have culled the best from the rest. But the idea of trashing all your old belongings is still pretty distasteful, right? Well, the good news is that you don’t have to!
Finding good homes for your stuff is actually an important part of scaling down in a happy, healthy way.
Knowing that your objects will go to appreciative new owners instead of disappearing into the landfill will make the process much more bearable and even enjoyable.
Finding the best match for one’s belongings might mean finding a specific person or donating them to the right charitable organization.
Let’s take Jeff as a case study. Jeff needed to scale down, and so decided, rather reluctantly, to part with his beloved old car, which held many great memories. Naturally, he didn’t want to give it away randomly, so he found a reputable charity that would ensure someone else would benefit from it. Doing good while also decluttering his life was a double-whammy, in the best way possible.
Recycling is another way to part with your things with a positive result for both you and society.
Instead of throwing your things in the bin, try to salvage what parts can be recycled. Many communities have recycling programs for paper, metal, plastic and other materials.
As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Knowing that your stuff will be reused will ease the process of scaling down since you’ll know someone will take advantage of it!
---
We don’t need a whole lot to be happy. Though it’s not easy to break the habit of over-consumption, finding ways to sort and reduce your stuff without sacrificing meaning and memories can help you live with less, and be happier for it.
January 20, 2009
This book puts my simplifying efforts to shame. It really delves into WHY you're holding onto all that stuff, and how to let go. Even though it's aimed at an older crowd, I was truly inspired to get rid of a lot more stuff. It's also rather thin - the authors pack the information in, without becoming too repetitive. The only parts that annoyed me were the ones on shopping and dumpsters. If you really are trying to scale down, the shopping has to be cut way back (the authors seemed a little soft on this one). I also don't appreciate the dumpster concept as much as they do because I think it encourages people to trash otherwise useful or recyclable or hazardous stuff. It may help you cut down on belongings very quickly, but the method can be problematic.
April 28, 2015
This book had some good tips about scaling down and making the most of the space you have. I got rid of a couple more garbage bags of clothes after reading it so it was definitely effective. The authors' commentary on how we have become a 'bigger is better' culture really resonated with me.
September 26, 2015
Helpful quick read to get me started cutting down on paper clutter. Even if I keep a big house, I don't want to be at the mercy of paper clutter.
January 1, 2023
My mistake in buying this book as part of a library book sale, one of those ones you fill a bag for $10. I thought this was about living in a mini-house. My mistake but once I started reading it, I very rarely don’t finish a book.
These authors filled 200-some pages with common sense about decreasing clutter in your home. As someone who doesn’t collects, other than Ohio and labor books, and likes to naturally be a minimalist, there was little I learned from this book. If you are someone who just collects – collectables and others – have a hard time tossing magazines, clothing, or other things or you simply shop too much, this book might have value.
These authors filled 200-some pages with common sense about decreasing clutter in your home. As someone who doesn’t collects, other than Ohio and labor books, and likes to naturally be a minimalist, there was little I learned from this book. If you are someone who just collects – collectables and others – have a hard time tossing magazines, clothing, or other things or you simply shop too much, this book might have value.
January 25, 2023
I bought this book in the middle of a cross-country move to a much smaller rental home. I loved the authors' writing styles and their unique ideas on a popular topic. While the "whys" seemed innovative, the "hows" were dated at times and it became quite obvious that the target audience is older than I am. There are many personal and client stories supporting their theories, many questions to help set up your own plan and encouragement to follow through in a variety of downsizing circumatances. This book is entertaining and empowering.
March 18, 2023
This book is primarily about decluttering, and does a thorough job in this area. However I had expected more, based on the title. The book did not help me figure out what "a smaller space" meant for me or how to define that concept for myself and my stuff.
August 27, 2017
It's that time of life - thinking about downsizing....
January 30, 2019
There's something for everyone who is looking to streamline their life, in this book. I slipped some parts but it was useful.
February 17, 2019
S'alright.
September 2, 2019
Inspirational! Have already made small gains declutterimg several areas!
June 2, 2020
Highly recommend.
October 31, 2021
2.5 to 3 stars for me.
For someone who isn’t familiar with minimalism or lived a lot, this may be much more useful
For someone who isn’t familiar with minimalism or lived a lot, this may be much more useful
September 5, 2023
I had to scale down when I sold my house to move closer to my sons. It's probably the most difficult thing I've ever done. This book really helped...thank goodness!
November 2, 2023
I liked it. Gave me some good ideas I am going to work on
June 11, 2009
This is a good book for anyone looking to downsize their home or belongings, moving, or even after the death of a loved one. The authors offer a jculbertson_book1practical approach to going through and getting rid of extra, unwanted, or unused items.
What is helpful about this book is it doesn’t just tell you how to get rid of things, but takes the time to look at the process through an emotional and psychological lenses as well. Within each chapter there are stories of the authors clients to help you see more clearly the point they’re trying to make.
The authors also tackle the “bigger (and more) is better” mentality that is so pervasive in American culture. They promote living with only what you need and truly love and to adopt a “Living Large Mission Statement” : I want to…But…So I will. An example would be “I want to travel, but I have a large mortgage, so I will find a smaller, less-expensive home in an area I love.”
I checked out this book because its been my goal for sometime now to downsize our, which means mostly my, belongings. Now that we’re moving this summer it’s the perfect opportunity to do so! The added bonus is that we’ve been living with my father-in-law for about eight months, so we can save for grad school, and have boxes of stuff stored in the garage. It will be interesting to see what we have that we don’t even use.
Overall, it was an informative, useful, and quick read.
August 14, 2011
This book tries to tackle your motivation for clinging to too much stuff (and acquiring it in the first place). I was already sold on the idea of simplifying, and I've already done some good decluttering, so I didn't need their help on that front. The section on paper clutter had excellent techniques, as did their list of 28 most helpful tips. The book is worth reading for those two sections alone. And it's a very quick read-- only a few hours, especially if you skim less-relevant parts.
Here's what I didn't like. They focus a lot on end-of-life moves. I merely skimmed the chapters on clothes and shopping, since I'm apparently not like most women. And even though it was published in 2005, they seem a little computer-illiterate. (I think it is because the book is targeted to the retirement/nursing home crowd.)
Overall, I'm glad I checked it out from the library, but I'm also glad I didn't buy it.
Here's what I didn't like. They focus a lot on end-of-life moves. I merely skimmed the chapters on clothes and shopping, since I'm apparently not like most women. And even though it was published in 2005, they seem a little computer-illiterate. (I think it is because the book is targeted to the retirement/nursing home crowd.)
Overall, I'm glad I checked it out from the library, but I'm also glad I didn't buy it.
October 5, 2021
My disorganized sister has a plethora of books about organization grouped together on her bookshelves, and I chose Scaling Down: Living Large in a Smaller Space to peruse during a recent visit. As someone now over the age of 50 who does not plan to retire in my current home, I enjoyed the solutions presented to help declutter and downsize in just about every area of a home. The book has a lot of examples from the authors’ own lives as well as from their clients to help make their suggestions easier to understand and less intimidating to attempt. I’m looking forward to tackling everything from closets to file cabinets to photos this summer. Cheers to managing less stuff!
Update: It’s now October and I haven’t gotten around to organizing, yet. Maybe organizing is more of a winter project. 😁
Update: It’s now October and I haven’t gotten around to organizing, yet. Maybe organizing is more of a winter project. 😁
January 2, 2009
I'm in a constant state of de-cluttering my home, it seems. I frequently check out various home simplification and de-cluttering books. This was one that amazon recommended to me and I borrowed it from the library. Instead of just going with the various de-cluttering tips and tricks and whatnot, this book describes how to scale things down and really have only the things you love with you. What I liked about this book were the stories they included about themselves or others who are on the path to decluttering. As a result of this book, I have finally shaped up my closet after a few years of getting rid of things. I'm also learning which knick-knacks I want to get rid of and what things I do want to keep in my house.
April 1, 2013
A very helpful book to inspire me to start scaling down my stuff before I pack for our move. Lots of good tips for getting rid of clutter and stopping you from convincing yourself you need to keep something. The section on organizing print photos was so helpful - I literally stopped reading, brought in the big box of old photographs I had, and spent the next two days paring them down and organizing them. I went from a big Rubbermaid box full, to just a small Photo Organizing Box by Iris (got it at Jo-Anns) full of the most favorite. I then went on to begin making photo books with my digital images from trips I've taken. Two of them are already ordered. Definitely read this book if you have trouble with hidden clutter. You'll feel so much more free once you take it on!
September 15, 2014
I read every book on organizing and simplifying that I can get my hands on, and I usually find a lot of the same tips in all of them. However, this is the first one I have read that addresses the turmoil of scaling down due to the death of a loved one or when circumstances require an aging parent to leave their home. I found their approach very sensitive and realistic in both cases.
The authors also discuss other topics that a lot of organizational books don't cover, like combining households, moving in a hurry, getting outside help, and creating a life book detailing your personal story.
If you need help cutting out the clutter--check out Scaling Down.
The authors also discuss other topics that a lot of organizational books don't cover, like combining households, moving in a hurry, getting outside help, and creating a life book detailing your personal story.
If you need help cutting out the clutter--check out Scaling Down.
March 12, 2016
The intended audience is 60 somethings who want to scale back their large house to suit their empty nest lifestyle. The thing that drew me to the book was the tagline "Living large in a smaller space." We are not downsizing our home; it's only 1,400 square feet for the three of us. What I am interested in is living well in our smaller space. I'm interested in being content. I'm interested in consuming less, taking care of things and organizing less, and living MORE. So, this was an interesting read. I did find myself skimming sometimes as there were whole chunks that didn't really apply to me. However, I also found several useful ideas and reminders. I'm glad I read it.
November 15, 2021
Although there wasn't a lot of "new" information here, the book did give some sound tips about thinking about space and clutter and what you actually want out of your home.
Readers are empowered to begin getting rid of extra things and analyzing whether you need particular items. This is the part that I needed reminders from, both in my own home and my mother's home that I am going through.
Some people will find the writing of mission statements, etc. useful. Unfortunately, I've never found that type of exercise motivating, even before I retired and was working in a field that liked doing that...
Readers are empowered to begin getting rid of extra things and analyzing whether you need particular items. This is the part that I needed reminders from, both in my own home and my mother's home that I am going through.
Some people will find the writing of mission statements, etc. useful. Unfortunately, I've never found that type of exercise motivating, even before I retired and was working in a field that liked doing that...
January 2, 2012
Culbertson covers both the psychological and practical aspects of decluttering and simplifying in this how-to manual. Go from room to room as Culbertson discusses best practices for organizing paperwork, paring down memorabilia, and letting go of duplicates or lesser used items. The book is aimed mostly at empty nesters looking to downsize, but the tips and advice given will help most any person looking to live a fulfilling life with less stuff.
The most helpful parts to me were how to downsize and organize necessary papers (our file cabinet is atrocious) and childhood artifacts.
The most helpful parts to me were how to downsize and organize necessary papers (our file cabinet is atrocious) and childhood artifacts.
February 8, 2017
Well written with lots of good information.
Well written with lots of good information.
Makes you think of how you can improve your life, and I am working hard at doing so.
Well written with lots of good information.
Makes you think of how you can improve your life, and I am working hard at doing so.
February 3, 2014
loved this. the principles are basic and the advice direct. they acknowledge the challenges and emotional attachments and provide reasonable suggestions for moving through those reservations. really enjoyed this and found it useful.
definitely geared towards those later in life downsizing or getting rid of adult children's things, but very well organized writing and easy to skip parts that don't apply to you.
definitely geared towards those later in life downsizing or getting rid of adult children's things, but very well organized writing and easy to skip parts that don't apply to you.
December 28, 2011
Some great tips on how to simplify and minimize the space and the things around you. I liked the tips and chapters about how to help loved ones downsize and de-clutter.
The only thing that bothered me was the last chapter and the author's writing in total praise of urban living. Sure, I love cities, but I don't think that really has much to do with what this book is marketing. One can use these tips for small space living regardless of the population of the area you call home...
The only thing that bothered me was the last chapter and the author's writing in total praise of urban living. Sure, I love cities, but I don't think that really has much to do with what this book is marketing. One can use these tips for small space living regardless of the population of the area you call home...
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