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Downsizing Advice, Part II
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
|January 2026
My column on downsizing (see “Living in Retirement,” Oct.) struck a chord with readers. I heard from many who offered advice on successfully culling clutter.
Reader Nancy Alexander approached the project methodically, with “lots of discrete projects.” Tops on her list was disposing of items she felt were valuable. So, for instance, she took her mother’s antique Rose Medallion China to an auction house, and she found a dealer for her record collection.
In a less glamorous task, she scanned and uploaded professional papers she wanted to save and tossed the rest. Books that she had read more than 10 years ago were candidates for the giveaway pile.
When it comes to books, the sheer volume of volumes can be challenging. Tom Robbins-Milne solved the problem by stocking the “community sharing libraries” in his neighborhood. In addition, he is “talking to my kids about my cherished books and what they mean to me rather than letting them assume they'll find them on my shelves after I'm gone.”
This story is from the January 2026 edition of Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
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