Downsize Wrong, Re-Size Right—Here's How

In this episode of 'Getting Your Edge: How to Downsize Your Home and Life,' hosts Dennis Day and Judy Gratton discuss the concept of right-sizing your life. They provide 12 actionable tips to make your home and lifestyle more manageable and less stressful, from living on one level and decluttering without relocating, to simplifying your landscaping and evaluating your lighting. Whether you are contemplating a smaller home, an RV lifestyle, or aging in place, this episode offers practical advice to help you align your living environment with your current needs. Tune in for insights on making thoughtful, informed decisions that enhance your comfort and well-being.

00:00 S4,Ep.71-Re-Size
00:42 Introduction to Downsizing
01:28 Meet Your Hosts
01:56 Understanding Rightsizing
02:59 What is Rightsizing?
04:09 12 Tips for Rightsizing
04:31 Tip 1: Live on One Level
04:50 Tip 2: Repurpose Unused Rooms
05:23 Tip 3: Declutter Without Relocating
06:42 Tip 4: Reduce Maintenance, Not Space
07:08 Tip 5: Simplify Your Landscaping
07:44 Tip 6: Remodel for Ease and Comfort
08:21 Tip 7: Shrink Your Expenses
09:25 Tip 8: Create a Lock and Leave Home
10:03 Tip #9: Rent Before You Move
11:12 #10 Create a Rental or Guest Space
12:50 Tip #11: Outsource What Drains Your Energy
13:55 Number 12: Change Your Schedule or Routines
14:54 Conclusions and Final Thoughts
21:15 Free PDF of 12 Tips

Here's Our Free 12 Steps To Re-Size Your Life PDF https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kzTVog0QHj9unOFIMFv7QPMjDA0webj0/view?usp=sharing

Transcript

Intro to the Podcast

Dennis Day 0:00

Create a lock and leave home. I really like this idea. You don't have the kids in the house, most likely. If you have a pet, you arrange ahead of time for that person to take the pet or come stay at your home. But create a home that doesn't require a lot of maintenance for you to be there. So that, hey, great deal coming up on Hawaii, Mexico, or visiting family. You can just pack the bag, lock it up, and leave it. Love this idea.

Judy Gratton 0:31

I think that's a great idea.

Meet Your Hosts

Dennis Day 0:42

Welcome to 2026. This is Getting Ridge, How to Downsize Your Home and Life podcast. I'm Dennis Day with co-host Judy Grattan, and we are here to talk about resizing your life, a more flexible, intentional approach to simplifying home finances, and lifestyle. Whether you're considering a smaller home, a resort community, or a RV lifestyle, or maybe aging in place, this conversation will help you make decisions that fit your life now. If you're overwhelmed by maintenance, underusing space, or unsure how we should move at all, this episode will help you find clarity without pressure. Hi everyone, I'm Dennis Day with Getting Your Edge, How to Downsize Your Homeland Life. And Judy, welcome.

Judy Gratton 1:35

Hello. I'm Judy Gratt. And if you're living in a home that feels bigger, emptier, or just harder to manage, you're in the right place.

Dennis Day 1:45

Today we're talking about something we hear more and more from our clients, honestly. Something we wish people had heard of earlier in our downsizing programs.

Emotional Aspects of Downsizing

Judy Gratton 1:56

Instead of asking, should I downsize or move? We're asking a different question. What if you right size your legs?

Dennis Day 2:05

The word downsizing can get a little overwhelming. For a lot of homeowners, it sounds like a loss.

Judy Gratton 2:13

Loss of space, loss of memories, loss of status, or even loss of independence. We see that emotional weight all the time when people talk about selling a longtime family home.

Dennis Day 2:29

We work with people downsizing into retirement every day, and many of them aren't actually struggling with space. Perhaps they're struggling with high maintenance or energy costs.

What is Rightsizing?

Judy Gratton 2:44

True. And they're heating rooms that they never used and cleaning spaces that they don't need and paying for upkeep that no longer matches their lifestyle. That's where the idea of right sizing comes in.

Dennis Day 2:59

Okay. So what does right sizing mean?

Judy Gratton 3:03

Right sizing your life is about alignment and balance. And it does not automatically mean that you're going to be moving.

Dennis Day 3:12

It means stepping back and asking, how do I actually live today? What spaces in my home do I use? What responsibilities feel heavy or overwhelming? What do I want more of and less of in this next chapter of my life? And does this home fit how I live now?

Judy Gratton 3:35

And right sizing might mean staying in your home and remodeling for one level living. So if you've got a two-story home, maybe there's a way that you can convert a room downstairs into your bedroom.

Dennis Day 3:48

It might mean decluttering before downsizing.

Judy Gratton 3:51

Absolutely. It could mean converting unused space into something purposeful like guests, hobbies, or even rental income.

12 Tips for Rightsizing

Tip 1: Live on One Level

Dennis Day 4:01

Or it might actually mean moving to a smaller home, a resort community, an RV lifestyle, or retirement, but on your terms, not because you feel rushed or pushed. Let's go over 12 tips that you can use to resize your home and life. All right, Judy, here we go. Right size, not downsize. 12 steps to less stress and more. You ready? Yes, I am. Suggestion number one: live on one level and reduce the stairs.

Judy Gratton 4:34

Stairs become very hazardous the older that we get. So that's always a great idea. I have a client right now who's trying to figure out how to remodel her townhome so that she can live on the first floor.

Dennis Day 4:50

Number two, close off or repurpose on used rooms.

Judy Gratton 4:55

I have a guest room right now, and we don't have guests hardly ever. I totally understand that concept. I think it's a great idea.

Dennis Day 5:05

Sewing room, craft room. Uh if it's in a certain spot in-house, it might be uh a woodworking room.

Judy Gratton 5:14

Or you can turn a room that you're not using into a room for your hobbies that you never had a chance to enjoy before.

Tip 3: Declutter Without Relocating

Dennis Day 5:22

Number three, declutter without relocating. It's always a good to-do.

Judy Gratton 5:28

It's really a good idea. We have different methods that we suggest to go about recluttering everything from buying dots that you put on things, put something in the baskets. And if you even do just a little bit every day, just for a few minutes a day, but you have to start looking at things, you have to realize in this day and age, very few things that we think are valuable have value. Some boxes or bins. I like the idea of the boxes because when that donate box gets filled up, just take it and donate it. I guess you could try and sell things on Facebook or Etsy or eBay, but I've tried that too. And you get people who say they're gonna take something and they never show up and you start all over again. It's just so time consuming and really not worth the money. So, not for me anyway, not for my time.

Dennis Day 6:27

Just get started with a closet or a shelf.

Tip 4: Reduce Maintenance, Not Space

Judy Gratton 6:30

Just absolutely a drawer where we I have designated junk drawers. I still have them, but I'm trying to get junk out. I look at it and it's have I used this in the last year?

Dennis Day 6:42

Reduce your maintenance, not your space.

Judy Gratton 6:45

Absolutely.

Dennis Day 6:46

Okay.

Judy Gratton 6:47

This is a big one for me. The yard work. We have a huge yard, and we've hired someone now to at least help quite a bit. But reducing that snow removal, huge if you can find a neighborhood kid that you can pay to do that or find a service, same thing with housekeeping.

Tip 5: Simplify Your Landscaping

Dennis Day 7:08

Tip five simplify your landscaping.

Judy Gratton 7:11

I have actually started mixing clover into my lawn. I don't know what it result will be, but my hope is that the clover takes over because it is drought resistant, much easier to manage. It's better for the environment as well. And then planting native plants helps.

Tip 6: Remodel for Ease and Comfort

Tip 7: Shrink Your Expenses

Dennis Day 7:34

Native plants are drought tolerant, and they just don't require near the maintenance that some of the other plants that we know and love. Change your lighting is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve your household. It also improves energy costs and safety. So change your LED lights, remove your fluorescence. Nobody likes fluorescent light. I don't know how we tolerated that through the 70s and 80s, but nobody likes that kind of light. It's a walk-in shower, add grab bars. I just ordered one for my mom. She comes over, she needs to have a grab bar in the bathroom and makes things safer and easier. Remodel for comfort. Shrink your expenses.

Tip 8: Create a Lock and Leave Home

Judy Gratton 8:23

Pay off credit cards. That's always a great idea if you can do it. We had magazines. My father-in-law started on a reader's digest, which just went from the mail to the bin for years because we never read it. And if you do read them, donate them after the fact. There are lots of places that would be thrilled to have your magazines. And then, of course, cable and subscription. There are services now that will actually go through and clean out your subscriptions. Apps are another thing that we end up paying for on our phone and not realizing it until it's too late. They'll either organize them for you so you know what's coming up, or they'll cancel them. And then cable, there are ways around cable now. We finally cut the cord a few years ago, and we've been very happy that we did. We have a smart television and go through our internet service, and most people have internet now.

Dennis Day 9:25

Create a lock and leave home. I really like this idea. You don't have the kids in the house, most likely. If you have a pet, you arrange ahead of time for that person to take the pet or come stay at your home. But create a home that doesn't require a lot of maintenance for you to be there. So that, hey, a great deal coming up on Hawaii, Mexico, or visiting family. You can just pack the bag, lock it up, and leave it. Love this idea.

Tip #9: Rent Before You Move

Judy Gratton 10:02

I think that's a great idea.

Dennis Day 10:04

Rent before you move. Really highly suggest this. I've heard a lot about people who have said, I want to move to this vacation area, we love it there, etc. And then they go there and it isn't what they expected.

Judy Gratton 10:20

The community that you're comfortable with is not there. The services that you need may not be there. So I think that's an excellent idea.

Dennis Day 10:30

Not for a weekend, not for a week. Stay for several months and see if the weather changes. I have a friend in Portland and she loves it there 10 months of the year, but August and September are horrifically hot, humid, a little of that wind or a breeze.

Judy Gratton 10:49

My brother lives down there as well.

Dennis Day 10:51

Yeah. The weather can change, so spend time before you make a decision.

#10 Create a Rental or Guest Space

Judy Gratton 10:57

I have a good friend who's doing that right now. She's down at the desert. She's staying there till March. It was a family home, and she's considering buying it, but she's gonna go down and see how it goes for her before she comes back home.

Dennis Day 11:12

Turn that space into a rental or a guest space for extra income.

Judy Gratton 11:19

I have friends that have Airbnbs in their home and they do very well with it. You may not want to go the route of people who come and stay for a day or a week or whatever, because that's requires a lot of maintenance. But they bring in medical or traveling nurses. Corporations like Boeing will bring people in under an apprenticeship from another part of the country and have them stay for two to six months. That's great if you're comfortable with that idea. But always work with reputable organizations and make sure that you run all the background checks to make sure they're a good fit for you. Big closet that she actually turned into being used as one of the bedrooms in her rental area down in the basement of her home.

Dennis Day 12:09

Number 11. Some people are really into this grocery delivery.

Judy Gratton 12:19

My daughter being one of the she was doing delivery during COVID, but then now she's really into the where you place the order and then you just pull up and pick it up. And that that sort of thing, that sort of service, she's got three little kids. So it really is helpful for her if you can afford grocery delivery or pickup, where you just place your order and then you pick it up at the store. Even stores like Target are doing that now.

Dennis Day 12:50

Home maintenance can be problems. I'm getting up there in years myself. I don't want to be climbing up on ladders, getting on the second story. The fall could be catastrophic. So look for a great handyman or a service. There are apps that help you do this.

Judy Gratton 13:07

Next door is a great place to ask people around you. Who have you used that you recommend?

Dennis Day 13:13

And a meal service. Some people swear by this, and they get these healthy, appropriate meals that taste great, and they deliver them to your door.

Judy Gratton 13:27

There's all kinds of them being advertised now. The other meal services are like pre pre-cooked, packaged. Some of them are even fresh, not frozen. And they have massive menus breakfast, lunch, dinner. It is a cost, but it may well be worth it.

Number 12: Change Your Schedule or Routines

Dennis Day 13:50

If it gives you time to do the other things you really want to do and you can afford it, why not? Number 12. Change your schedule or your routines. Many of us have got into a routine based on our work schedule. And now perhaps you're retired, you're working part-time. So changing things up can really fit exactly what you're doing, what your lifestyle is now, rather than what it was when you were a 40-hour plus a week employee.

Judy Gratton 14:26

Yeah, I agree with that completely. Those are all really good ways to make changes in your life that make your life more comfortable, whether you move or don't move. What life is all about is making decisions from making your best choices from different options.

Dennis Day 14:47

So it's a recalibration, resizing, not the full downsize. Downsizing light.

Judy Gratton 14:54

I think downsizing that word scares people. It's like they're afraid they're going to lose something they don't want to lose. And it you don't have to do that. On the other hand, you do have to be realistic about what really is working in your life and what it costs to keep it, if it's something that you really want. So let's give you some ideas of what some other people have done with their homes. We recently worked with some homeowners who assumed that selling was their only option. They looked through resizing their life and they realized they really loved their community. They loved the neighborhood they were in, and they really didn't want to leave. So they did remodel to get a main floor with reduced storage and simplified the landscaping, and suddenly the home worked well for them.

Dennis Day 15:43

Yeah. We had another couple of thought downsizing, giving up their comfort that they were going to be squeezed into a tiny little space. Instead, they sold the big big family home. They moved into a smaller space in a resort area with all kinds of amenities they actually use walking trails, social events, and low maintenance. And we see people exploring the RV living too. Yes. Part-time or full-time. Resizing gives you permission to experiment on what life you really like.

Judy Gratton 16:21

I think the important thing is for people to dream. This is your opportunity to do things that you've put off because you were raising a family, because you were doing this, because you were doing that. And this gives you the opportunity to make changes that will make your life more comfortable and fulfilling, whether it's staying in your house or not. We personally have been looking at the idea of building an ADU on our property. And my son is disabled. So at some point in the future, turning this home into an adult family home where he could continue to stay in the home that he really knows. And then building that ADU, allowing the people who would take care of the home and the people living here to live there, it would be eventually a source of income for us and for our son once we're gone. And then we could go on to things that we want to do with our life. So there's all kinds of things to consider. And we're happy to discuss those with you.

Dennis Day 17:36

If you're listening or watching and wondering, okay, resize, what's my next step? What am I going to do?

Judy Gratton 17:43

Ask yourselves if you're downsizing because you want to or you feel that you should, do not should on yourself. Do I need less space or less responsibility? If you're comfortable with the space you have, but you're just tired of the things that you're doing, you need to weigh those decisions. Would lifestyle changes solve the stress that maybe you're feeling right now before a move?

Dennis Day 18:09

This is where good real estate can advise you, and we can provide that. Downsizing isn't just a transaction for us, it is a life transition.

Judy Gratton 18:21

And it requires really some thought. People that write size first, what the decluttering part of it, that may solve your problem, finding a landscaper, a great handyman, the meal service idea, exploring what you want to do next. I think all of that, they usually, people who do that, they make better financial and emotional decisions.

Dennis Day 18:47

One of the biggest mistakes we see people make is jumping into it and selling quickly, too fast, maybe on a whim.

Judy Gratton 18:56

Resizing your life can help you avoid unnecessary moves and costly mistakes or buyers' remorse, people who feel that they're being forced to move. Family and friends make the decision for you. It's got to be something that you want to do. It gives clarity to your timing and your budget and priorities, especially important when planning retirement housing options. It needs to be your decision. You're the one who has to live with it.

Dennis Day 19:28

That's it for today's episode. I hope this resonated with you. Remember, you don't have to downsize your home before you really understand what you want.

Judy Gratton 19:40

Right size first, and then decide what housing choices supports that, the life that you want best. Do your research, ask for advice from a trusted realtor and family friend. Find someone who's done this kind of work in the past, understands. What you're going through, willing to take the time to listen, not just looking for another sale.

Dennis Day 20:07

If you're thinking about selling that family home, moving to a smaller home, or exploring retirement communities.

Judy Gratton 20:14

We're here to help you through that entire process with clarity and confidence. Our goal to help you make an informed decision. We've been doing this in the Seattle area for quite some time.

Dennis Day 20:28

Thanks for listening and watching. Getting your edge how to downsize your home and life. If you found value in this episode, please subscribe, hit the like button, share it with a friend, and we hope to see you next time.

Judy Gratton 20:43

Oh, Dennis, we forgot. Aren't we going to have a little cheat sheet that will be available for people to download?

Dennis Day 20:52

You are right. Thanks for reminding me on that. Folks, we've given you a ton of information, so we're going to make this PDF available for you to download. And this is basically what we've talked about in one-page form. You didn't take notes.

Free PDF of 12 Tips

Judy Gratton 21:14

There it is.

Dennis Day 21:15

So we want to make sure that you have access to that information on a one-page PDF. We will put a link in our description of this podcast, and it'll be available. Click on the link and you'll be able to download it, and it will explain exactly what we have said. It also gives our information. So if you have questions about resizing, downsizing, or any other real estate needs.

Judy Gratton 21:44

If you're not in the Seattle or Washington area, don't think that you can't reach out to us. We'd be happy to answer questions for you, and we might be able to find someone experienced in your area if you need help.

Dennis Day 21:58

That's it, folks. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time.

Judy Gratton 22:02

Bye.