Whether you’re thrilled to send them off to college and financial self-stability or crestfallen your babies are gone, you’re still left with an empty nest. So what better time to reassess not only your goals – like heading out on that long-belated road trip – but also your surroundings? Here are a few tips to help you adjust after your family has downsized, leaving you – and your home – teenager-free.
DECLUTTER
It’s not just the memories that have been building over time. So have the clothes, the toys, the photographs and every other memento connected to those cherished moments in time. Besides, as people grow older, they tend to cling to items more stubbornly. One place to start: the belongings you acquired that don’t have sentimental value. The toasters you picked up along the way, for example, or that cheap lamp you never liked. If all of this sounds like too much to bear, you can always hire a professional to comb through your closets and shelves.
REDECORATE
After two decades of your living room furniture being spilled on, jumped on, slept on and sprawled on, it might be time for something new. The same could be said of almost everything else in your home, including the walls. Maybe you didn’t want to paint with fingerprint-staining kids around. Or you couldn’t cope with covering over every precious mark they made as they matured. Now, however, it is the perfect opportunity to head to the paint store. Plus, you can make whatever changes you want without a teenager telling you your taste sucks.
DON’T STORE EVERYTHING
For an empty nester, it seems like the best of both worlds: hang onto everything, even if you’re not living with it. But while renting a storage unit can be useful for things you will need again – like holiday decorations or ski equipment – it’s probably not for the decades-old baby chair you fed your now-grown children in. In other words, control your storage habit.
RENT OUT A ROOM
Nothing fills the cold void left by your absent children than a little extra cash. But if you do decide to rent out a room in your home, it doesn’t mean it needs to be a permanent arrangement. Many empty nesters rely on such sharing services as Airbnb to generate some side income (in addition to paying fewer expenses taking care of their kids). Use the money to pay for the trips you always talked about going on – or toward purchasing another house.
THINK ABOUT RIGHT SIZING
The hardest thing to get rid of, of course, is the house itself. After all, this is where you raised your family, watched your children grow, cultivated a lifetime of triumphs and challenges. No surprise then that a lot of empty nesters refuse to leave, choosing instead to renovate their homes with elevators or other ways to make their homes accessible as they age. But try to make choices based on how you envision the next few decades. Downsizing to a condo, for example, may allow for more travel while also eliminating such chores as landscaping. Just because one chapter has ended doesn’t mean it’s too early to plan for the next one.