69. What’s Worth Paying to Move? A Downsizing Cost Breakdown

Sometimes the most expensive part of moving is not the move itself. It is the cost of bringing too much with you.

In this episode, we’re breaking down the real math behind downsizing decisions and talking through the hidden costs that show up when people move things they no longer use, store things “just for now,” or keep paying to transport items that no longer fit their life or next space.

We talk through furniture, books, kitchen items, tools, appliances, sentimental belongings, storage units, and the emotional decisions that quietly affect moving costs more than most people realize.

We also share practical ways to decide what is worth paying to move, what may be smarter to replace later, and how to avoid spending thousands of dollars protecting things you may never actually use again.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why moving costs are often driven more by volume than distance
•  The hidden financial cost of delayed downsizing decisions
•  How storage units quietly become long-term expenses
•  What categories of items are usually cheaper to replace than move
•  Why sentimental value and replacement value are not always the same thing
•  Questions to ask before paying to move something into your next chapter
•  How to think about the emotional side of “but I paid good money for that”

If you’re trying to make practical decisions about what stays, what goes, and what is actually worth the cost to move, this episode will help you think through those choices a little differently.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to leave us a review and Follow our show so you never miss a new episode. We’re here for your downsizing questions — on the podcast, in your community, and when you’re ready to move. As Realtors®, we can connect you with the right specialists to make your next chapter smoother. We’d love to hear from you!

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Transcript

Jodi Rosko 0:01

Welcome back to another episode of the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast with your hosts Jody Roscoe and Heather Fisher. We're talking about all things downsizing, from our own experiences with clients to guest experts. Let's make downsizing easier, one conversation at a time.

Heather Fisher 0:17

Hi, welcome to Downsizing Roadmap Podcast. A downsizing cost breakdown. That's what we're talking about today. What is worth paying to move? So this can be really eye-opening.

Jodi Rosko 0:31

Yeah.

Heather Fisher 0:31

I think. And you know, we always talk about parameters and filters for when you're deciding what to keep and what might move to the next phase with you. And I think this one will give you a real good dollars and cents parameter. We'll talk a little further in the episode on, you know, some how the math doesn't always math to make it a good decision to keep something.

Jodi Rosko 0:56

Yeah, especially if you're not sure you want to keep it. It's not like use something that you know that you love, right? How expensive is that maybe box we will talk about. So I'm Heather Fisher. I'm Jody Roscoe. I wish I had this math when I moved here from San Diego to Ohio. I drove uh we I moved a lot of stuff that then when I got here, I was like, why do I have this? I don't need it. And I spent all the money to move it.

Heather Fisher 1:20

Oh my gosh. If you're moving across cities, I think that's where the huge cost comes. Um and we typically typically think about that costing so much. But on the flip side, if you're downsizing, it's not like we're young, you know, spring chickens that are renting a U-Haul and loading it ourselves. Right. So everything we're taking, even if it's local and close by, um, it's a falsehood to think that that's not gonna add up when we're not doing it ourselves like we did in our twenties.

Jodi Rosko 1:53

In the labor to move it and in the cost per weight of m moving it or however they're charging you to move it. So yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Heather Fisher 2:03

Right. I'll set over there. So um, you know, just looking at things item by item, um, especially furniture, furniture, books, heavy items, if you're only wishy-washy on a you know, a bookcase or a heavy desk and you're not sure and you haven't planned whether it's even gonna fit, you know, if you bought that desk for $200 and it's gonna cost you $400 to move, that's the math we're talking about today.

Jodi Rosko 2:34

Well, and even if you bought it, you know, for a lot of money, I think that's where people really get hung up. They're like, well, that was worth a lot of money. Yeah. And but it's not worth a lot of money now. Maybe it's worth $80, $100, $50. And now you're paying, you know, $700 to move something that's worth $80 that you did pay maybe several thousand dollars for, yeah. But furniture just doesn't hold its value like it used to. Or, you know, or it just doesn't hold its value.

Heather Fisher 3:04

And and we say all the time, downsizing is never about getting rid of everything you own. So there are items that aren't going to math, but they're ones to keep, the ones you love, the ones you use. It might be expensive to move them, but if they're a firm, yes, yeah, do that. Yeah, love it. Absolutely take it. We're not saying, you know, don't move everything or you know, don't take anything that might cost money to move. Um, but just really making that clear decision and not moving a lot of maybes and just delaying those decisions because that can be expensive.

Jodi Rosko 3:41

So the question is, is it worth it to move this or should we let it go? Yeah. That's what we're doing. Yes. Okay, so hard cat hard cost to factor in. So, right, there's hauling and moving fees, which we've we which we just said, they they charge by weight or by volume. Um, and it's different, you know, different ones. So you'll have to, as you interview people, you'll have to see how they're charging. But either way, if it's a big box, you know, or if it's a heavy box, um, then it's it's costing you money for each thing. And that's what m what adds up. Kind of like when you go to Costco and you put, you know, things in your cart. And you're like, well, that's only ten dollars, and that's only ten dollars, and then you get to the you know, register and at Costco, it's always like three hundred or four hundred dollars.

Heather Fisher 4:26

Yeah, we don't need to talk about Costco math.

Jodi Rosko 4:28

But it's the same thing. I feel like it's like uh it just every bit adds up. And so as you kind of do it, it you're the maybe ones are gonna add up into a lot of money.

Heather Fisher 4:37

Yeah, I think too, um over some a problem that I've seen happen to many people is that you start the process, you get an estimate for movers, and you think, okay, well, I'm not keeping this, this, and this, and then you get a little stuck in the emotion and you keep more. And we've had people have to go get add on a second truck or add on another U-Haul or add on another trip. And um, you know, it's just because of that panic, they didn't quite leave themselves enough time to be comfortable with the sorting and to know um what they had.

Jodi Rosko 5:17

Well, and that also um ends up to being too much stuff when you get to wherever you're going. And so not only have you now paid for it, but now you're feeling overwhelmed by it once you get there as well. So um make the decisions ahead. Just do not kick the decisions down the road. Yeah. Um, I think is what we're trying to say on that. So um another hard cost to factor in is are you gonna have to have a storage unit to store the stuff in the meantime? And or like if you're selling your house and it's too full of things and you're not making the decisions about it, did you have to get a pod to take some of the stuff out? Did you have to move stuff to the storage unit? You know, what what does that look like? Or the stuff doesn't fit? A lot of times we'll hear people say this you know, I'm just gonna move the stuff that fits in the new house that's smaller, and then I'm gonna put the rest of it in a storage unit, um, and I'll just f sort through it later because they're feeling overwhelmed and they're feeling like I can't make all these decisions and I don't have that time frame to do it. So if I just put it in a storage unit, then I'll go over there and sort through it. And what what we find is people do not go over there and sort through it, they just start paying on a storage unit and it lives there for a long time.

Heather Fisher 6:29

Yeah, we have people that ask us at our class and things. We just had someone last week say, Well, you guys must be so good at this. And I mean, I uh I'm ready to fuss up, but we have made that storage unit mistake. Um, you know, as you know, we combine I combined households with my husband and um we did a what we anticipated being a much shorter temporary uh storage unit when we were gonna build our new house. And um, you know, as I've said before, that got delayed. But I don't think that's uncommon. I mean, our reason was for us, but I think that that's what you're saying. People say, well, I'll put it in the storage unit short term and then I'll go through it, and then it'll all be fine. And I think for so many people that becomes years. Um, so I did the math on our storage unit. Um that was probably painful. It was very painful, guys. This is, I mean, we are, you know, failing forward here. Um, but we we put um stuff from my house into a storage unit. I got rid of a lot, Jody knows. Um, I felt like I was making those decisions, uh, but now looking at what I kept in the storage unit, um I I don't want most of it. So was not keeping it, you know, what I did do want. I could have, you know, gotten uh into our house that was our temporary house if I try, you know, tried harder. But we've had our storage unit since July of 2020 when I moved. Oh my god. So 67 months, you guys. 67 months.

Jodi Rosko 8:11

That doesn't even seem like that was that long. Because I remember the whole process. You're like, and we're gonna build, so I'm just gonna take some of this stuff, and then I'm we know we can decide once we get there. All of that.

Heather Fisher 8:19

Yeah, so the time goes by. 67 months we've had the storage unit at $120 a month. $8,000, $8,040 that we've spent, and now I have to hire a junk guy to come get Oh my god, Heather! And guys, this is what happens because we've been in our new house where I have a full empty unfinished basement since October, but it's hard to get, I mean, all the things in life, it's not a one-day thing. We had big visions of like, as soon as we move, it'll be cleaned out. And it's hard to get it all done.

Jodi Rosko 9:02

So Well, and then you're like, I don't want to bring all that stuff into my new house. Like, I better sort it over there. Like, I don't want to, you know, there's all the thing, all the words that we say to ourselves about it. But then this weekend I got stuff going on, and my kids are doing this, and the grandkids are doing this, you know, like whatever's happening for you. And so we're just not getting over there this weekend.

Heather Fisher 9:20

But we'll do that next weekend, and oh my gosh, now it got really cold and it's cold out there, and I don't want to, you know, I mean, all the things exactly the conversations we have, and I think people all over the place are having that. There's not a whole lot of with the amount of storage units in America, I would I I'm guessing a percentage, but I mean, let's go to the 80-20 rule. There's probably 80% of them that are only being used because of delayed decisions like ours, not because of an actual valid storage unit, uh, storage problem that couldn't be solved in a more cost-effective way.

Jodi Rosko 10:01

Yeah, we were moving from a uh smaller house to a bigger house, and so we needed to get a storage unit um for a few months because we had so much stuff in our house that would fit in the bigger house. So it was, you know, now should we have kept it all? Um that's a whole nother day. But we needed to move some bigger pieces out so that the house looked, you know, could could be staged properly so that people could see um what the house needed to look like. And so it was only a couple months. And I think that there are good purposes for that sometimes. But I do think that what happens is out of sight, out of mind. Okay. Right? And you just you just you think that's a good plan. Okay, you think, oh, this is this is what we're gonna do. We'll just uh put everything we're not sure about in that storage unit, and then we'll uh you know have time to go over there and just take our time and go through it. It just doesn't happen. You do not make that a priority because it's not in your way, it's not like irritating you. It's just over the I mean you're just paying it and you're paying it you paid $8,000, which is crazy. And you know, I remember when you got it and it was like yeah, that's a smart idea. You know, you're gonna build an I mean I wasn't like also thinking, you know, how much money how long that would end up being and how much money that would end up being. Um because when you said it, I was like, that totally sounds justified. Um but we've learned a lot since then too, by the way. Um we've come a long way ourselves in all of this. But um, but I think that w when things just are are totally out of your everyday, um trying to make time to go over there, that even happens, you know, that happened when I had my mom's house, you know, and and it took us way longer to go through that stuff in my mom's house than it needed to because I didn't want to go over there. Like, and so that will be what happens with the stuff in the storage. You don't want to go over there. It's not stuff that you need because you put it in the storage unit. So it's not like, oh my gosh, I need to go over there and get that, whatever. It's all stuff that you probably don't need. And so there's no urgency. There is no urgency about it except that tiny little cuts every month. Like you paid that money, but you paid it in such in a small amount to where it doesn't seem like if you were if somebody was like, Hey, if you you know, you want me to store that, it'll be eight thousand dollars. You'll be like, No. Right. Right. Donations. But it's like, oh, it's a hundred dollars, it's a hundred and fifty dollars, it's two hundred dollars a month, you know, it's whatever. And so you think, oh yeah, like when you put it in there, you think, well, all of that stuff must be more than two hundred or three hundred dollars. And so, yeah, we need to make sure we go through it. And so quickly it can become Yeah.

Heather Fisher 12:47

Similarly, we see a lot of times um our clients that are moving to um most often we see this when they're going to like a senior living community or somewhere where they're not necessarily making a direct transfer of the equity and the funds from their the sale of their house right away.

Jodi Rosko 13:06

Yeah.

Heather Fisher 13:07

Where the house will sit for just months and months. And um, you know, if we're looking at the the math of a move, um that can really be a huge expense in that same way and more if you're keeping utilities on at the property and um you know, paying taxes, paying for maintenance that comes up, upkeep, mowing. Um, but we've had clients, you know, oh, we had we moved out of here 11 months ago and they're still dealing with the stuff or you know, long time frames. So this is all part of just really trying to clarify how much that will cost you financially and in other ways with that mental weight of the yeah.

Jodi Rosko 13:53

Yeah. Because like, okay, we already talked about the hauling and moving, you know, the moving costs and the storage unit potentially. Um, boxes, bubble wrap, you know, like if you're if you're taking 30 or 40 more boxes of stuff that you need, honestly, and that's not unreasonable that we see, um, you're paying for that many boxes, the supplies, time off work that you're, you know, doing that, or or your time that you could be doing something else, you know, either way. Um, and then there's some hidden costs about it, like like um, you know, rebuying items that you forgot you had in storage. So it's like probably I know it was like probably like Christmas to you in a little way when you opened it and you were like, except not in the best way, because then you're like, whoa, look, I I don't I don't want this.

Heather Fisher 14:40

I have seen it. Well, I mean, it's it's definitely a two-way street. I mean, there are some of my just more um important items to me that I'm very excited to have back out of storage that I love and treasure, but that's such a small portion. And I mean, for instance, you can't plan a you know the whole situation perfectly. So we had um like a bed that we backed very first, you know, the storage units. It's back at the back, and we ended up because we didn't have the rest of the unit all cleared out, we ended up replacing it. It's in there. I was, you know, it wasn't the bed I had to have. Yeah. Um, you know, it was for my daughter's room, and so we got a different one because we couldn't get to it yet. Right.

Jodi Rosko 15:33

So you're rebuying either you're rebuying it because it's packed in there in a way that you're like, I can't get rid of all of this stuff or you know, get to it. Or you forget it's even in there because you you know, you don't remember. It could go to a place where you don't even remember what all you have.

Heather Fisher 15:49

Yeah, yeah.

Jodi Rosko 15:49

So and then sometimes stuff gets damaged, honestly.

Heather Fisher 15:53

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 15:53

If you're it it can get damaged in trans transit and it can get damaged sitting around in a storage unit.

Heather Fisher 15:59

That's not I mean, even if you want to protect the most important items, you need a climate controlled and um all of that, but that's more of a cost to get the specialty um unit that will protect it well. Right.

Jodi Rosko 16:14

Okay, so some common household categories. Um, you know, if we were gonna say the cost of keeping it versus the cost of replacing it, um, you know, IKEA style furniture is super inexpensive. Um, you know, stuff that you put together, yeah, you have to sit down with your screwdriver and put it all together.

Heather Fisher 16:37

Yeah, a couple hundred dollars.

Jodi Rosko 16:40

Yeah. But it might also be a a hundred hundred or so dollars to move it.

Heather Fisher 16:45

Yeah. And because it is what it is, moving it is going to make it not so start. Like the screws start coming out and it it's a lot more wobbly after a move.

Jodi Rosko 16:57

It is more wobbly, yeah. After a move. Yeah, because we had some bookcases that were IKEA and they looked really cute in our house, and we moved them, and they were definitely a little bit more, you know, not so square, and the doors didn't quite line up the way that they did before. And um yeah, so uh basic kitchen gear. It's probably like a hundred and fifty dollars to replace your basic kitchen, you know, stuff. Um depending on your and I'm not talking about your kitchen aid mixer and all of that stuff, but just you know, maybe some dishes and silverware and stuff like that. But they're heavy. Yeah. So that can cost the same amount to to take it. Now, if you love it, keep it.

Heather Fisher 17:38

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 17:38

But if it's like, oh, it's you know, now we have six plates and seven spin, you know, seven bowls and you know, whatever, maybe it's time, maybe it's time to let that go.

Heather Fisher 17:48

And well, I think some people get hung up on um replacement cost, but forget to think about the moving cost. So even if it's equaling out or just a little bit more, if it's something that you would really love to have new, right? That's a great time because the last thing you want to do is feel, you know, not so great about something, but move it anyway, because you think, oh, I don't want to spend the money on replacing it. But then it you love it even less in a brand new space. And so you replace it anyway, and you've already spent the money to move. If it's those items that you've already gotten the use out of and it would just be fantastic to have that refresh, um, you know, it'll make you love that new space so much more. And the cost of replacement may be equal to or less than moving it.

Jodi Rosko 18:42

And remember, we're working against our own brain where our brain tells us if we own something that we need to, you know, keep it and keep it in good, like in good standing and like make sure that we, you know, protect that thing that we own, even if it's not something that we love or that we even want. Um, right. So we've talked about that before, that experiment where people were given a mug, it wasn't even special or theirs or whatever, and they just thought the value of it was so much more right after they were giving it, given it because they owned it now. And so your mind does that. So you're working against that as you're going through your stuff, and you're thinking, you know what? I think that I should keep all of these, you know, butter, empty butter containers that I use for um, you know, uh instead of Tupperware and every all this stuff that doesn't have lids anymore, but I'm gonna, it's mine, so I'm just gonna take that mindlessly, like I'm gonna put that in a box because I'm packing the kitchen, right? And so we're trying to say instead of doing that, you know, maybe you think, okay, none of this, none of this Tupperware works anymore, or none of this, you know, food containers work anymore, and I don't need to keep all the jars and whatever of stuff that I've kept and you know clear all of that out. And the cost of not moving it might be enough to just buy a whole new set. That's what we're trying to say.

Heather Fisher 20:11

Yeah, it's such a key word that you said in there is mindless mindlessly packing. Yeah. You don't need to do that, just put a little bit of thought process on it and don't don't pack it all just because you own it.

Jodi Rosko 20:24

Because I think it's like, well, we're taking it because it's ours. Like that that's that's what it is. And so instead of that, it's like put some thought into whether you actually need it or want it.

Heather Fisher 20:34

Yeah, absolutely.

Jodi Rosko 20:36

So we talked about the the storage unit math of the So custom high-end furniture versus IKEA furniture, right? I mean, that stuff, if you still love it, if you still love it, if it still fits in your new place, because if you're if you're moving from a bigger place to a smaller place, a lot of times the scale of the furniture does not fit anymore. And so um you need to do a little bit of work on that to make sure it's gonna fit and it's gonna look right in there. So sometimes it'll fit, but then you can't really walk around it or it feels like wall-to-wall furniture, and so that's not, you know, that then turns into a little bit of a different anxiety when we get into that place and it just feels tight. Um, so but custom high-end furniture that you love probably is uh is worth moving because that will um that will cost less to move than it would cost to buy over again.

Heather Fisher 21:32

Yeah, absolutely. And um, but if it's not something that you want, it's gonna be one of those items that costs the most to move. Yeah. Um, you know, heavy wood.

Jodi Rosko 21:47

Yeah, so make sure it fits and it's in its the look you want. You know, like a bit again, we always talk about that first big step is dreaming and what is that gonna look like, and is that fitting fitting your future life, and is that what you need to use. Need the big China Hutch if you don't need the China and like you're not doing the you know big Thanksgiving at your house anymore and all of that. So um books books are heavy, so heavy books are so heavy, yeah. And so um you know, 10 boxes of books is like 300 pounds. Um, and so you want to really think about the books that you're bringing. Um, and I love books. I'm a reader, I love I love reading, I love all of that. But um really I think the thought process on books is if you would read it again, then keep it. If you would not read that book again, then maybe it's time to let it go.

Heather Fisher 22:42

Yeah, really be honest with yourself on how long they've been on the shelf they are currently or in a box that you haven't touched them. Um and if you're you're honest with that, you know, that'll give you that answer as to whether you're gonna reread it. Yeah, yeah.

Jodi Rosko 22:59

Um tools. Tools um are heavy, but they're also expensive and valuable. So it depends. Or do you use them? I mean, are you gonna be using those tools again in your new place? Or was that, you know, you used to do it fix everything in the house and you're over it now, and that would be us. We would fix everything. And now we're a little bit more um over it. But um, so what does that look like? And again, we're asking ourselves on all of these hobbies, any of that stuff, like are we really going to do them in my next phase?

Heather Fisher 23:32

And do them in the same way. Yeah, it's not an all or nothing for the whole category, but it's curating your tools down to what would fit the new space on what your needs will be there or who will be doing the work. Um, and this might be a category where um, you know, family might, you know, be the one to want some of those tools and become that person for the family.

Jodi Rosko 23:59

Yeah. And you can give yourself um like a like a budget to replace things, right? So if you save a bunch of money on the move because you aren't, you know, taking as many super heavy things, you can take some of that money and still spend it, but spend it on replacing things or you know, buying some new things to give your new place, you know, a a better feel for you, or or things fit better in there, or you've always hated those drinking glasses and you're not taking them, and you know, you're gonna go get some new ones.

Heather Fisher 24:32

Yeah, yeah. And um artwork or heirlooms um is one that can be hard to replace and might have that emotional, you know, the emotional value is high. Um, but I would just ask, are they are they your heirlooms or just old things that you own?

Jodi Rosko 24:50

Well, and artwork really sets the tone of your house. And so is is the tone gonna be the same? Are you recreating your same thing in the next place, which is fine if you love it and that's what you want to do, or are you like, you know, I want a fresh start, I want it to feel different. Artwork is going to, you know, set that tone of of your of your house. And so if it's artwork that you um don't love anymore for whatever reason, then maybe it's time to, you know, sell that or let that go.

Heather Fisher 25:20

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Designing the new space for the new phase.

Jodi Rosko 25:25

Yeah. That it is. Yeah, and we get both we get both. We get people that are like, no, I want to take my stuff that I love because I want it to feel like my home, you know. And we've had some clients that have uh really like done such a great job in a much smaller space, still making the house feel like their house that it was before. Um, and they feel comforted by that. And then we have had clients who've just you know gotten new things and felt like okay, new new phase, new stuff, and I'm ready to you know do something different. And neither one is wrong. It's just to be thoughtful about what it actually is. And if you're the one that wants something new, don't take all the old stuff because it's yours and you're just packing, right? Yeah. Okay. So um I think we've done um storage math already, right?

Heather Fisher 26:16

Yes, that's a sad, sad topic. Yeah, yeah.

Jodi Rosko 26:19

Okay.

Heather Fisher 26:20

Um so emotional justifications are sometimes the thing struggling in your mind against the financial reality because so often we see people think, but it's still good, and I paid a lot for that. And you know, the counter question to that would be, how much will you pay to keep it? You know, you paid a lot at the beginning, but how much are you paying in all the ways that we talked about to keep it? Um, or I might need it someday. Um, asking yourself the counter question of when was the last time you used it or needed it? Um, you know, define that someday. And um the third one, it was a gift. You know what we say about this one, uh, guilt is not a gift. So I don't think it was a gift should ever be the defining uh reason to keep something. If it's all the other questions, you love it, you use it, you honor it, it's part of your day-to-day, keep it. If you don't use it, didn't really care for it, it's at the end of its life, any of the other parameters, if it makes it a no, that's okay. The fact that it was a gift one way or another doesn't really factor in.

Jodi Rosko 27:38

It's not a reason to keep it. I think all of these, um my my mother probably said all of these things. Um it's still good, it was expensive, somebody gave it to me, I might need it someday. All of those things. Um, and I think part of that was um because she didn't want to get rid of things. That was her personality. She liked to keep a lot of things, and she um so that was her her procrastination of dealing with the the thing, of you know, it was kind of her justification of why she needed to keep things. Um and it it's fine, but you it will bury you in your stuff if you if you let yourself justify all of the reasons. And so if I'm if it if the answer, if you're saying it's still good, that's great. Is it good for you? Is it good for your future? Is that what you're looking towards? Or somebody else will see it as good also and be like, I want that in my house, in my space, and they will love it and honor it, and so that's where that thing should live, right? Um, because you are you are just needing to surround yourself with the things that you care about and that make you happy. So if if if the thing that you think you should keep is something that you are going to keep in a box in a storage unit, that means you you can let it go because you don't care about it enough to want to look at it every day, to have it make you happy when you look at it, and all of those things. So all of those are just justifications for for not making the decision. I'm being a little mean right now, but it's true. They're just justifications for not making the decision. Um, and so start just by surrounding yourself with the stuff that you really care about and the let the rest of it go. Um, I might need it someday, you might, but the I would say the amount of stuff that you need later is maybe five percent, and you probably can buy that again, you know, for even with the savings of not moving it. You know, it's rare that we need um we need something again, because the things that you need every day, you're gonna take because you're gonna like, oh, I use that. Like I need I need that.

Heather Fisher 29:49

Those decisions will be clear. Yeah. Yeah. So just reframing that you're not losing the item, you're saving your future self time and money and stress by getting rid of it, honestly.

Jodi Rosko 30:01

Yep, yep. So ask yourself these, you know, do I use it all the time? Would I buy it again today? These, you know, these are things that we talk about all of the time. Um, will it actually fit into my new space? Because think about like honestly think where will I put that? Is it gonna sit on the dining room table? Is it gonna, you know, sit on a bookcase? Like, where is it going exactly? Um and um, you know, uh just think about the cost to move it and does it cost more to move it than to replace it if you do need it in the someday category.

Heather Fisher 30:37

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 30:38

Good questions. Good questions. Yeah. So um when paying makes sense, like items that you really should consider paying to move, right? Um true antiques um and heirlooms, which there are many of those. Yeah. Um, but there are some. There are some out there that are actually true antiques, and if you love them and you want them in your space, um, then you probably should insure them and get them um moved, you know, properly and all of that.

Heather Fisher 31:07

Yeah, there are those heirlooms that just hold financial value um that are a legacy part of a family, but that's really rare. Um, so just researching and like Jody said, if it truly is a financial reason for keeping it in the family, is it properly stored? Is it properly insured? Um, you know, are you preserving that?

Jodi Rosko 31:30

Yeah, so rare items with high replacement values, um, then definitely worth it. But again, I I still want it to be something that you love.

Heather Fisher 31:40

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko 31:40

And so if that's the case and and you don't, then sell it. Because it probably if it has value, yeah, then then sell it so that you, you know, you have room for whatever it is that you want in your in your future. Yeah. So and not just because it was expensive at one point, is it still holding its value now? That's a question.

Heather Fisher 31:59

That's a big difference in those two answers.

Jodi Rosko 32:02

Yeah. Yep. So um, you know, if you're doing a hobby now and it's something that you constant that you are working now, because I think we end up with a lot of hobbies that we've let go by the wayside and then we don't let go of the things. Um or you know, you have high quality tools if you're if you do woodworking or if you fix things around the house or those kind of things, um, those are probably worthwhile because they're expensive. Again, things that that were expensive but still would be expensive.

Heather Fisher 32:29

I think there's a place to to maybe set a not a goal, but um dedicate, like if you were to sell some of these things that you don't need anymore, but do have a higher monetary value, set a little reward for yourself, like all of the money we get from selling the tools, we're going to, you know, fill in the blank, take a trip, or replace you know, the living room furniture for a better size. And when you earmark what you're going to do with that, um, it can be a little more exciting to sell it and watch that add up. Yeah. Um, so that's a good way to look at it.

Jodi Rosko 33:10

Yeah, so just remember that, you know, your mindset is that the value of the item isn't necessarily what it's worth, it's what it costs you to keep it. And um sometimes uh we've seen people keep things, you know, way too many things, and then the cost of that is that they're uncomfortable in their new space because they feel crowded and they can't move. And that's the that's the thing we dislike the most when we see this process happen, is then we'll get those are the few people that we talk to. Most um everybody we talk to, it's like, oh my gosh, I wish I would have done this sooner. But those people that keep too much are the few that we um end up hearing, like, I'm not sure this was a good, you know, choice for me. And it was a good choice, but the the the choices to let go of everything weren't made, and so now it feels um tight.

Heather Fisher 34:03

Yeah. And if you're listening and you've gone too far down the road without making those choices, it's never too late to streamline your space and uh just get out from under that mental load of having too much.

Jodi Rosko 34:16

Yeah, and if you have some things that you think, oh, I'd like to remember this or I'd like to jog my memory, you know, this this thing jogs my memory about whatever, you can take a picture of it, put it on your phone, you know, have a picture of it that you can look at later to jog your memory. You don't need the full thing. Um that can be helpful. Um, you can do, you know, just remember the cost of what all of that is as you as you pack. Um and really just kind of be you gotta be a little bit brutal about it and be like, I I've not used this in so long. I pulled out a pair of shoes and maybe they had dust on them today. I was like, oh, that means it's time for them to go.

Heather Fisher 34:56

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean, I think those are being brutally honest with yourself on how long, you know, if you're having to pull dusty boxes out of somewhere as you're getting ready to move, you know, put them on the donation truck, not the moving truck. Yeah. And those decisions are already made by that layer of dust on there.

Jodi Rosko 35:17

Yeah, and just fight against that part where it's like, well, I already own it, so I must be moving it.

Heather Fisher 35:21

Yeah. So if you're out there and you're uh looking at a downsizing move in your future and we can help you get ready for that and help you find a great agent to help with that, please reach out to us on our website. We can connect you with our network of people that can help you work through these decisions. Um, if you'd like our free downsizing guide, uh, which can help you get started with some great questions to ask yourself, um, that's available on our website as well. Um everything can be found at downsizingroadmap.com. Uh, downsizingroadmap.com backslash guide for that free guide.

Jodi Rosko 36:00

Or backslash help if you just need us to help you.

Heather Fisher 36:03

Yes, yep. Awesome. Thanks guys. We will be back again next week. Thanks for joining us on the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast. If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who might need a little downsizing inspiration. Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Reach out to us on our website, www.downsizingroadmap.com. Until next time, let's keep simplifying and moving forward.