So, you’ve decided to leave your nest, but how do you downsize for tiny living, and simplify to be ready for your new journey?

 It’s a really big job, but the process is actually quite simple, and can be broken down into 5 basic steps.

In order to get rid of everything you’ve acquired over the years, it’s going to take either a lot of hard work, or a good bit of money to pay someone else to do it for you. There are lots of estate companies which will take care of all of the details for you, but you are going to lose a significant amount of what you might have earned if you do the work yourself. I personally chose to do it myself, so I could have the extra revenue to use during my winter journey.

How to begin? Take it in phases:

Phase 1 – Evaluate and Prioritize

The first step is to evaluate and prioritize your possessions. I can almost guarantee, by the time you’re finished, you’ll end up giving things away. It’s important to take on the most valuable items in your world first. These will be your highest gain for the amount of time you put into downsizing.

Start with your home. Should you sell it, rent it out, or keep it? If you are ready for a change, there is nothing more freeing than starting from scratch. Letting go of my home of 22 years was bittersweet, but I was excited for new horizons.

In the beginning of your journey, sometimes it’s difficult to know if you will want to continue traveling, or settle back in to your nest after trying the RV lifestyle. Renting out your home; perhaps using AirBNB, Homeaway, or VRBO, can be an excellent income source while you explore being a nomad. It could even turn into one of your main revenue streams, as other homeowners have found.

Secondly, make plans for your vehicles, and any large capital items such as boats, trailers or big toys. Imagine yourself doing exactly what you want, going where you wish, for the next year. Do they fit into your vision? You don’t have to decide how they will fit, just whether or not they are in the picture. (For example: Will you be on water, where you can use your boat? If you have two cars, will you be towing one of them?)

It’s generally relatively easy to determine if the large items fit in your new scenario. By starting on the big ticket items first, you can take your time to get the best price, while you simplify the rest of your nest.

Tip: Something you just can’t decide whether or not you want to keep? Just set it aside, and move on – it gets easier to decide when the pile gets smaller.

Phase 2 – List the “Value” items on eBay

The next step begins again with prioritization. Walk through your world, and make a list of everything you think might be worth over $100. (Obviously, if most of your acquisitions are in a higher dollar range, increase the amount accordingly.) Even if you think you can’t part with something, a high dollar amount might make you change your mind. (Especially knowing you won’t have to carry it with you.)

Tip: I found it easiest to take a photo of all of the “$100 plus” items in place as I did my walk-thru. This made it easy to look them up later to determine actual values.

If you don’t already have one, now would be a good time to open a free eBay account. You won’t need to purchase a store subscription. A free customer account won’t cost anything, and will allow you to list up to 50 items per month with no listing fees. You won’t pay anything, unless you sell.

A major perk of having an eBay account, is the ability to search SOLD listings, to find what people are actually willing to pay for your item. Just because an item like yours is listed for $50,000, doesn’t mean it will sell for more than $195. Only customers with accounts can see the actual SOLD items. Type in general searches for your “value” items to see if you have any high ticket items you didn’t know about.

You might be surprised. My dad had mounted an old automobile compass on his rowboat. When I looked it up, I was shocked. I made nearly $300 just by unscrewing the compass and selling it separately from the rowboat. Actually, I think I made more on the compass than the boat.

Tip – If you’re going to list a similar item, perusing other listings will also give you key words and attributes to use in your own listings.

So, why would you list any items on eBay if you are going to have an estate sale later? Wouldn’t it be easier and faster just to put everything in the sale? The answer is yes, it’s faster just to put it all in the sale, but you will probably be giving away the expensive items for a fraction of their value.

My recommendation is to sell anything you can on eBay which could offer a significant profit over the price you would be able to get in a garage sale. I put my profit margin at $30. If I could make $30 more by creating a listing, and shipping the item, I found it worth doing. Set your profit margin; the amount you would need to get to make it worth your time to list the item, and go from there.

The items which have the best return for your time on eBay are generally vintage items, in my experience. If they are in near perfect condition, definitely take the time to look up those old things which have been lying around your house. Especially if they came from the early 1900’s, the 50’s-60’s mid-century period, or the hippie movement of the 1970’s. Grandma’s old quilts too, no matter how ratty they are. Describe them perfectly when you list them. Show the flaws; be honest. You’ll have a lot less stress in your life. eBay can be easy if you do it right.

There’s an exception to going the eBay route for large items. Large items will require excess shipping costs. By the time those costs are added to the purchase price, most buyers won’t want to complete the sale. Save yourself all the trouble, and post those items on Craigslist or your local Facebook resale groups. Pick a safe place to meet. (Personally – I like the Facebook resell groups better, as I can get a sense of knowing someone through their profile, before I meet with them.)

This step takes the longest, but it’s really a great opportunity to crank in some real dough. You might be surprised to find you make more than on your day job. This is how many eBay full-time sellers are born.

Start the process well in advance of your actual move. You can always begin with the things you know you won’t want, and continue listing as you narrow down your “value” pile.

When you are starting to dig into the little stuff; switch gears, and focus on the Estate Sale.

Phase 3 – Pass Along the Good Stuff

Now that you know what is actually in your home, call in your kids. Give them notice, anything they want to keep; must be picked up. You likely have things of theirs stored at your house, or family treasures you are ready to pass along. Give them plenty of time. They have lives too, so it will take them longer than you think to collect their treasures. Some of it, you will likely end up delivering. It’s easier to ask them about what they might miss, than to have them see something in the photos of your sale which they really wanted.

Phase 4 – The Estate Sale

Finally, have ONE estate sale. I had two because I wanted to keep all of the furniture in the house while I finished things up. This allowed me to gain some rental income from AirBNB while the house sold, along with keeping it furnished for showings. The first sale attracted many more buyers than the second one over a year later. When the doors opened, there were at least 100 people waiting in line the first year. The house had so many people in it, I wondered if the old timbers would hold the weight.

We waited 20 minutes for our first customer at the second sale. Maybe it was because we began on a Friday instead of a Saturday (which is the day we started the first one), but on both sales Saturday was the best market.

Drop the prices to half on Sunday afternoon. Spray paint “1/2 price” over your driveway sign.

There’s probably still a huge pile at 5pm. Look through it, and pick out anything you absolutely couldn’t give away for free. Look again, and put half of what you took out; back into the pile.

(Tip – This should actually become a new habit in your life. You’re only going to want half of what you buy, and half of what you take with you. Tiny living stays small.)

Phase 5 – Community Free-For-All

Definitely just post the rest for free on Facebook in your local resale groups after your sale. This will provide an immediate feeling of relief. The folks who take most of it might be reselling, but my community (where many struggle to make ends), was very appreciative, and it felt sooooo good. They even left me little thank you notes. written on the whiteboard I had posted by the pile.

A final free day is SO worth it.

Made me wonder why I’d been toting and driving things an hour away to donate them for 20 years. Believe me, you won’t even need an empty car to get rid of what is leftover now.

Ahhhh…

Take a breath and enjoy this moment. Your weighted burdens are gone. Roots dug up await fresh soil to grow in.

I dare you not to think about planting them.