Today's Art of Aging report focuses on empty nesters.
As kids grow up and leave home, many parents are looking to downsize.
Downsizing, by its very nature, means some things have got to go. Everything that fit in your 4000 square foot home is not going to squeeze into that 1200 square foot condo.
"It's never easy to downsize," says Peggy Fitzgerald, a realtor with Keller Williams Real Estate. "One of the bigger problems is that there's always some type of emotional attachment."
That was certainly the problem for Dolores Green of Bensalem.
"I was attached to everything," she says. "The house, its furniture, everything in there."
So Green turned to her realtor, Peggy Fitzgerald, for help.
Fitzgerald recommends also enlisting the help of family members or friends.
"My daughter spent about a month with me every day," says Green. "And she packed, and she advised me to get rid of things that Peggy suggested."
Fitzgerald says start with the big stuff, and give away excess furniture or large pieces that won't fit in your new space.
Then move to the small items. Donate clothes you no longer wear and excess dishes.
"It's not an easy thing," says Green. "Nobody could say that. But it is fruitful in the end."