So, the kids are out of the house at last, but they left their Barbies™, the ping-pong table and assorted pets behind.

The doll collection you can hide in the garage. The pets you’ll probably have to feed. But unless you plan to use the ping-pong table to display your orchid collection, perhaps it’s time to come to grips with reality.

In-place downsizing is a concept that begins to make sense to those of us who have resigned from nest-care, choose fun over chores, and find that our homes may suddenly seem to be too large for our own personal needs.

Over the course of a lifetime, we tend to accumulate things — lots of things.

These may have been left behind by our adult children as they move out into the world to make homes of their own. Or, they may be those things we couldn’t part with when we moved Grandma out of the home, in which she had spent the last fifty years (and where we grew up), and into that lovely, tiny apartment in the retirement home we found within decent driving distance.

Then the inevitable death of a parent occurs, and we’re left not only with regret, but also with an awful lot of furniture and personal possessions that must be disposed of before we can really, finally let go.

Of course, the obvious solution to the problem of excess stuff is not to invest in monthly payments on a storage shed, but to simply get rid of the stuff, which is not as easy as it might have seemed at first blush.

The question then becomes: garage sale, or thrift store donation? Of course your decision must depend on your time and your patience.

First, though, perhaps you should step back and take a critical look at what your relatives left behind.

I once heard a New Age guru in little black dress, pearls, and enough diamonds to sink the Titanic say: “Go home and throw out everything that doesn’t support you in your present life.”

She obviously had that one down.

Sounds simple, but just try it. No, I think the more sensible approach to downsizing is to get rid of that lamp your mother gave you that you’ve always secretly hated and define your own present personal style, which has probably grown and changed with you.

Then, after the garage sale (it always comes down to that, doesn’t it?), take the money you have made from selling those items that do not support your present style—whether contemporary, country, traditional or eclectic—and spend it on a few signature accessories and perhaps some new living-room furniture with simple lines and neutral colors—the kids probably spent fifteen or so years destroying the old sofa anyway, so you’ll really need a new one, right?

Why do I say this? Of course it depends on your budget, but for mostly practical reasons.

You will likely have this furniture until your own children get stuck with it, and your taste may continue to change. But with some good quality, basic pieces in neutral colors (no print sofas, please), you can continue to shop for inexpensive accessories in a riot of colors and patterns and prints, either downtown or on-line, and change your color scheme and style as much as you want—and as often as your significant other will tolerate—for very little money.

Throw pillows, framed prints, porcelain cachepots for your orchid collection, and new tablecloths and napkins for your dining area can make a world of difference in your outlook.

And for a real change, albeit with a good deal more expense, slipcovers and new lighting can change the appearance of a whole room. (One caveat: really good slipcovers may cost you nearly as much as replacement furniture, but if you have purchased wisely and well in the first place, the quality and durability of your furniture may make such an extravagance worthwhile.)

So dare to be brutal: Clean out those closets and streamline your space. Get rid of useless items and dust catchers. Close off unused rooms, or have that sewing/hobby room and home office you’ve always wanted, or remodel unused rooms into a granny unit.

You can rent it out for extra income, and when you can’t handle the upkeep of a big house by yourself any more, perhaps you can entice the kids to move into the main house while you move into the granny unit (hence, the name.)

Tell the kids they’ve got two weeks to pick up their stuff or it’s going into your garage sale. After all, who’s really going to want that Airline Stewardess Barbie’s™ Jet Plane after mice have made their home there for the last decade?