Easy Ways to Downsize Your Home
Moving from a large home full of your stuff to a smaller space can be tricky, and while it's easy to say "just get rid your extra stuff" doing it is much harder. Here are some handy tips to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Take Inventory
Before you do anything - before you even move and know how much space you have to move into, the first thing to do is take a close inventory of your belongings and then ask yourself, if everything I own was lost in a fire, what would I replace? Take stock of what is important to you and the things you could live without or could actually replace or downsize along with your living space.
Ideally you will end up with three lists:
- 1. Must Haves;
- 2. Can Live Without and;
- 3. Things That Can Be Replaced.
Your obvious must haves need to come with you. Your live withouts are the things you could sell, donate or get rid of completely and your replaceable list should be reserved for things you could potentially sell and buy something smaller that you'd like eg. A tv.
If you are moving into a smaller space with someone else and combining households, this step is even more important. Go through your inventory together and be ruthless with your lists.
What Are You Better off Owning Versus Having Money to Buy
The next step is to part with those things that you don't need and sell them for cash. After all the core part of downsizing is to downsize! The money that you make, the more you you'll be able to buy things that are size appropriate for your new home, or save money and enjoy your new life in a smaller space.
Similarly, think about things that are just "insurance" items. For example, an extra mattress in the garage, or futon in the spare room - they are things you keep for no reason other than the possibility of something you do use every day breaking.
Decluttering and downsizing is hard, make no mistake - but selling things makes it easier because who doesn't love money!
Give Yourself Plenty of Storage Options
Once you do make the transition to your new home, make sure to make use of all the available storage space that you can get your hands on. One rule of storage when it comes to small spaces is that you should store up, not out, so if you can make use of your available storage and shelving – do it! It will keep things off the floor and out of your immediate living space.
Stay Organized and Be Ruthless About What Enters Your Space
Finally, once you've managed to move and you've trimmed your possessions down to the things that actually matter to you, adopt a fairly ruthless approach to what comes into your home.
Space is at a premium, and an "organized" small space can become a "cluttered" small space without much time or effort. Make sure that everything you bring in, everything you buy or order online, is something you can store with the space you have now and something you really want or need and make compromises if you have to.
Downsizing doesn't have to be a hassle or a horrible experience - even though it may sound like it, and parting with the things you own can be emotional, but try to think about the life you'll get in exchange for the crap you're giving away.
If you're moving to a smaller apartment to shorten your commute or live in the neighborhood you've always wanted to, remember that, and try to make sure that new life is as happy as possible.
If you need help planning your move, get in touch with a reputable moving company simply by navigating to our home page to search for expert furniture removalists today!