Moving into a smaller house can be great financially, and for some, mentally healthy as well. Certainly, because lesser space means more economical utility bills, and less space to clutter. But, going through the process of downsizing to a smaller home can be way more exhausting than it appears. It took me more than four months to go through the clutter of my house after my husband died. To help you with the stressful yet essential process, here are 8 tips you should consider.
Organize Your Belongings
This is where you go through all your belongings and decide what to keep, what to throw out, and what to donate or sell. You will have to separate your needs from your wants and thoroughly declutter your possessions. I realize that there are certain memories attached to sentimental items. You have to separate yourself from those items and ask yourself if you really need them. I didn’t do that and wound up with too much “stuff”, and had to rent a storage facility when I arrived at my new home. Visualize yourself and your possessions in the new house. It will help greatly and eliminate unnecessary items.
Get Rid of Redundant Items
You might come across a lot of items around the house that serve the same purpose. For example, you might have two or three can openers in the kitchen or a few oversized pots. Ask yourself, do you need five frying pans of the same size? Think practically and keep your essentials only. You likely won’t always have guests over and, most likely you don’t need multiple sets of silverware or drinking glasses. Along with that, go through your spice cabinet as well as the pantry. Get rid of the food items and ingredients that have not been used for a while or that have passed their expiration date. I had a moving sale and got rid of a lot of things I didn’t need. I made enough cash to pay for the entire move from Georgia to Colorado, including hotel rooms and meals!
Organize, Organize, Organize!
Consider arranging everything into three piles; 1) keep, 2) throw, and 3) sell/donate. This will make decluttering very easier as well as efficient for you. Unless something is beyond repair and usage, don’t toss it away. Instead, sell it or donate it.
Sell Items You Don’t Need
You’re planning on getting rid of most of your unnecessary belongings. Having a yard sale is a great option. Some of the best items to sell include, power tools, kids’ toys, clothing, and furniture. Consignment shops are a great option as well.
Another alternative to sell items is online on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Craigslist. There are several sites, smartphone apps and, even niches that might give you a solid platform.
It’s Free!
If you have a bunch of items that aren’t worth being sold online or elsewhere, simply put them out on the curb saying “Free!”. There is a high chance that the items will be gone by the next morning. Who doesn’t like free stuff? This can be done for items like books, and furniture, and other small household items. If there are items that family would appreciate having, call them and tell them to come and get it if they want it.
Measure Your Furniture Dimensions Before Moving
Downsizing to a smaller home will mean decreasing the amount of furniture. Since you’re moving to a unit with lesser space, you may not have ample room to adjust all the furniture you want to. A very useful tip for this is to measure dimensions of your furniture and make sure it fits well in the new place. This will give you an idea of what to take and what to leave behind.
Go Digital
One of the very effective ways to store documents and pictures nowadays is to digitalize them. This will help a great deal with clearing up space in the house. With the help of a scanner or digital organizers, you can digitalize all the important documents and pictures in no time. There are some wonderful apps such as Google Photos that can help with this task.
Ask for Feedback
There might be a lot of things you are not sure about, whether to keep or give away. Things such as clothes or, decor items that you’re unsure about. A second unbiased opinion from someone will help put things into perspective.
The thought of moving into a smaller house might seem stressful and nerve-wracking but make sure to keep a positive vision. Downsizing to a smaller house has a lot of advantages from saving money, space as well as time while maintaining control of your belongings and living to the fullest.
If you are currently considering downsizing and need assistance to potentially sell your property, there are professional ‘we buy houses’ style of companies to help you sell your home quickly without hassles so that you can focus on finding your next home on your timeline. Downsizing can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! If you plan ahead and stay organized, this will make the entire process much easier from start to finish.
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