Moving to a smaller home? Downsizing can be challenging. Especially, when you’ve built up a lifetime of belongings. Filtering through your possessions before you move into a smaller home can be rewarding in more ways than one. Not only can decluttering be therapeutic, but having less stuff to move can save you time and bring down your moving costs. Check out these simple downsizing tips.
Set Aside the Things You Love
Build a pile of all the things you can’t live without. This is usually the easiest place to start before making cuts to your belongings. Not only does it keep your loved items safe, it’s also a good pile to revisit at the end. There may be items you weren’t previously ready to part with that you can remove.
Analyze Each Room
Compare your new rooms with your present ones. Visualize what furniture will fit comfortably in your new home. Be careful not to overcommit items to each room. A good rule of thumb when decluttering is to keep 1/3 of what you currently have. Free space is ideal.
Start with the rooms that hold the least amount of sentimental items. The kitchen can be a great place to begin. Kitchen ware can really accumulate over the years. There’s no way you’re attached to all 50 mugs in your cupboard.
If you’re downsizing from a house to a condo, your amenities may cover tasks you no longer have to do yourself. Consider eliminating items stored in garages and sheds that are not likely to fit in your storage locker.
Keep, Sell, Donate, Toss
Make a plan with Post-Its. Label and colour coordinate your boxes by whether or not you’d like to keep, sell, donate or toss its contents. This gives you a clear idea of how much you plan to take with you.
We often hold onto things just in case we need them later. If you haven’t used an item for a couple of years, get rid of it. There’s a good chance you won’t notice it’s gone. A good rule to help you decide if an item is worth keeping is the 20/20 rule. If you can replace the item for $20 in 20 minutes, part ways with it. It won’t take up too much of your time or money to replace it later.
A garage sale is a great way to make back your money on items you no longer need. Shelters or secondhand stores will also accept your donations. Family and friends may also cherish an item as much as you did for items you’d like to keep close.
Give Yourself Time
Organize your items a little each week. Think of all the places you may have stuff stored. Giving yourself time to shed will help you thoughtfully consider each item’s fate with less pressure.
Ask for Help
Letting go is never easy – it can also apply to your belongings. A trusted person who has no attachment to your possessions can help you prioritize what you should keep. They may help you objectively look at your belongings.
Remove Items Immediately
The longer you keep an item around, the more likely you are to take it with you. When you’ve made a decision to toss or donate an item, get rid of it. Out of sight is out of mind.
If you take one piece of downsizing advice away from these tips, it should be to give yourself time. It took years to accumulate your belongings. Take the time to purposefully decide what you want to move with you.
There are professional downsizing services who would be happy to help you if scaling back is too big of a task. United Van Lines (Canada) Ltd. move expert will be able to connect you with the right person for the job. Contact one today!