10 Tricks To Help You Downsize Before Moving To A Smaller Space
If you're considering downsizing, it's probably for financial reasons. However, while saving money is important, there are also a number of other benefits that come with moving to a smaller space, per The Balance. For instance, you'll most likely spend less time cleaning and maintaining your property. Additionally, because your bills will be cheaper, you may be able to work less and spend more time doing things you enjoy. Finally, you could experience less stress, as you'll have fewer possessions to worry about.
At the same time, downsizing also comes with some negative side effects, including getting rid of a large amount of your belongings. Not only that, but you probably won't be used to living in a much smaller space, which could make you feel confined. And, depending on your interests and habits, you may have to significantly change your lifestyle. However, after reading through the pros and cons of downsizing, you've probably gathered that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
If you're trying to declutter your belongings, you're probably needing some advice. If so, we've gathered 10 of the most helpful tricks to help you prepare for your move.
1. Declutter in stages
Because decluttering can be difficult, you'd be smart to use a three-stage system. To do this, group your items into piles by category, remove the things you definitely want to get rid of, then go back through the items you kept and try to get rid of more.
2. Move room by room
Moving room by room will allow you to focus on one area at a time without feeling overwhelmed. This could also be a great way to split up the work into multiple days, as you could declutter one room each day.
3. Consider how your life will change
When deciding what to get rid of, consider how your life will be different in your new home. For instance, maybe you're downsizing because you want to live in warmer weather; if so, you could donate most of your winter clothes.
4. Take part in a decluttering challenge
If you are really struggling to declutter your items, you could try following a challenge. For instance, some people try to get rid of one item on the first day of the month, two on the second, three on the third, and so on.
5. Use vacuum sealed bags for bulky items
Because you're moving to a smaller home, you most likely won't have as much storage space. Therefore, to make your bulkier items like jackets or large comforters fit into smaller areas, vacuum seal them. This will also make the moving process much easier.
6. Pare down your sentimental items
One of the hardest things to declutter is sentimental items, but these belongings could be taking up lots of space. If you want to donate the items but hold onto the memories, take a photo of each piece and make an album.
7. Measure to see what furniture will fit
Because you're moving to a smaller home, some of the furniture pieces in your current home may not fit. Therefore, if possible, you could measure the walls in your new place to see what items you can keep.
8. Get rid of duplicates
Another way to pare down your possessions is by removing duplicates. To do this, first gather similar pieces together, such as all your jars, then get rid of any that you don't normally use.
9. Only keep what you use
It's important to only keep the items that you use regularly. Maybe you've been holding onto an Instant Pot because it's got great features, but you never use it. This is the perfect time to get rid of it, as you won't have the luxury of extra space in your new home.
10. Host a yard sale, then donate the rest
Once you've followed the above tips, you can then host a yard sale to sell the things you don't want to keep. The profits could be used for some of your moving fees, and whatever doesn't get sold could be donated.