Downsizing
When your house is just too big!
Often, we expand our homes as we have more kids, go through different phases of life, require spaces for functional needs, etc. This can often leave you at a time in your life when you just don’t need that much room anymore and it takes more time to clean and maintain then is available to you.
The idea of downsizing appeals to you but the work involved and all the accumulated stuff you now have just won’t fit into a smaller space. Here are some tips to make this transition easier.
Tips to Help You Downsize:
Take an inventory of everything you own. Knowing what you own will help you know what to get rid of. Often, we find more things then we know we have. If you haven’t used it in the past year or so, get rid of it.
Make 3 lists:
- Things I must have
- Things I can live without
- Things to replace/downsize
This will help you to figure out what things have true meaning to you and you can’t live without. It will also help you find those things that you have held onto just because you have the space to store it.
Hold a garage sale
Get rid of all the “I can live without” objects and/or “things to replace.”
Anything not sold give away to charity or friends/family or maybe try to sell on E-bay or Gumtree.
Organise as you pack and unpack. Often when moving things are just thrown into boxes and when it comes time to unpack you’re made to sort through everything again. To avoid this, collect things together that are the same or will go in the same room, and label your packing boxes.
Check Storage Space
Make sure your new home has plenty of storage. No matter how much you have gotten rid of, you will most likely find you still have too much stuff. When looking at storage for your new place make sure to store vertically and not horizontally. This will reduce the look of mess/clutter and will avoid cramping the room.
Downsize your bigger items.
Larger spaces require larger items to fill them. When downsizing these items can be too big. Consider getting a smaller television or dining table. Furnish according with your space.
I hope these tips have been helpful for you and make the thought of downsizing more achievable.
