9 Tips for Downsizing Your Home Before a Move
Downsizing a house is one of the most exciting and liberating activities that homeowners planning to move or simplify their lifestyle can engage in before the shift. It reduces stress, saves a lot of time, and makes the moving process easier.
However, it is crucial to understand that this process includes a major physical and mental transition. For this reason, homeowners should mentally prepare themselves and understand how downsizing will impact their lifestyle. For instance, they might need to get rid of some of their belongings due to space limitations. This article explores nine tips that can help make the downsizing process more effective before the move.
Plan in Advance
Homeowners should plan the downsizing early enough to avoid a last-minute rush. Homeowners with valuable things they do not want to lose can consider booking a 12 foot truck rental several weeks or months before the move. They should also assign enough time to other tasks like sorting through the rooms and determining which items to get rid of and which ones to keep. This helps homeowners avoid selling things they would like to keep or keeping stuff they no longer need.
Take an Inventory of Possessions
Secondly, one should create a list of all the things they have in every room of their home. This process will make it easier to determine what to keep and what to declutter. It is possible to find duplicate or additional items, such as party cups, popcorn poppers, or baby clothes that a family has not used in years. Considering the one-year rule can help to categorize the items that one needs to eliminate. It is more applicable for seasonal items and kitchen appliances.
Declutter
The next step after creating an inventory list of the items in the home is decluttering. There are many decluttering techniques that homeowners can implement, each with different ways of simplifying the downsizing process.
For example, the KonMari method involves diving the space into categories, tying each one of them, and sparing the items that one considers special. However, homeowners should find a practical method that suits their space and schedule.
Planning and starting the downsizing early will help to save time. It also enables homeowners to make thoughtful decisions. Making last-minute decisions in major life transitions like moving can be overwhelming. Beginning the process weeks or months earlier is an effective way to prevent this issue.
Assess the New Space
It is crucial to measure the size of the new home and assess its layout. One should know the number of rooms available in the space they are interested in and their dimensions before the moving day. This process makes it easier to determine the items to keep and those to get rid of during the move. Homeowners should then compare their new space to the size of their “must-keep” furniture and appliances.
Find a Way to Get Rid of Things Not Needed
After determining the items to get rid of, it is crucial to find an appropriate way to do it. The four-box method often comes in handy in this phase. It involves diving items into the keep, trash, donate, and store boxes. The “keep” category includes the items the person will need in their new space. Excellent examples include valuable clothes and necessary utensils.
The “trash” category consists of items homeowners are done with and need to throw in the garbage box. As the name suggests, the “donate” box consists of the items that will be given away to non-profit groups like church charities. The person downsizing can also choose to give away some items to their friends and loved ones.
The belongings that are close to their heart or are valuable and cannot be given away can be kept in storage. However, this method of decluttering can be quite expensive because it requires one to pay for the storage fees.
It is crucial to compare the storage options available in a particular area to choose one that suits the items in question. For instance, belongings that are sensitive to extreme weather should be stored in climate-controlled spaces. Leather or wood furniture can get damaged when exposed to excess humidity. The most effective way to protect such belongings is to keep them in an air-conditioned storage unit.
Go Digital
Advancements in technology have made it easier for people to digitize items and store files electronically. Homeowners can use this technique to downsize their space before moving. For example, they can scan receipts and important documents instead of storing them in paper form. They can also convert music and movies into digital files and get rid of the disks to save space in the home office or living room. Furthermore, there are multiple streaming services, which means that it is not necessary to keep CDs and DVDs.
Adopt a Minimalist Style
Implementing minimalist design principles can help create a beautiful space and put smaller spaces into use. For instance, a person can use this style to organize artwork and accent pieces aesthetically in the living room. To learn how to adopt a minimalist lifestyle, one should find helpful content online and watch videos that align with their needs. Without the concept of minimalism in mind, it will only take a few months to accumulate more things.
Implement Versatility
Versatility can help to save space and make every available space more functional. Therefore, homeowners should consider replacing their current furniture with pieces like bean bags that can serve more purposes.
A significant component of embracing versatility is replacing single-use appliances and gadgets with those with many uses. It is crucial to donate or give away those items that only perform single functions, especially if they are rarely used around the house.
Today, it is easier to find versatile pieces with in-built storage. For example, some cookware sets and food storage containers nest neatly, while some seats have additional storage underneath. Also, most modern beds have slide boxes underneath and built-in drawers and storage to save space.
Hire a Professional
The downsizing process can be quite complicated and challenging. One might be overwhelmed, especially if there are few or no people to assist with different tasks around the house.
However, this process can be easier and less stressful when a downsizing expert or professional organizer is involved. These people are skilled and understand the best techniques and devices to complete the downsizing process within the set deadline.
Generally, reducing clutter and items stored at home is very exciting and rewarding. However, downsizing can be overwhelming and time-consuming. These strategies will make moving to a smaller space easier, faster, and more effective.
