Reasons for downsizing vary, from empty nesters deciding to move into smaller, easier to maintain homes, to young people pursuing job opportunities in cities where housing is a hot commodity. Whatever your motives, downsizing is definitely a handful.
Tackle the issue as early as possible – ideally, you should have about three months to deal with all your possessions. Go strategically, starting with the largest items, like furniture and appliances, then moving to the smaller things such as clothes, books, and trinkets. Here are the steps you should follow for a smooth downsizing:
1. Downsize the big stuff first
Most people focus on sorting through clothes, books and kitchenware when downsizing, but are having trouble giving up on furniture for various reasons: they’re sentimentally attached to it, or they own good quality, expensive items. However, large pieces of furniture and big kitchen appliances are less than ideal in a smaller home.
Use tape on the floor and/or big boxes to visualize exactly how your existent furniture fits inside the new house. If it fills the rooms to the brim, you’re better off selling the massive pieces. Keep only the pieces that go with the new space, that you love and that are truly useful. It is a brutal process, but, once this part of the downsizing is completed, you’re halfway there.
2. Start the purge from the outside in
The old “out of sight, out of mind” saying applies pretty well to most homes. You probably have, in your attic, basement or garage, stuff you haven’t touch in years, or even decades. You weren’t bothered by them because they were out of sight. Unless, of course, you’re a particularly tidy and well-organized individual, in which case your auxiliary spaces are in perfect order.
The rest of us, however, have dozens of “mystery” boxes in our garages, the attic filled with old pieces of furniture, and let’s not even discuss the shed. Start with those spaces and dispose of all the junk before moving to the actual living areas.
3. Plan your storage
Sometimes, no matter how drastically you sort through your possessions, there simply isn’t enough room at the new house for the items you do need to keep. That’s why downsizing goes hand in hand with self-storage. Estimate how much extra space you need and rent a storage unit near you.
4. Digitize Everything You Can
You probably own boxes upon boxes of memories: your kids’ school projects and drawings, hundreds of family photos, newspapers clips that have a special meaning for you, and so on. Instead of keeping the physical items, you can scan everything and store them on a memory unit or online. You’ll have access to your special memories anytime, anywhere, and you can print them out, should you want to. It’s also a safer way to hold on to these items – paper deteriorates over time, but scans will always have the same quality.
5. Use the things that you love
It’s in the human nature to delay gratification, to “save” the things that we love until an undetermined moment sometimes in the future. You probably have a nice set of sheets, or towels, or maybe pots and pans that you love but you didn’t bring yourself to use. Well, stop doing that and start using and enjoying the things that you love – otherwise, you’ll just have more stuff to pack and store.
6. Follow the one-year rule
It’s a very simple, yet effective rule – ditch the items you didn’t use in the past 12 months! One year coves all the seasons, so, if you didn’t need a jacket, or a pair if shoes, or any other object, for that matter, during all the time, chances are you’re probably done with it.
There are some exceptions, of course: sporting equipment that you didn’t get the chance to use for different reasons, but you’ll be using in the future, or an outfit you wear only at very special occasions. But, apart from that, it’s safe to say you won’t miss any item you haven’t used in a while.
7. Give now the things you want to give
You want to give something to your children, grandchildren, other family members or friends? Do it now, don’t delay the moment! They will certainly appreciate it, and you’ll have less stuff to pack and to worry about.
Downsizing involves a lot of work, so do it smartly and strategically. Keep in mind that, at the end of the process, good things are in store for you: a house that’s easier to maintain, lower bills, thus more opportunities to travel, or a new and exciting job.
How to Move a TV: The Right Way to Pack, Transport and Store Any Television
TVs rank among the most stressful items to move. They’re large, awkward to carry and one wrong move can leave you with a cracked screen or dead pixels. Modern LED, OLED, and QLED panels are significantly more fragile than the heavy TVs of the past. Their screens are thin, their internal components are delicate, and they’re designed to sit still on a stand, not ride in the back of a moving truck.
How to Store Bedding the Right Way (Without Smells or Flattened Fills)
If you’ve ever pulled a comforter out of storage and immediately caught a whiff of something musty, you know how frustrating it can be. Good quality bedding can be quite expensive, so you definitely want to keep what you own in pristine conditions.
Where to Get Moving Boxes in NYC: Your Complete Guide
Moving across New York City comes with all sorts of logistical puzzles. You’re working around narrow staircases, building freight elevators with limited hours, alternate-side parking windows, and doormen who’d rather you weren’t blocking the lobby with a dolly. The last thing you want to be scrambling for on top of all that is moving boxes.
How to Keep Personal Belongings Organized When Living Together
You dreamed of the Friends apartment. Or maybe just a tidy place where you and your roommate had your own corners of the world. For couples, living together was supposed to feel like home. For multigenerational living, it was supposed to bring everyone closer. What nobody warns you about is that living together introduces a whole new layer of organization in shared spaces. Your stuff, their stuff and everyone’s habits are competing for the same square footage.
Where to Donate Furniture in San Francisco: 6 Organizations That Make It Easy
San Francisco has no shortage of places to donate furniture, which is good news in a place where moving trucks seem to be a permanent part of the streetscape. Anyone who’s ever watched three friends pivot a couch around the tight corner of a San Francisco Victorian knows moving day here can turn into a spectator sport. Apartments change, roommates come and go and sometimes the couch that fit in one place might not make the trip to the next.
How to Store Ties: Closet, Drawer and Travel Scenarios
The best way to keep your ties wrinkle-free is to just learn how to properly store them. You can start by knowing to never store ties knotted, in tight rolls, or exposed to direct sunlight or heat (which causes discoloration). But there are a few extra steps you can take to ensure your ties stay in top form. Let’s go through all the places and ways you can store your ties, and you may never have to worry about a crumpled necktie again in your life.
How to Store Belts (Without any Hassle)
If you want to make sure you’re storing your belts properly, we get it. A belt might be a small part of an outfit, but small details can make a big difference. Belts have been part of clothing for thousands of years — dating back to the Bronze Age — and while their purpose has evolved, they remain both functional and personal. If you have a favorite leather belt, an expensive piece, or simply a few belts you want to keep looking their best, it’s worth knowing how to store them properly. The right method can help prevent creases, cracks, scratches and unnecessary wear.
Where to Donate Books in Chicago
As much as we don’t like giving up books, sometimes we just have to in order to create the mental and bookshelf space for new literary adventures. But we all want to make sure our books aren’t wasted and get a second life. Chicago has a generous network of organizations that will put your books back into the hands of readers who’ll treasure them. Here’s where to donate books in Chicago, based on our research.
How Snowbirds Handle Traveling South: Car Shipping and Storage at Your Winter Home
Every fall, millions of Americans are confronted with the same logistical puzzle: pack up one home, land in another, and somehow keep both places functional for months at a time. If you’re a snowbird, you know the challenge isn’t just the packing. It’s also figuring out what travels with you, what you leave behind, and what to do about the car.