When it’s time to move to a smaller home, these tips will help you save memories while minimizing clutter in your new place! A smaller place means you don’t have room for all of your current possessions, *but* downsizing is also an opportunity to refresh and start anew. If you get rid of clutter, you can fill your new place with the things you really love that make it feel like home. Here are three steps for downsizing to help you get started:
1. Get Some Prep Work Done ✅
Take a trip to your new place and measure the size of your rooms and storage areas – this is key as it’ll be your guide for how much you can take with you! (Quick Tip: Keep in mind, it’s better to underestimate than overestimate!).
2. Sort your belongings
When you’re sorting, follow a strict yes/no policy, with no “maybes” allowed. Keep things simple by making a “yes” pile and a “no” pile – if you aren’t convinced the item deserves a yes, then it’s a no. “Maybe” piles just mean more work for you later!
Once you’ve got your piles, you’ll have to decide where your “No’s” should go! While you might not want or need these items anymore, but they could be useful to someone else. Furniture, housewares, clothing, and other items in good condition could be sold at a garage sale or on sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, or you can choose to donate reusable items to organizations like Goodwill, who sometimes offer pickups, making your task that much simpler! Anything damaged or worn beyond repair should make its way to the recycling bin or on a trip to the dump.
3. Let’s Get Digital 💻
Have a ton of photo albums? Digitize photos to save space and as an added bonus, easily share them with family! Pick up a digital frame and enjoy all of your photos in a rotating slideshow. Another tip? Take photos of items that bring up good memories, but you no longer have room for!
Ready, Set, Downsize!
Downsizing is an emotional process, so take your time and take with you what is truly valuable — only you can decide what you can’t do without. And don’t forget, once you’ve finished your move, you’ll be able to enjoy your new place surrounded by the feeling of home!
