There are many reasons why people downsize their living accommodation. Whether they’ve had a financial or lifestyle change, such as a change of jobs or older children who have flown the nest, or they simply wanted to move to a different location or lower their bills and not have to pay rent or mortgage for a larger property, downsizing is nothing to be ashamed of, and it’s something many people do each and every year.
However, downsizing into a smaller property can come with a wealth of complications, one of which is fitting all of your belongings and your lifestyle into a smaller square foot.
So, if downsizing is on the cards for you, these tips will help you manage your move and ensure that you can take everything you need without cramming too much stuff into smaller areas, creating a messy and disorganized environment.
Declutter and Organize
Decluttering and organizing your belongings can be a liberating process. It allows you to see exactly what you own, what you use, and what is simply taking up space. This understanding, coupled with the exact measurements of your new place, will help you make informed decisions about what to keep and what to let go. It’s a step towards a more manageable and stress-free move.
Take it room by room, go through every drawer and cupboard, and make a plan for everything you own. If it needs to go to the trash, get rid of it straight away. If you need to sell it or donate it again, do this immediately. Otherwise, you are simply moving stuff from one place to another in your current property, and this will make packing up so much harder.
Storage
Smaller homes mean less storage than standard, and you should expect that you will have limited space. If you cannot realistically fit in everything you need once you move, it can be a great idea to look into storage units.
Storage units are amazingly flexible spaces that you can use to store family heirlooms, such as furniture that you don’t want to part with or can’t take with you. You can use a climate controlled storage unit to store your seasonal belongings, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas decorations. You can use it to store seasonal clothing changes as you move through the differences, so they’re not clogging up your wardrobe. There are many things that you can use a storage unit for when you’re downsizing and moving out of your home.
Multifunctional
Ideally, you want to take as many of your existing belongings with you as possible to avoid having to purchase new ones. However, when you have limited space to work with, it can be a good idea to invest in multifunctional items that can do more than one task.
For example, having a bed with storage underneath can help you store items out of sight in your bedroom or become a closet or shoe cabinet, for example. You might want to invest in coffee tables that, again, have hidden storage that you can put items in or utilize shelving on walls so you can make a feature out of your belongings and use up as much vertical space as possible.
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