Whether it’s due to retirement, kids leaving home, or a drop in income, you may be considering downsizing your home this year. While downsizing can be freeing, you’ll likely need to purge clutter and large furniture to fit your new lifestyle. It can be an overwhelming task, so here are 6 tips you should consider as you begin your downsizing process.
- Start with Photos: Preserve the memories of your current home by taking some photos before you begin the decluttering and moving process. It’s a great way to remember the space, and it can be helpful when deciding what you want to keep.
- Give Yourself Time: Downsizing is a process and one that cannot be completed in just one day. Give yourself the time you need to properly go through your home and decide what to keep. Try sticking to a schedule and taking it one day or one weekend at a time.
- Focus on One Room at a Time: Going through your whole house can be a daunting task, so consider focusing on one room at a time. You can start with the kitchen and clean out the accumulated junk drawer. Then, you could move onto closets, and finally break out kitchen, living room, and bedrooms into different schedules as well.
- Measure the New Space: It’s important to measure your new space. You may love your living room couch now, but it might be too big for the new space! By getting specific measurements, you can decide how much room for furniture you have and what pieces you can keep.
- Find Space to Store Sentimental Items: You may not be able to keep all your sentimental items in your new space. Start by picking out what’s most important to you to bring. Consider gifting items to other family members to keep or get a storage unit to keep any items that you won’t have space for in the new home.
- Sell or Donate Gently Used Items: Downsizing is the perfect time to have a yard sale, sell items online, or donate items to your local thrift store. You can give your much-loved pieces of furniture or décor a new life.