Oct
10

8 Things You Should Do Before Downsizing

If you’re in the process of planning a relocation and downsizing, you’re probably looking at your belongings and wondering how you’ll be able to decide what to take and how to part with what you can’t.

Downsizing can be a stressful and sometimes overwhelming and emotional experience, so having a plan in place is essential for making things a bit easier. Below, you’ll find eight tips on downsizing efficiently and making your move as stress-free as possible.

1. Start Early

The number one thing to remember to do is start early. Even a lateral move where you can take most or all of your belongings is time-consuming. Add in downsizing and deciding what you do and don’t need to take with you, and your relocation can take weeks or even months to plan.

We recommend you start the process at least three months before the actual move. This will give you time to decide what you’ll be taking and to sell, donate, or pass down what you’ll be leaving behind.

2. Take Measurements of Your New Space

A great first step to get the ball rolling is to get measurements for your new home or apartment. An accurate blueprint of the space will instantly let you determine what larger items will fit — think couches, bed frames, dining tables, and dressers. If you find pieces of furniture that won’t fit, you can start the process of selling or donating them.

If you can also get an idea of the storage space you’ll have, you can move on to smaller items as well. Things like holiday decorations, extra clothes, bedding, pots, pans, and small kitchen appliances might need to be left behind because of space constraints. This will make your decision to bring or leave them easier, thereby removing stress from the relocation.

If you’re unsure of exactly what will fit where in your new space, you can always rent a storage unit to house pieces of furniture and other belongings while you get situated.

3. Set Aside What You Actually Need

Once you know what you can and can’t fit in your new space, we recommend figuring out what you absolutely need.

You can start by going through the items you use on a daily basis. Things like cutlery, plates, basic cooking utensils, computers, TVs, coffee makers, and certain kitchen items can easily fall into the “need pile.” Other items like clothes you wear often and jewelry you use frequently can also fit neatly into this category.

Once you have set aside items that you need, it’s a good idea to go through them again just to be sure. We all have a tendency to think we need certain things in our homes when in actuality, they will just take up space during and after the move. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used the item in the past year, chances are you don’t need it.

4. Organize the Rest

Once you’ve determined what you absolutely need to take with you, you can create three additional categories into which you can place everything else remaining in your home. The three categories should be:

• Should bring
• Could bring
• Should discard

How your belongings fit into these categories is ultimately up to you, but we recommend being as discerning as possible.

The “should bring” category will often include things like additional dishware and cutlery for hosting, less commonly used cooking utensils, additional pairs of shoes that you wear somewhat regularly, storage containers for food, and other related items that you use frequently and will continue to use in your new space.

The “could bring” category will usually be determined by the space you have in your new home. Things that usually fall here include clothes for specific occasions, small kitchen appliances that you use infrequently, decor that you plan on repurposing, area rugs that will fit in your new space, and more. You can also consider placing smaller pieces of furniture here if you know there’s space for them where you’re moving.

The “should discard” category should be the largest one. This includes things like clothes you haven’t worn in a year or more, books you don’t plan on reading or rereading, kitchen appliances or utensils that you don’t use, throw pillows, dishware that is unmatched or no longer needed, and more.

5. Go Room by Room

Even when you break down the process of categorizing your belongings as we’ve mentioned above, going through everything can be overwhelming. It’s a good idea to take things room by room. Start in the smallest room of your home, and you’ll quickly find that what seemed like an insurmountable task gets easier as you go.

Another tip is to start with areas that are stressing you out the most. If you have a junk drawer, a large storage area like a garage, or a shed filled with unknown things from years of living in your home, you can make the process mentally easier by sorting through those areas first.

6. Pass Down Sentimental Items

One of the hardest things emotionally when you’re downsizing is getting rid of things that have sentimental value. Unfortunately, these items are usually the ones that bog us down the most and end up taking up the most space.

One way to make this process easier is to pass down sentimental items to your children, grandchildren, or other relatives. The thought of tossing something that a loved one gave you is a real challenge, but it’s much easier to imagine that item going to a new home where it will still be cherished. You can have a day where your relatives come in to take items of sentimental value to strip down what you have remaining in your old home.

Another approach to making this process easier comes from Marie Kondo, an organizational expert. She recommends getting rid of items that have sentimental value but no longer bring you any joy. This is a great way to reduce the number of things you feel like you “have to” or “should” bring with you.

7. Donate or Ditch What You Aren’t Taking

The final step to getting rid of items you don’t want or need is to donate them or simply throw them away. Donating clothes, kitchen appliances, dishware, cutlery, and furniture that is in good shape is a great way to give new meaning to your belongings. This will likely help you part with them with less emotion.

Once you’ve donated what you can, passed down items of sentimental cracking, and sold off items of value, you can begin the process of throwing out what remains. Depending on how much you have left, you might need to schedule a dumpster to be delivered and ask friends or family members for help disposing of your unneeded belongings. This process alone can be time-consuming, which is another reason it’s imperative to start early.

8. Hire Movers

Finally, you can hire movers to relocate what you will be bringing with you into your new space. The actual moving day is often the most stressful part of downsizing, and while hiring movers can get expensive, it’s usually well worth the investment.

Some of the best long-distance movers can provide you with peace of mind during an otherwise hectic move. They can use protective moving gear to keep your furniture and belongings safe during the relocation, handle maneuvering your furniture and larger items out of your home, and even take care of packing and organizing your belongings to make setting up in your new space as simple as possible.