There are many benefits to downsizing; a smaller house is not only cheaper to purchase, but is also less expensive to heat and easier to clean than its larger counterparts. However, the process of moving into a more compact property does present certain challenges, particularly if you happen to have a lot of possessions. Here are a few tips which should make the downsizing process a little less overwhelming.
Get organised
When tackling a big project like this, it's important to make sure that you have everything you need before you begin. This may include bin bags, boxes, bubble-wrap, a label-maker and plenty of sticky tape. If you intend to throw out a lot of items, you may also need to rent a skip for a day or two. Skip bins are generally quite inexpensive to hire and will make it much easier to get rid of all of the unwanted and unusable items in your current property.
Lastly, if your home is very large and filled to the brim with belongings that need to be sorted through, it might be wise to arrange for a few of your friends and family to come over on a specific day, to help you with this process. The practical and emotional support they can provide will make the experience of downsizing considerably less stressful.
Be ruthless
Getting rid of possessions that you have had for several years, or perhaps even since you were a child, can be a difficult task. But if your new home is significantly smaller than your current one, you simply have to be strict with yourself and only take the belongings that you genuinely need and love.
Spend a few hours compiling a list of all the things that you own, including everything from trinkets and books, to clothing, furniture, technology and kitchenware. Anything that you haven't used in the last 12 months can probably be donated, sold or thrown away. Although you might feel that you will need a particular item at some unknown point in the future, the reality is that if you haven't even picked it up in over a year, you're unlikely to ever use it again.
It can be especially hard to get rid of possessions that have a lot of sentimental value. Whilst you certainly don't have to throw out every single memento you own, it is sensible to try to reduce the volume of these types of items, where possible. If you have hundreds upon hundreds of family photographs stored away in a box in the attic for instance, it might be worth scanning them and storing the images on your computer. That way you can still look at the photos whenever you want to, but they won't take up any space in your new home.
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