Five Steps to Effectively Downsizing

Whether you are getting ready to make a big move or you want to reduce the clutter in your home, downsizing is one of the most effective ways to reduce the number of items you have. The process of downsizing can be drastic, or it can be subtle. Going through your belongings can be mentally and physically taxing, which is why you need to have a good plan in place when you choose to downsize. We have found that five steps can make your experience with downsizing much easier and less stressful overall. In fact, when done right, downsizing can be very liberating and allow you to truly experience living in a new home.

Start the Process Early

Over the years, we accumulate belongings. Some of these belongings might be sentimental, and others are just ones we were not ready to part with at the time. Needless to say, the years of accumulation add up. You can’t expect to clear out and downsize decades of belongings in a matter of days – so starting early is the key to being successful at downsizing.
Trying to rush through this process leaves a lot of room for error. You might end up getting rid of something you never meant to get rid of or trying to keep it all when you have no room for it. Take it slow and go room by room as early as possible.

Eliminate the Rooms You Don’t Have in Your New Home

If you need to downsize, chances are the home you are moving to doesn’t have the same amount of space you have now. When you don’t know where to start with the downsizing process, start with the rooms that don’t exist in your new home. For example youre new home may not have an office, dens, spare bedrooms, basements, or extra garage spaces. Items stored in these rooms will only clutter your new home, so what better place to start?

Keep It, Sell It, or Give It Away

When you need to downsize to a new home , there should not be a “maybe” pile. You either need to keep it, sell it, or give it away. When you decide to sell something, you can choose to have an estate sale, yard sale, or even go online to one of the various applications that can help you sell your stuff. The downside to a yard sale is that you are less likely to get the price you deserve for some of the higher-end items you own.

If you choose not to keep the items or sell them, you can donate them or give them to family members that want them. Make a list of the big-ticket items you plan on getting rid of and post them for family members and others on your social media page to get first dibs. Anything else you can haul and leave at the donation entrance of your local Goodwill or equivalent store.

Pass on Legacy Items Now

Many of the things we treasure and plan to pass down we hold until we die, then they are listed in our will for the intended recipients. You can save yourself some time and enjoy sharing with family members by just passing on items while you downsize to a new home. You can get an extreme amount of joy seeing your family members receiving these items, and you don’t have to pay to move them.

Allow Yourself to Reminisce

Downsizing is not just about getting rid of items and clutter in your home before a move or purge. The items that you collect over the years, no matter how small, can create lasting memories. Part of the process of downsizing has to be about reliving those memories. You have to let yourself have these memories while you downsize the items in your home, or you might regret it later on.

It may help to reference the KonMari Method. Developed by Marie Kondo, “this is a simple but effective tidying method, ensuring you will never again relapse to clutter. It uses a unique selection criterion – choosing what sparks joy! You are not choosing what to discard but rather choosing to keep only the items that speak to your heart. Through tidying, you can reset your life and spend the rest of your life surrounded by the people and things that you love the most.”
So, take a moment to think about the bag of seashells you got on your honeymoon, and the grandfather clock passed down over the generations. These items have a special place in your heart, but you don’t have to physically keep them for the memories to stay with you. It’s okay for you to take the time to think about these memories and make the decision to keep or not. That is one great thing about taking your time during this process.

Downsizing Can Mean New Opportunities

If you are downsizing, you are likely moving or just looking for a way to reduce the amount of clutter in your home. We are willing to bet you are moving to a more manageable home – and some of the best homes you will find are within the Blue Mountain Communities.