Are You Downsizing? Here Are 8 Tips for an Easy Transition

Sometimes it makes sense to downsize your home. You may want to cut your monthly expenses, one spouse may be leaving their job, or you may be an empty nester or a senior who’s decided you don’t need all the space in your current place. Whatever the reason, it can be difficult to know what to take with you and what to leave behind. Here are eight tips for an easy transition when you downsize your home.

Decide on the Items You Love

Before you pick the possessions to say goodbye to, you need to settle on the ones you absolutely must take with you. What are the ones you use all the time, the ones that will transition well into your new place, and the ones you simply can’t live without? Once you make sure you have room in your new space for these important pieces of clothing, furniture, and other items, you can then add in other items.

Figure Out What Fits in Your New Space

Your current sofa or long dining room table may be too large for your new home. You may have bedroom furniture or patio sets that have no place to go. Come up with a plan of what you’re going to do. Will you purchase new, smaller furniture, or use items from a different room? Measure every room in your new home and lay out a plan for how your stuff will fit. Be prepared to purchase new items if you need to, but wait until after closing.

Re-Home Your Treasures

Old pictures, jewelry, and other keepsakes may be precious to you but too cumbersome to move to your new place. Think about giving these items to close family or friends as gifts. That beautiful piano, piece of artwork, or antique desk may not fit in your new home, but your daughter or old friend may have the perfect place for them and enjoy them for years to come. Let the new owners know of their windfall in plenty of time for them to take it off your hands before you move.

Donate Unused Clothes

No more saving clothes until you lose those pesky 10 pounds or until they come back into style. When you’re downsizing, you can’t have several closets full of clothing, purses, and shoes you never wear. If you’re moving to a new climate, consider getting rid of an entire season’s worth of clothes. Donate them (throw away items with holes or stains) before moving day. That way your new closet areas can be well organized and filled with items you actually wear.

Throw It Out

While you’re downsizing to a new home, you’ll undoubtedly find stuff in every room that you don’t want to take with you and that can’t be sold. Keepsakes, old paperwork, stuff you’ve stuck in the closets that you vowed to donate later, and just plain junk from your many years living there needs to be dealt with before your move. Take a deep breath and chuck these in the trash. Be merciless in getting rid of things. There’s no reason to move stuff you don’t need or use into your smaller home. (Make sure to shred any documents containing sensitive personal or financial information that you’re getting rid of.)

Plan a Garage Sale

If you’re downsizing, you may have entire rooms of furniture and tons of kitchenware you aren’t going to take with you. Why not sell it for some extra money? Set a date, make some signs, and advertise it online to get the most traffic. Price your items to move and be willing to negotiate. You’ll be surprised at how much money you make to spend on furniture for your new place.

Tackle One Room at a Time

Downsizing can be overwhelming, so start ahead of time and don’t try to do everything at once. Begin with your kitchen cabinets, then move to your bathrooms, and then forge through each of your bedrooms. Or, you may decide to clean out your closets before anything else. The main idea is to have a plan and complete one section of your home before you start on another one.

Clear Out Garage and Outbuildings

You may be moving to a condo where you won’t need lawn equipment, or your new yard may be much smaller. Clean out your garage, storage sheds, and any other outbuilding where you store your stuff. Give it away or sell what you can, and trash the rest.

Downsizing gives you a chance to free yourself from the clutter of a larger home. Start early and do a bit at a time, and you’ll be ready, and even excited, to start your next chapter in your smaller place.