Whether you’re downsizing by choice or by force, it can feel good to relieve yourself of clutter and things you don’t need. The problem is that we often feel an attachment, emotional or otherwise, to those things and find it hard to figure out what to part with and what to keep. With that in mind, here are some smart tips on how to downsize.
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Make the New House Your Own
Instead of focusing on the things you need to give up, focus on the new things you can do: painting, choosing window treatments or new flooring, designing and installing landscaping, etc. This will help keep your mind of what you’re losing. You may need to buy new, smaller furniture to replace larger pieces you’re giving up, so take that as an opportunity to really fine-tune what you want and like.
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Plan Ahead
Don’t wait until the last second to start downsizing. Waiting until you’re packing may seem like a good idea (killing two birds with one stone, so to speak), but it can also make you feel more rushed to make a decision and that can make it harder to make that decision. Start early. Start with things you’ve had stored in closets, sheds, or the garage for years. Sort those things first, especially as it may be easier to make decisions on things you don’t see every day. Then work your way to the things you have in the house that you do see every day.
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Consider Your New Lifestyle
Ask yourself why you’re keeping something: sentimental value, a real need for it, or just because you spent a lot of money on it? Whatever the reason for keeping it, does it fit with your new lifestyle? If you had to pay to store it, would it be worth paying the storage fees (for just that one item)? Be honest with yourself, even if the honesty hurts. You may realize some of what you’re holding on to is stuff you don’t really care about.
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Distinguish Needs From Wants
Just because you want something and it fits your lifestyle doesn’t mean you should keep it. Ask yourself if you need it? You need a certain amount of furniture, dishes, clothing, or shoes. But do you need place settings for twenty people? Do you need five bookcases filled with books you’ve read once and will never read again? Or are those things you merely want because you like them? Distinguish the needs from the wants, set aside the things you need and then see what space you have left to work with to fill in with the things you want.
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Draw out a Floor Plan
Draw out a floor plan of the new house, with accurate measurements, and use this to lay out your furniture and see how it fits. You can play with arrangements, figure out what fits and what doesn’t, and determine what things you have to get rid of and replace and what things you can just get rid of.
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Consider Quality and Multipurpose
Keep or buy quality furniture that will last instead of cheaper ones. Look for furniture that can serve multiple purposes, like nightstands with open and closed storage and a coffee table or ottoman that opens to provide storage. If you have items that only serve one function, and another item can not only serve that function but several others, get rid of the single-purpose item and keep the multi-function one.
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Have a Third Party Help
If you’re unable to decide, or if you and your partner (or child) disagree, ask an objective third party for their thoughts. This can be a relative, friend, or even a professional organizer. Third parties can often see things much more clearly than you can, and will be able to tell you that something isn’t worth keeping, or that you should keep one thing over another.
