If you’re planning to move soon, it’s wise to downsize before you do. We recently helped our client Bella downsize before moving to the East Coast.
After one day of de-cluttering, organizing her home, and packing her belongings, she was left with a few boxes for donation and a few for the recycling center. We took care of those for her, as well as selling and donating a few pieces of her furniture. Deciding what you can downsize ahead of time can save you lots of money. Here are some tips on how to downsize and make your move easier.
Consider Your New Space
If you’re getting a smaller home, you’ll need to consider how your furniture and belongings will fit. Take into consideration both the square footage and the floor plan. If the new place only has a living room, instead of both a living and a family room, you’ll probably want to sell or donate some of your couches and chairs. Consider the look of the new place too. If it only has a formal living and dining room, only bring the formal wooden set or couch, not the casual den furniture.
Downsizing Clothes
Most closets are stuffed with clothes that no one wears. It’s time for the haunting task of going through the closets and drawers and deciphering what you actually still wear. Follow the rule that if you haven’t worn it in six months, it’s gone. It’s not the time to hold on to something, hoping it might fit soon. Then, follow the same rule with your children’s clothes, remembering they go through growth spurts so you’ll replenish their clothes soon anyway.
Use Three Boxes When Sorting
As you move through the house, bring three boxes into each room: one for packing, one for throwing away, and one for donating or selling. As you go throw the items in each room, drop it in one of those boxes. Think about if you’ve used it the last six months or if it still brings you happiness. If not, get rid of it.
Sort Sentimental Items Last
Involve the rest of the family when sorting sentimental items. You don’t want to hold onto your daughter’s favorite porcelain dolls to find out she doesn’t want them. On the other hand, you don’t want to sell your son’s signed baseball card collection to find out he wants it. You can still get rid of these items in different ways though.
Planning a move soon? Our organizational specialists at Refresh Organizers can assist you in downsizing and packing to make the move easier for you. Call us at 510-984-1607 to learn more.
