6 Ways to Downsize Successfully
Many of my clients have started downsizing from big villas to smaller ones, or from villas to apartments in the last few years. The reasons could be due to rent increases, economic demands or that they no longer need the space as family members have left the nest.Whatever the reason, it can be difficult to downsize your items to ensure they fit in your new home whether it be locally or internationally. The most important thing to remember when downsizing is to purge your life of all the things that you do not need without getting rid of the items you will need post move.To help you with the downsize process, here are 6 Ways to Downsize Successfully:
Get Rid of the Big Stuff
If you are moving from a 5 Bedroom Villa to a 2 Bedroom Apartment, there is no need to keep 3 beds, 6 bedside cabinets, a dining table worthy of Hogwarts or the sofa set currently in the guest living room. It costs more money to move these big furniture pieces from one place to another so sell them now or donate them to one of the many charities. It is tricker to declutter the big stuff if only the square feet is reducing. You may need the dining table and bedroom furniture, but the current pieces won't fit in your new place. Try and ditch the items that you really won't need such as a large bulky chest of drawers, side tables, sofa bed and chairs.
Go Through Every Box
How many full moving boxes do you have in the garage, store room or spare bedroom? I bet you haven't them since you moved to the current place! Many of them will be keepsakes or old clothes and toys. Go through each box and see if you really want these items to come with you to the new home. If you did not need these items whilst you were living in your current home, you will not need them moving forward.Remember as space is at a premium in your life now, every box matters; go through them all now and save on the moving costs of taking them to the new place.
Digitize your Stuff
Do you have CD's, DVD's, Videos, books and pictures in cupboards, boxes and drawers all over the house? Why not digitize these items and save them on the Cloud (try out Google+, iCloud or Dropbox) or in a big Hard Drive (I currently used 3TB hard drives to save all my files). You can get rid of so many boxes of these items by decluttering now and donate them to one of the many pet associations).You can transfer DVDs and CDs to digital files by using free computer programs, such as iTunes, WinX DVD Ripper, or Freemake Video Converter. Just be aware that the majority of DVDs and CDs are copyrighted, which may prevent you from making a copy, even though making personal copies of products you’ve purchased should fall under “fair use” laws.I have also saved all the important documents such as birth certificates, school certificates, etc online as well as offline.
Rehome those Special Items
Syda Productions
There may be items that you find whilst decluttering, which hold memories and value to you, but they have no use in your life now and are just taking up space in your home.For items which hold a special meaning to you, why not donate them to friends and family who may value them more. If they item(s) hold value, use Ebay to sell them to someone who could benefit from and enjoy the item.
Use the 6 Month Rule
When my clients decide to keep an item despite not touching it for a long time, I impart these words:
"if you do not use it within the next 6 months, it goes in the donation pile".
This mantra should be used whilst you are decluttering. If you have not use the particular item for the last 6 months, then you are not going to use it in the next year. This mantra doesn't apply to the fancy ballgowns we wear in the wedding and winter season - of course we can only wear them once a season for the Facebook photos.This means that those serving bowls for 20 people, old crafting items, toys and shoes need to go into the donation pile. When I was moving, I decided to get rid of most of my suits; I didn't need them except for very professional networking events and conferences and definitely didn't need them during the decluttering sessions with clients. I did keep 2 suits and one skirt and shirt to use on the rare occasion I attended a particular professional event.Remember to be realistic when decluttering and ask yourself what you use and need currently and in the future.
A Place For Everything...
Once you have moved into your new home, remember the key to keep the clutter to bay is to have a place for everything. This includes kitchen items, clothes and even your car keys. Clutter can accumulate very quickly and can make a smaller home even smaller.Hopefully these tips will help you to downsize, however if you need help to downsize, contact me by clicking here.
© 2013-15 Decluttr Me | All rights reserved - This post is provided for the convenience of Decluttr Me readers. Any reproduction of the content within this feed is strictly prohibited.