House Too Big! 15 Tips to Help You Downsize
The kids moved out to college, and the older ones are beginning their own families a few states away while you’re stuck in their childhood home. A home you never thought you would abandon. However, the time comes when the long-time family house swallows you with excess room. What are you to do about this? Downsize. You spent most of your life stockpiling school supplies and furniture to provide the utmost comfort for your family, so now you can’t envision a life without random items strewn about the house. As promised, we’ve got your back with a step-by-step foolproof guide to downsizing.
1. Take Inventory
The first way to determine what to eliminate in a house overcome by “stuff” is to figure out what you have. Grab a pen and paper or hop on the computer to write down all of the items and goods collecting dust and grime throughout the house. Assort the goods into sections: what to keep, what to donate, and what you’re unsure about. Complete the inventory writing portion and take a break.
2. Declutter
Oftentimes, our homes appear crammed with belongings, limiting storage space, causing us to seek out larger spaces.Instead of buying that new storage bin, take a shot at decluttering the space. Decluttering refers to removing items from the house and promising to cut back on what enters the house. Aside from these two steps, organize and file paperwork and clothing.
3. Switch to Digital
My parents have at least ten oversized containers full of physical photos in their closet. I wouldn’t ask them to because they can’t part with the photos. However, they can approach future pictures through a digital lens. In lieu of printing out each picture taken, they sift through digital photos, select the best prints, and then send them to the printer. This method frees up extra space for other essential storage materials.
4. One Thing at a Time
Downsizing takes a heavy toll on the heartstrings, especially when moving from a childhood or family home to a new place. Experts suggest taking it slow, approaching one room daily to achieve the desired effect. If you breeze through downsizing, you could get rid of excess materials or latch onto nonessential materials instead of taking time to process each good.
5. Ditch the Duplicates
Do you have more than one of something? You use each of them, though they deliver the same effect. Say you have four hairdryers. Without paying attention, you accumulated the same hair accessory over the years. The machines come in different colors, each appealing to a different day. Using a blue hair dryer on a Sunday might appease your Monday blues, but you don’t need four of the same appliances. Once you note your inventory, start diminishing the repetitive supply.
6. Think About Vertical Space
Would you rather have a horizontal shoe cabinet plopped in the middle of the living room, cutting into the entryway, or a vertical shoe cabinet attached to the back of a closet? The former causes an eyesore and potential trip hazards as the latter maximizes vertical space and dips out of the line of vision for a smooth walkway.
7. Work Together
You may live alone, but you don’t have to downsize alone. Grab a friend or family member to help you progress through the activity with an accountability buddy. Another pair of eyes may see different perspectives, easing anxieties around downsizing. Enlisting a friend to assist helps the downsizer make important decisions about keeping or donating goods.
8. Measure Furniture
In my first home, we purchased a huge L-shaped leather couch to decorate the corner of our living room. The couch worked with the house’s measurements, meaning it didn’t overtake the room or underwhelm the space. Nonetheless, when we decided to downsize, we searched for a couch that would match our new space. We adored our old couch despite its size, so we tried to make it work in our new house. We learned the measurements didn’t fit, as the couchappeared to eat the new living room. Acting on our realization, we measured the living room’s quarters, taking those findings to the furniture store. We settled on a tinier, beige, comfy couch that sailed into the living room space without hassle.
9. Schedule Time
Avoid overwhelming outbursts from downsizing with set times. During moving or decluttering, I like to think of myself as a superhero capable of completing all my tasks in one day. Until realization knocks me over, set aside a specific amount of time each day to downsize to prevent rage-fueled episodes. Performing the task at the same time each day helps, too.
10. Follow a Timeline
Timelines coexist with schedules. You set aside specific times to declutter and organize in a fixed timeline because they require extensive mental and physical energy. You will struggle with quick energy depletion unless you operate on an endless energy reserve. Combat this with a timeline. Pick an allotted time frame to declutter and organize before the move. Timelines work, but only if you stick to them.
11. Listen to Entertainment
Close your eyes and envision the last time you organized a room in your house. Did you do it amidst strong silence or along with tunes or podcasts? Some people need extra chatter to encourage them to finish their pursuits. Noises distract from the main activity, giving your brain a different focal point. In turn, listening to an audiobook or talking to a friend during downsizing speeds up the clock, maybe even forcing one to enjoy the downsizing act.
12. Organize a Yard Sale
When our current homes transform into past homes, we must determine where to dispose of our once-beloved items. Shall we donate a bag of treasured clothes, should we toss them into the trash, or should we try and get back a portion (or more) of what we spent? Formulating garage sales softens the impact of downsizing by seeing the sheer joy these belongings bring to others. Earn a little money in exchange for spreading joy.
13. Peruse Storage Space
Whether you’re decluttering or moving to a new, smaller home, evaluate the space you’ve learned to take up with storage. Does the pocket underneath your bed hold old clothes? Do the shelves in your closet cushion important papers? During inventory, take notes about the unused spaces in your home. Write down how to best optimize the practical use of available space.
14. Repurpose
If you can’t quite part with the collection of tacky tourist t-shirts shoved in the corner of your closet, repurpose the fabric into a blanket, quilt, or other creation. You don’t have to always rid your home of the items to decrease the space they take up. My best friend fused her favorite band tour t-shirts into a quilt. She decided between the back or front of each shirt to further reduce the fabric. She cut off the sleeves, chopped the shirt in half, trimmed the relevant parts, and finished sewing.
15. You Pick Two
Panera’s popular catchphrase “you pick two” applies to downsizing. Say you own a ridiculous amount of Halloween-themed pillows. You cherish each pillow, knowing they charm the house during the fall season and soak up loads of space in the interim. Choose two spookiest, cutest Halloween pillows and part with the rest. Toning down the amount of thematic items won’t erase essential home themes.
14 Bad Habits You Should Stop In Order to Save Hundreds of Dollars a Month
The phrase “it’s a bad habit” can encompass every undesirable act, from chewing fingernails to blowing through stop signs. If there was ever a “bad habit” that most Americans share, it’s overspending. What an insidious habit it is, too. U.S. household debt rose steadily (and alarmingly) between 2013 and 2023, with total debt growing by $800 million between 2022 and 2023 alone. Our spendthrifty demons are winning, and we need help.
14 Bad Habits You Should Stop In Order to Save Hundreds of Dollars a Month
15 Aldi Deals To Buy That Will Save You Money
Undoubtedly, grocery shopping has become more stressful in the last couple of years. From 2022 to 2023, overall food prices rose five percent, in addition to the 11.4% rise in food-at-home prices in 2022.
15 Aldi Deals To Buy That Will Save You Money
15 States That Allow You to Live on a Smaller Budget
Finding ways to make your paycheck stretch is at the forefront of most Americans’ minds. In 2022, inflation started to eat away at more and more of our incomes, leaving many figuring out whether to pay for gas or groceries, two areas where inflation hit hard and fast initially.
