In recent years, minimalism has become a way of life and people embrace it for many reasons, whether it’s lack of space or just being overwhelmed by too much stuff. If you’re planning a relocation, knowing how to downsize for a move can be your first step into the world of minimalism. An average American household has more than 300,000 items, and a significant part of that amount is most certainly unnecessary clutter.
Once you decide to move and hire cross-country moving services to help you, there’s some planning to do, from organizing the packing process to figuring out how you’ll prepare and protect furniture for transportation. However, before all that, you need to decide what will go with you in the first place, especially if relocating to a smaller home. This is probably one of the best ways to begin planning the move. Regardless of how minimalist you are, you’ll probably pack more stuff than just moving essentials, so let’s check how to decide what to go with you and whatnot.
Why Learning How to Downsize for a Move Plays a Big Role When Moving to a Smaller Home
Many of us aren’t great at space management due to many years of collecting unnecessary stuff. This doesn’t usually become a problem until you decide to move, and especially if you’re going from a house to an apartment.
But besides thinking about what you need to rent an apartment, you should keep in mind that you’re relocating during coronavirus. Everyone’s safety is at stake, and you should do everything not to expose yourself and others to any more risk.
The Best Way to Prepare for Downsizing Is to Start on Time
When you decide it is time to move to another state and start over, there will be many changes to face, from saying goodbye to your loved ones to adjusting to a new environment. To get rid of all those negative thoughts, why not purge your entire place? Many people find it relieving and calming.
Even though it can be hard to give some stuff up, you should do it because the whole relocation will be much simpler. However, no one said you can do it in just one day. The sooner you begin, the less overwhelmed you’ll feel. In general, around three months should be enough for this task if you don’t have a lot of free time on your hands (because of work and other obligations). If that sounds too long, try to figure out the best way to declutter a home and how to downsize when moving more quickly. That’s the beginning of the whole process. Then, ensure you make a packing list and arm yourself with some awesome relocation hacks.
Take One Step at a Time and Choose the Best Method
As you may already know, the key to a successful move is organization. In this case, purging your house takes time, but if you don’t think it through, you’ll lose so much more. That’s why figuring out first which method suits you best will be much easier. Use one of the most productive techniques for decluttering and eliminate unnecessary objects from the packing list:
- Make categories for items – declutter one category at a time. This could be a faster way to decide which objects you really need or not. For example, if you begin with clothes, keep going until you’ve decided what to do with each piece.
- Declutter room by room – many people find this method the most productive one because once you are done with a room, you know there’s nothing else in there to check.
- Don’t forget the storage – many people omit spaces like storage, not intentionally.
Pick the method and begin with efficient decluttering your place
Before Decluttering, You’ll Want to Answer Some Questions
While considering all the benefits of the move, make sure you know some basics when it comes to decluttering your home. As we already mentioned, separating from a place you’ve been living in for years can be quite emotionally draining for some of us.
However, when you’re familiar with all the positive sides of this process, you’ll surely look at it differently. It’s not the easiest thing to do among all the things you have to consider when relocating to a new state. But try answering the following questions honestly, and you’ll see, downsizing will be so much easier:
- What is the expiration date,
- How often do you use these items,
- Are they duplicates,
- Will they fit into the interior and decoration of the new place,
- Can you still use them,
- Do they have a sentimental value,
- Are they essential?
Check Whether Renting a Storage Facility Is an Option for Some Things
Relocating efficiently often requires a lot of effort and energy. Sometimes it’s harder to achieve it because you have to deal with a larger amount of things to pack. On the one hand, some items you can’t just toss. For example, family heirlooms, like that one vintage mirror that you have had since forever, but your new place doesn’t have enough free space for it.
In that case, it’s best to check out the storage facility option. You never know, you might find the perfect place for another item or two when all the stuff is in its place. That could surely be one of the things to do when you move to another state. Luckily, professional movers will also offer you moving insurance for some of your most valuable belongings. That way, you won’t have to worry about anything.
Check if a storage unit could be the option for some of your belongings
Ensure You Know How to Sort the Clutter Properly
One of the most common relocation mistakes is not knowing how to sort piles of clutter adequately. If you skip this part, the big problem will be what to do with all the things you don’t want to bring. Probably the easiest way of downsizing is to make three piles of stuff:
- Toss – everything that can’t be used or fixed should go in the trash.
- Donate – help the people in need and donate things like blankets, electronics, and the like to Goodwill or another local charity.
- Sell – if you haven’t used an object for over a year and it is in good condition, sell it online.
Furniture and Bulkier Items From Your House Can Be Donated or Sold
When it comes to downsizing some bulkier stuff, make sure you follow relocation tips and have a safe move. This is probably the trickiest part of the whole process since you are dealing with heavy but also expensive pieces. So ensure you plan everything before deciding to move furniture. Measure each piece and be sure it will fit as well as it did in the old place. If not, don’t hesitate to leave some pieces behind. You can always donate them to charities or sell them.
Some things can’t fit the future place, so it is best to donate them
Another Step to Take Is to Refrain From Buying New Stuff You Don’t Need
Going shopping after you’ve just learned how to downsize a home and put so much effort into it is the worst thing you could do. However, many people have the urge to buy something after all the downsizing. We tend to feel empty after we get rid of all that stuff, and it is normal. But pay attention to these mood swings and leave the shopping day for after the move.
Also, this could cause a lot of trouble if you, for example, buy a chair you’ve wanted for months (or years) and after settling in, you realize it doesn’t fit the future place. To avoid similar inconveniences, stay away from online and in-store shopping until the moving day.
Avoid shopping for things after you decluttered the whole place
Go Digital and Save as Much Free Space as Possible
The biggest stressor when relocating is clutter. And we all want to reduce the relocation stress as much as possible. So, once you decide to move, include purging probably the biggest clutter in your place – paper. Start with the documents needed for the move and separate them into a different pile. Examine each paper in detail and toss everything you can. If you can’t throw some paperwork away because it is important, you might not need it physically – digitize it.
All Free Spaces Are Precious When Moving to a Smaller Home
You surely don’t want to use free spaces intended for creative storage ideas to keep all that unnecessary paper clutter. When you are relocating to a smaller place, keeping all spaces free of clutter is something to remember. Still, you’ll have to bring some of the documentation to the future apartment, right? That’s why knowing how to organize all the documents is essential. Watch the video below and find out how to do it.
Ask Your Loved Ones to Give You a Helping Hand
Handling stress during the move can be pretty challenging. And if you don’t ask for some help, it can become overwhelming, and you’ll feel anxious about the move. That’s why finding the biggest support in your family and friends is something you most certainly should do. There is no shame in asking for help, especially when it comes to getting rid of household stuff.
A Reliable Moving Team Will Help You With Their Services
Once you decide to move, the first thing to do is to choose a professional moving company. Sure, you can organize the move on your own, and you might even save some money on relocation costs, but you definitely won’t feel as relaxed as you would with the professionals. On the other hand, you can rely on packing services if relocating at the last minute or secure a storage facility for some items you are not ready to give up yet. However, keep in mind that the less stuff you have, the less will the whole relocation cost.
On the other hand, having your car safely transported to another location isn’t as easy as it sounds. So booking all the services a relocation company offers you, including professional auto transport, is very important, as well.
Find support and help in your loved ones
Don’t Skip Our Downsizing Tips and Avoid Stress
Changes are good but can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when making such a big leap and relocating to another place. And we all know what you can’t omit in this whole process – packing. Now, wrapping up things you really do not want in a future place is a waste of time. That’s why you should know how to get rid of clutter and move stress-free.
