If it's time to move to a smaller home, these tips help you save memories while still minimizing the clutter you bring to your new place.
Moving into a new home can be tough, you are having an exciting change, but it's often sad to leave a home full of your memories. Downsizing is even harder, smaller place means less space for all your current belongings.
But downsizing is also a great opportunity for a fresh new start. Getting rid of clutter allows you to fill your new place with only items you truly love, which really makes it feel like home.
Here are 3 steps steps for downsizing while keeping meaningful belongings.
1. Plan
Visit your new place and measure the rooms rooms and storage areas.
This will be your guide for how much you can bring with you. Be cautious here and try not to overestimate.
To decide what to keep and what to get rid of, go through one room at a time. No need to tackle it all at once, moving is a big job. Plan to do a little each day, and get an early start so you aren’t rushed.
Plan out your furniture first. Thinking about big items first gives you a clearer idea of how much space you have left. It can be a huge problem adjusting if that bookshelf doesn't fit at the last minute.
2. Sort your belongings
Is it useful? It can be easy to convince yourself you might still wear an old sweater with the tags still on it someday. But odds are, if you haven’t used an item in the past year, you probably never will.
The key question for minimalism is, does it bring you joy? If not get rid of it.
Also, get rid of duplicates. Do you have more than one coffee pot, or several china sets? If you only use an item one at a time, you don’t need multiples.
While sorting, follow a strict yes - no policy, “maybes” don't help, it's decision time. Making a “yes” pile and a “no” pile will force yourself to choose. If you can’t decide if an item deserves a yes, that means it’s a no. “Maybe” piles are just more work for you later.
Decide what to do with your “no” pile. You may not need or want these items anymore, but they can probably be useful for someone else. Friends or family members would most likely love to receive special pieces. You can sell furniture, housewares, and other items in good condition at a garage sale or through sites like Craigslist. Donating reusable items to organizations like Salvation Army, who also often offer residential pickups, is always a great idea. If it's damaged or worn beyond repair get it to the recycling bin or on the way to the dump.
3. Preserve memories
Digitizing photos can save space and then you can easily share them with friends and family. Photo albums take up a lot of space, and how often do you have a chance to actually go through them? Picking up a digital frame and you will be able to enjoy all of your photos in a rotating slideshow. You can also create a slideshow for your TV or computer screensaver.
Take photos of items that elicit good memories, but you wont have room for. You'll be able to look back on memories without still keeping the items.
If you pass items on to your close friends, children, or grandchildren. They will enjoy the gift, and you will love getting to see the items being used.
Making a scrapbook or three-dimensional pieces of art like shadowboxes can help trim down the space some pieces are taking up in boxes and also make them easier to enjoy by keeping them together in one place.
Downsizing can be emotional. You will rediscover items you haven’t seen in a very long time, and you will have to choose what to do with them. Giving yourself time to reminisce, and then making the decision helps. Keep in mind all your space limitations. Only take what is truly valuable, only you know what you can and cannot do without.
After you're down with your move, it will all be worth it and you will be able to enjoy your new space surrounded by all the best feelings of home.
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