8 Essential Tips for Downsizing to your New Home!
Oct 16th, 2019 by: Wendy and Nancy
Downsizing, or “Rightsizing” — moving to a new, smaller home is never easy. Chances are you will feel like you’re on a roller coaster of emotions as you sort through things you’ve held onto for a major part of your life. But don’t worry, this is an essential part of downsizing, and believe me, once you actually make it through, you will feel like a whole new person.
There will be points where you may have many second thoughts about whether you should downsize or not. It is no doubt a very challenging process, and like most people, you may feel like you’re not prepared for it. But we’ve got you covered.
Here are 8 essential tips for downsizing that will help you smooth out the process.
1. Start early
Moving to a new house is not a one day job – the prep may take you anywhere from a few months to even a year. Only once you actually start packing up your things will you realize how much stuff you’ve accumulated over the years – and don’t be too surprised when you realize most of it is useless!
You’ll need time to mentally prepare yourself, and then even more time to sort through what you want to keep and what you don’t. Not to mention the time that will go into actually packing up your things. So be wise and start the entire process early.
2. Only keep the things that suit your current lifestyle
You may want to keep everything, but you shouldn’t. Be the giver. Give away, donate or sell everything that you don’t think will actually be required as you move into your new home.
3. Only take what fits
No, your age-old furniture won’t fit into your new living room, and you have to accept it. All your rugs and larger-than-life bookshelves will not fit either. Let them go!
4. Give away the books you’ve stored for decades
Don’t worry. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds. We know there’s a relationship that we build with books, but try to let go of the ones you don’t ever see yourself really opening up to read (again). Make space for new stories – literally and figuratively.
5. Take out your measuring tape
This guy is going to be your most important tool. Measure everything. Measure the dimensions of your furniture and everything single thing that you plan on taking to your new home to ensure what fits and what doesn’t. If things don’t fit, you’ll either have to buy new stuff or probably find a different home. Don’t attempt to make the move without measuring things up!
6. Fill your storage and closet with the best things
Downsizing is liberating. And it involves letting go of a lot of stuff that you’ve held onto for a long time. Fill your storage with your best things and your closet with only the clothes that you actually want to wear. The rest? Donate them to charity if you know no one would be interested in buying them from you.
7. Remove duplicates
When we live in a house, we accumulate many, many things – often duplicates. While some of these duplicates are actually useful, others were bought just because older versions were outdated. So be sure to get rid of outdated items – you won’t have enough space for them!
8. Don’t re-accumulate stuff
We are all guilty of this. We buy a lot of things without disposing of the ones we already have. Once you’ve downsized, don’t overfill your house again. Keep it open with a lot of space and you will honestly love your new home for it.
Keep it simple and embrace the liberation that comes with downsizing. It will rejuvenate and refresh you.
Do you want to learn more? We invite you to join us for a fun-filled, educational evening, learning about various tips and tricks on downsizing, along with opportunities to grow your passive income!
REGISTER HERE: http://bhwoctober24downsizing.eventbrite.ca