Be Smart When Downsizing

If you’re making the move to a smaller home, you shouldn’t be worried about altering your lifestyle dramatically. You can make the most of a small home with smart design strategies and careful planning.

Maybe your youngest has finally gone away to college, and you have much more space than you really need. Or perhaps you want to minimize your lifestyle and shrink your carbon footprint. Whatever your reason for downsizing, you can rest assured that moving into a smaller home will not cramp your style. 

Making a more modest space work doesn't have to be difficult - these tips can help you make the transition with ease.

Identify Your Needs

Before you start organizing things for the move, identify your needs. Think about your lifestyle and what things you will need to support it. Be aware of what resources you will absolutely need moving forward. If you have a lot of pictures and other sentimental items, but you know you won’t have space for them all in the new place, consider ways to preserve these things for your children or grandkids. Maybe you can scan and upload old photographs to a shared online family photo album or an external hard drive.

Whatever your needs may be, make a list of them and keep them top of mind during this process. 

Get Rid Of Rarely Used Items

It can be difficult to start getting rid of your stuff, even if you don't use it often. However, change can be a good thing. Downsizing your belongings can also simplify your life. If you have items that still have a lot of life left in them, you might try giving them to family members, charities or friends. Finding a good home for your things can make it easier to part with them. You could also try to sell items that are valuable.

Once you take a good look at everything, you’d be surprised at what you truly can and can’t live without. 

Choose Smart Storage Solutions

Having less square footage doesn't mean that you have to get rid of everything you own, though. You just have to be smart about how you organize your space. 

There are many storage solutions that can help you make the most of a small area. Maybe mount your television to the wall to enhance your floor space. Use storage ottomans for combination seating and storage. Built-in cabinets are also great storage solutions for tiny rooms.

Spend some time on Google or Pinterest to see how many storage options there are for small spaces. 

Take Measurements

Before you move furniture and other larger items, measure the space and the furniture to make sure that it will all fit. Also, measure how many cabinets and closet space you will have available for use. You can use these measurements as a guide before moving anything to your new home. This simple step will save you the hassle of having to later get rid of items that you have already moved over.

Moving to any new place can be exciting and stressful, but we hope these tips and ideas give you some peace of mind about your move to a smaller space.