People downsize for various reasons - reducing household bills, lightening the load on chores, or making own your space after the children have flown the nest. Whatever reason you have for moving to a smaller home, we have some tips to bear in mind when moving.
Over the years, we naturally amass storage, furniture, and household ornaments. When residents downsize, they tend to keep all their existing storage and re-appropriate it into a smaller space. It’s difficult to let go, but very practical.
We suggest merging furniture and storage to make better use of your smaller space. Let’s say your clothes fit into three units - a chest of drawers, a wardrobe and a bedside dresser. That’s three bulky items, each of which need space and careful placement around the bedroom. Why not replace these with one larger unit that holds everything? Many charity shops and online services offer trade ins, so you could manage this without denting your wallet. For starters, we’d recommend Gumtree, Craigslist and the York items for sale group on Facebook. On the high street, the British Heart Foundation and Salvation Army among others sell good quality, cheap furniture.
The same can be said for the great outdoors. Herbs, flowers and vegetables can be repotted from single containers to long planters. For those moving to an upstairs apartment, balcony hooks can be purchased to keep the property green and fresh.
Much of the move will involve clearing out books, DVDs, jewellery, clothes and those items that build up over the years. We recommend setting yourself clear rules and sticking to them. Our recommendation? If it’s not been used in 6 months, consider giving the item away. Downsizing your home is a good opportunity to clear out the clutter; we’ve written a separate guide to it here.
What do you think? Has downsizing given you the opportunity to clear the decks? Let us know in the comments below.
