Many people are often faced with the difficult decision to downsize every once in a while. This is often the case when moving across long distances or transitioning from a rural to an urban area. You may also need to downsize when moving closer to downtown areas or nearer to shops and other commercial districts.
Downsizing is often harder than it first seems, especially with poor planning. However, there are many different benefits of moving into a smaller home. You often get to pay less in rent/mortgages and utilities, and you have a unique opportunity to remove junk from your home.
Here's how you can prepare for moving house.
You have to plan in advance
Any move, especially across state lines, requires careful planning. However, moving into a smaller space requires an even deeper level of planning. Simply packing all your items and moving to a smaller home can spell disaster.
Start by identifying how much stuff your new home can hold. You can even measure the rooms and compare them to your current home to get a more accurate picture of what you can fit in there.
Prioritise what you will pack and be prepared to leave out unnecessary items. Part of the planning process also involves starting early. Don't wait until the last week to prepare your items for the move.
Get rid of junk
This is perhaps the most important preparation step. A useful strategy is to prepare a list of the items that you wish to keep and those that are not essential to the move. After determining how much stuff your new home can hold, prioritise all your belongings before moving.
Smaller or multipurpose furniture may work better for your living room, while excess clothing that you don't normally wear is best left behind. Try to maximise all available space in your new home without creating clutter.
Consider hiring a storage unit
If you're planning for significant downsizing, storage units come in handy. You can rent one for sometime before or after your move to make planning easier. Store non-essential items in the unit and retrieve them as you continue to unpack in your new home. In this way, you can ensure that you're not disposing of important items before you settle in.
Prepare yourself psychologically
It can be challenging to adjust when you move into a new home. It is not just about adjusting your items; you also need to make changes to your lifestyle. You may need to get used to being tidier, as smaller spaces can look messy in a heartbeat.
Hello, my name is Mikey and this is my moving and storage blog. I would like to welcome you all to what I hope will grow into a fantastic blog. I must say, I didn't know a thing about this topic until last summer when I had to pack up my stuff and move it across Australia from Perth to Syndey. I had been offered a fantastic new job so I had to relocate. I had a few friends in Sydney and I thought the move could be a real adventure. I hired a moving company and contacted a storage place so I could keep the stuff I didn't have room for safe. I learnt so much from working with the professionals who worked for these companies, I want to share it here.