Don’t let the “D” word scare you! Yes, we are talking about Downsizing. When you are thinking about moving, especially to a smaller house, thoughts often come up about how much of your stuff you actually need. Inevitably, you will begin thinking about some stuff you should get rid of. You may wonder how to do it. You might wonder who will take the stuff you want to rid yourself of. You might wonder if you will regret getting rid of some of your possessions.
How to decide what to discard:
There are many considerations that you can go through when figuring out what to discard. You should think about when you last used the item. If it has not seen the light of day in ten years, it is likely not something that you should keep. Consider if the item is still useful to you. If it is something like clothing, try it on. If it does not fit, toss it.
One important thing to avoid is delaying decisions. Oftentimes this will lead to you keeping more things than you would have. Go with your gut and decide momentarily if you need to keep the item. When there are memories tied to items it is hard to give them away but the memories will last even after the item is gone.
How to get rid of your discard pile:
- Garage Sale: This will take some effort but will also get you more back than you would with other methods. The steps to throwing a successful garage sale are simple. First check for any city ordinances and homeowner association rules to make sure that you abide by them. Then, price your items, a fair price, especially if you will just give them away for free otherwise. Next, advertise your sale. You need to have signs placed on key roads that will lead shoppers to their destination. It will be helpful to place advertisements online to lead more people to your sale. Finally, sit back and enjoy making a little money while talking with your neighbors. Click the Garage Sale Sign below for a step-by-step guide to planning your garage sale.
- Donate Items: When you just want to get rid of your stuff, donating your gently used items to a charity is a great way to do that. You will benefit a worthwhile cause. You will also benefit the next person who gets to use your item. It is a great, easy way to get read of your stuff and keep it out of a landfill. Some organizations will even come and pick your donation up from your residence.
- Think about family and friends: If you know anyone in your family who is just getting a household started, asking if they need any items would be a grand idea. Otherwise, just spread the word that you are downsizing and you will be surprised about what people request. It will give you joy to give someone something that they can use.
- Consider a storage solution: There will be some things that you will not want to get rid of. If there is no room for them in your next living situation, consider renting a storage unit. This will allow you extra room for those items that you need for day-to-day living. If a storage unit is not in the budget, think about if any family or friends would be willing to store items in their basement, garage or barn for you.
- Re-organize: Some items in your home could be stored more effectively. For example, if you have many DVDs, you could take them out of their cases and put them into a DVD folder. This will keep the amount of space you are using down, while allowing you to keep more.
Downsizing your home to prepare for a move will take time. Think of all the time that it took to accumulate everything you own. However, once you have downsized successfully you will be glad that you have more space. You will be able to focus your organization on the items you truly care about and have uses for.
