I may be moving again soon. Ugh. Not my favorite project because of all the work involved.
I moved more than two years ago from a two-bedroom, two bathroom apartment shared with a roommate (1,100 square feet) into a rented house with my fiancee. We share a much smaller two-bedroom, two bathroom space, with only 860 square feet. Now, we're thinking it's time to downsize even more, so we can save more money per month toward a house down payment.
Moving into a smaller space can be tough, especially if you've lived in a large house for many years and are moving into an apartment or townhouse. Whether you're an empty nester or someone going through death, divorce or other life changes, it's tough to squeeze down your years of living into something a bit smaller.
Because it's not just about the physical things. Those life changes bring a surge of emotion, and it can be hard to let go.
Here are some guidelines to help you look at your new small space in a big way:
1. First, start thinking. Take a deep breath and acknowledge that you can't cram years of living in 3,000+ square feet into 1,500 square feet of space. Even moving from 1,100 square feet with a roommate, I had to purge some things. It might help to say it out loud: "I can't take everything with me."
You've been saying for years that you should "get organized" and now is your chance!
2. Next, it helps to start early. As soon as you know you're going to be moving, begin making plans. If you know what your new space will look like, consider drawing a diagram. What storage will you have? What rooms? How does that compare to your current situation?
Have fun with it. How do you want your new home to look?
3. Consider your furniture. If you are moving from a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom, you're going to have to find new homes for some beds, bookcases, dressers and endtables. Things to consider:
- Which ones do you like best or have some emotional value?
- Which ones will fit best in the new space?
- Which ones are most useful for holding items?
- With fewer beds, you will need fewer sets of sheets.
- With fewer bookcases, you will have less space for books.
- Will you have a dining room? If so, will it hold your current table or should you consider obtaining something that will better suit the space?
Once you figure out the big pieces of furniture, things will begin falling into place. Begin purging those pieces early on, finding friends, family or worthy causes to take them for you.
4. Begin the purge. It's easiest to begin going through the house systematically. Each week, choose one room and do a "big picture" purge. What items in there do you KNOW you won't need or want in your new home? These are the things you've been meaning to get rid of anyway and just haven't done yet. Or, they are things you haven't used in years and won't use again. For example, maybe you've had a workshop area in the basement or garage full of tools and other items helpful to homeowners. If you're renting the new place, consider how often you might use that drill press or table saw. What yard equipment do you no longer need?
Don't think of it as getting rid of your old life or old stuff, but making a fresh start. You can CHOOSE what you WANT in your new space.
5. Think about the walls. It's natural to want to take every single wall hanging with you. But in a smaller space, you have fewer walls. At first, you might bring them to help you decide. But if you don't really like that ugly painting someone gave you, why not use this opportunity (ahem, excuse) to donate it to someone who will appreciate it?
6. Break out the boxes! It's time to begin packing. Packing is a great opportunity to purge and sort items. I like to start with the walls, and then go through each room one by one, starting with the areas that are least used. Don't just pack it all up - take the time to think about those items, asking yourself the questions we always ask when organizing:
- Under what circumstances will I use this?
- When was the last time I used it?
If you are having professionals pack you up, it's going to help if you've done some pre-sorting ahead of time. Because once you're in the new space, surrounded by dozens of boxes, you might feel overwhelmed!
7. Unpack. We see a lot of people start this step, but they don't always finish. There's always those few boxes that never quite get sorted through. You're not quite sure what's in there, but you don't ever look. Go through EACH box, unwrapping, taking items out. After the initial flurry of unpacking your main items, it's easiest to do one per week or per day, depending on your comfort level.
8. Reassess. Once you have each box unpacked, you know what you have and can figure out if there is still too much. Maybe that fantastic lamp you love just really doesn't go with the look in your new living room. Maybe that framed family collage should be put in an album now instead of on the wall. If you donated a lot of your old bulky furniture, do you need to buy something to work in the new space?
Your turn. What was the most helpful thing you did when downsizing?
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