Moving Into a Smaller Home: How to De-clutter with Ease

Downsizing, by the nature of its name, means you’ll be adjusting to a smaller space. With this in mind, measure your large items not only to ensure that they will fit, but also to use them as a marker for how many other items you can keep. Decide what large pieces you want to keep then work around them. If you have access to the new space, move those pieces in to get an idea of the layout. If not, set up a space in your current home to match the dimensions of your new space to judge what you can and cannot keep.

As you sort through your items, frame each decision as a yes or no: “Do I need this?” “Will I/Have I used this?” If the answer is no, get rid of it. Simple as that.

Inevitably, there are going to be items that you don’t have the heart to get rid of or need to keep, but you won’t have room for in your new place. Maybe you’re planning on moving into a larger house at some point and need to keep that dining room table and chairs, or perhaps you need some place to store all of your sports equipment and decorative items. A storage unit is a great option for this sort of situation. You can still keep items you may want to use later, pass on to your kids, etc. Learn more about choosing the right storage unit in the city here.

Packing up and organizing your entire home can seem like an overwhelming endeavor. Start one room at a time, or even one closet at a time. Don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself. Setting small goals will make you feel accomplished as you go and will fuel you to keep going.

On a similar note, start organizing and cleaning as early as you can. Starting several months out gives you plenty of time to sort and organize more thoroughly. But don’t start packing too early: Either you’ll end up packing things you actually need, or you’ve packed things that you’re comfortable not seeing for a long time, which means you should probably just get rid of them (there are exceptions, of course; seasonal items like clothes and decorations, but outside of these, seriously consider why you’re keeping these items that you don’t need).

In general, the more that you can take it one step at a time and focus on the big picture, the easier it’s going to be. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it took you many years to accumulate all of your stuff, so you shouldn’t expect to go through it all over night. And just think, the more stuff you get rid of the less stuff you’ll have to move! Happy moving!