Downsizing your property can be a natural step for homeowners and tenants alike, and for many reasons. Now more than ever with the pandemic spreading across the world, more and more people are downsizing to a smaller property that they currently live in. Many people’s incomes have been affected so moving into a property that is smaller is usually a good way to save money.
Why downsize to a smaller property?
Living in a large home is good for some families, but for others the cost and expenses required to maintain them is troublesome. Moving into a smaller house can be a perfect move financially and mentally. After all, less square footage so affordable utility bills and less space for clutter to take root. Perhaps your children have flown the nest and you’re rattling around a big old house that’s feeling increasingly empty. Or perhaps your employment status has changed and you need to downsize to save money on rent or mortgage. You might also be moving to an area where property prices are higher, so you don’t get as much space for your budget. Whatever the reasons for your move, moving into a smaller property will most likely mean you’ll end up with a surplus of stuff. So, what will you do with all your stuff?
What to do with all your stuff?
There are multiple ways to downsize, declutter or just generally reduce the amount of stuff in your home.
Here are the most obvious ways, but which methods you choose to employ – and whether you mix and match – will depend on your personal circumstances and tastes:
Minimize Duplicate Items:
Notice what you have multiples of and only keep your usable and favorites. The kitchen is a breeding ground for duplicate items, and by extension a cradle for downsizing. Do you really require 10 different spatulas? And unless you have many guests over, you most likely don’t require multiple sets of drinking glasses or silverware.
Sell it
While there will always be treasured possessions in your life that you dearly want to hang onto, there will be other things that you simply keep around by force of habit. So take a look at your stuff and see what you’d be happy to sell.
Furniture, books, games, computer games, CDs, records, DVDs, ornaments and even clothes. When you really rummage through your stuff, it’s amazing what you can sell on. You can do this via online methods like eBay or Gumtree or even the old-fashioned way with a yard sale or car boot sale. And the money could well come in handy!
Donate it
If you’re feeling as though you’d like to give something back to society, donating your surplus stuff can be a really great way to help you downsize.
So, whether it’s donating books, games, puzzles, furniture or old clothes to a charity shop to be sold on or donating your belongings directly to a good cause such as a homeless shelter or hospice, giving your stuff away can be as rewarding as it is useful for you!
You don’t just have to donate things to charities. Why not ask around your friends and family to see if there is anything that they would like to take off your hands. The great thing about his idea is that if you change your mind, or perhaps you move into a larger property in a few years’ time, you can ask for it back!
Store it
You simply can’t sell or give everything away, though. You won’t want to, and you shouldn’t have to. Fortunately, there are plenty of self-storage facilities up and down the country where you can keep all the stuff you don’t want to get rid of, but don’t need every day.
Self-storage companies like Safe store can provide that vital bit of extra storage space for a reasonable monthly cost. For example, if you’re moving into an expensive London home from somewhere with lower property prices, making use of one of Safestore’s London locations can help take the stress out of downsizing without you having to make difficult decisions about what to keep and what to throw away.
So, if you’re moving into a smaller property and you think that you have way too much stuff to fit into your new home, use the advice above to make sure that your new home is not cluttered, over-crowded and uncomfortable
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