Moving into a smaller home, or “downsizing,” is a lot more complicated than it might appear at first glance. For one, you will have too much stuff to fit into your new place comfortably. There are a few essential rules to follow when downsizing, which is why ProAce International Moving and Storage prepared this article for you. We will provide you with a simple set of guidelines to follow, which will make your relocation easier. We will be covering organization, the decluttering process, and a few options that you can employ to make the process smoother.

Five essential rules to follow when downsizing

Here are the five rules in an easily digestible presentation:

1. Get organized and create a moving checklist
2. Declutter room by room
3. Decide what to keep, throw away, sell, or donate
4. Give away duplicates
5. Store some of your items

Since you are inevitably going to need to go through a moving process, you will need to acquire all the necessary supplies at some point. You can get them from a specialty store, utilize packing services from a moving company (who will bring all the supplies to your doorstep), or try your luck at online marketplaces. Once you have all the required moving boxes and materials, it is time to:

1. Get organized and create a moving checklist

Downsizing will require you to think your whole relocation through very carefully. The fact of the matter is that you will not be able to fit in all your belongings in a smaller home, and you need to account for that. The best “weapon” you have in your arsenal to deal with this particular job is the moving checklist. This is a list of all the tasks you need to complete, and you will need to create one as soon as you can. Think of anything that you need to do before the relocation and write it down. And once you think of further tasks, update the checklist accordingly. The same goes for when you complete a job; you will check it off the list.

The list itself serves a few purposes. First, you will always have a reminder of what is yet to do. And second, crossing tasks off the list can be a huge morale boost. Relocations can get quite stressful, and any positive reinforcement is welcome. Lastly, it will help you coordinate your relocation with the rest of your family. 

2. Declutter room by room

Moving on, you are also going to need to go through a decluttering process. This is, perhaps, the most critical step when you are downsizing. It will enable you to figure out which items will be making the trip with you and which will not. Additionally, the more things you leave behind, the cheaper your relocation will be. This can be particularly important when it comes to long-distance moves, as the shipment weight is one of the most significant factors that determine the price.

You will want to “do” one room at a time, though. This will focus your efforts and make it easier to differentiate clutter from valuable belongings. However, it is a process that can take a surprising amount of time since you will want to include your entire household in it. What you may consider trash might be irreplaceable to someone else.

3. Decide what to keep, throw away, sell, or donate

Once you identify the items that might be clutter, it is time to decide what to do with them. You have several options here: keeping the things, throwing them away, selling or donating them. Start with figuring out which items to keep. After that, decide what to do with the rest of your belongings. Items in good condition can be sold or donated, while you may want to throw away all the “junk.” However, do note that you might need a junk removal service in some cases, as some items can be considered hazardous.

4. Give away duplicates

If you have any duplicate items, you do not want to take all of them with you. You can give away your second toaster or one of your cardigans in the same color. Every household has duplicates, and it is in your best interest to give them away if they haven’t seen much use in years. Of course, you can also sell them if you want to secure additional funding for your relocation.

5. Store some of your items

If you still have too many items to fit into your new home after doing all of the above, consider storing them inside a storage unit. You can hire storage services from your moving company or find them near your new home. The former might get you a better deal, though. In any case, you may want to consider when and how you will use your stored items, as that will dictate the location and the type of the optimal storage unit.

Hire a professional moving company

Lastly, you will want to have professionals conducting your relocation when you are downsizing. As far as important rules to follow when downsizing goes, hiring professional movers might very well be one of them. However, you have another option: to acquire knowledge about the relocation process on your own. There are plenty of resources that you can utilize, and US Moving Experts have a vast database, for example. You can ask your moving company for advice, as well. In any case, you will need to be as prepared as possible for when the moving day comes. And the easiest way to do so is to hire a professional moving company, simple as that.

Downsizing comes with a set of challenges. But then again, every relocation does. And the benefits of moving to a smaller will quickly trample all those difficulties. You will have less to clean and your living expenses will decrease, to name only two. And, if you keep all the rules to follow when downsizing in mind, you are bound to have a good experience.

META: There are several important rules to follow when downsizing. In this article, we will cover all of them and give you some tips as well.