Moving into a smaller residence often trims your monthly outlays.
A tinier house or apartment typically results in lower rent or mortgage costs. It takes less energy to heat and cool a compact space, so your utility bills tend to fall. You’ll also be limited in the things you can purchase because storage room will be at a premium.
That said, the trade-off of moving to a smaller place is having to part with many of your belongings to make room. For some people, sorting through possessions can feel extremely stressful.
If downsizing feels daunting and you’re unsure how to reduce your possessions, here are six practical strategies to help you succeed.
1. Pare Down Gradually
If you have a lot to sort, dumping all your possessions onto the floor and attempting to declutter in a single weekend can be overwhelming. Give yourself ample time before your move and schedule separate days to go through each room.
Make the task more manageable by concentrating on one group of items at a time. For example, in a bedroom you might handle clothing and footwear in one session, then keepers and mementos on another day.
Be sure to catalog what you own and what you plan to keep. Writing everything down will be helpful when you’re evaluating your new space and deciding whether items will fit.
2. Dispose of the Obvious Junk
Your first pass at decluttering should target the easy decisions. Get rid of the obvious trash.
Throw away or recycle anything that’s broken, falling apart, no longer functioning, or doesn’t fit — the items you’ve meant to discard but never did.
Let go of kitchen gadgets you never use and jewelry you never wear. If something hasn’t been touched in years, moving to a smaller place is a great moment to say goodbye.
As you lay things out and take stock, note duplicates. There’s no reason to move three waffle makers and four can openers to your new home.
3. Say Goodbye to Single-Use Tools
When space is limited, every inch becomes more precious. Don’t waste it on devices that only serve a very narrow purpose.
Opt for items that do double duty whenever possible. Keep a good knife set and skip the apple corer and asparagus peeler. Use a regular frying pan for grilled cheese instead of keeping a dedicated sandwich press. And do you really need a DVD player if you can play discs on your laptop?
4. Retain Only Items You Actually Use
Identify what you and your household use regularly and find new homes for what you don’t.
If your household consists of three people, you likely don’t need dishes, glassware and flatware for 20. If formal dining and living rooms are only used a few times a year, that’s furniture you can probably leave behind when moving to a smaller place.
Think about what’s sensible for your new residence. Moving into a condo usually means you won’t need a lawn mower or other lawn equipment.
5. Convert Paper into Digital Copies
Many of us have accumulated stacks of papers, photos and small keepsakes over the years. Yet you can preserve important records and sentimental items without keeping the physical originals.
Scan old documents and photographs and save them to your computer or cloud storage. Photograph objects such as trophies or travel souvenirs so you’ll have a digital record of them as well.
6. Keep Only What Truly Matters
The things you decide to keep during the downsizing process should be those that are genuinely useful or that — borrowing Marie Kondo’s phrasing — bring you joy.
Frame it this way: If you had to evacuate in an emergency and could grab only a few items, which would you take? Which possessions are most meaningful to you?
Downsizing will be much easier if you know you’ll emerge with the items that matter most.
Nicole Blake is a senior writer at Savinly.
