No matter whether one is moving to a smaller house or simply wants their new house to be decluttered, downsizing can make the process a lot easier. Many people hire professional movers like Safe Ship Moving Services when relocating a home, and downsizing can make their job easier as well. After all, fewer belongings mean that less time would be spent on packing and unloading goods for the move.
Safe Ship Moving Services underlines tips to downsize prior to a move
Moving to a new home means starting a fresh chapter of life. This time would be ideal to downsize, and let go of older, unused possessions. This would ensure that one would have fewer items to sort through, organize, and pack before a move. Here are a few tips one can follow to downsize prior to a move:
- Budget for time: Moving is a fairly stressful and daunting process by itself, and thinking about downsizing amidst it can make a person feel overwhelmed. To avoid this, it would be a good idea to dedicate a specific time to downsizing. Depending on the free time one has, they can casually go through their belongings months in advance or follow a more concentrated approach closer to the moving date.
- Write out a plan: Sorting through old possessions may sound easy, but can get messy and emotional unless one is following a plan. Rather than plainly sorting through various belongings simultaneously, it is better to just sit down and write a plan of action. This plan can be a useful reference in case things get more complicated than one had initially expected.
- Sort and categorize the belongings: Typically, one should place their old belongings under three broad categories: keep, donate, and throw away. Items that are in good condition and currently useful would come under keep, while one may donate duplicate items, things that are in good quality but no longer needed or used, clothes that do not fit and so on. The throw away pile would feature items in poor condition or things that cannot be donated. Categorizing the old possessions can make it easy to organize them, as well as decide which one to keep, discard, donate or sell. One can categorize items under linen closet items, garage tools and so on.
- Sort through one category at a time: One should try to organize belongings by category within their respective rooms during the packing process. For instance, items categorized as “kitchen items” should be packed in the kitchen. Taking on one room at a time can be a more manageable approach compared to attempting to sort through the entire house simultaneously. Additionally, this would be a good time to convert non-essential items, like personal documents or family photos, into digital formats, eliminating the need for a physical copy.
Downsizing and hiring movers like Safe Ship Moving Services would be simple yet important steps to make the moving process easier. One can even have a yard sale for the items they plan to sale to generate extra income before a move. This money can be used to cover the cost of the mover.