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If the kids have gone away or you just need a less expensive place, a great solution is downsizing your home and moving into a smaller house.
It can be cozier and much easier to keep up. Smaller homes can radiate warmth and bring people closer together by keeping close quarters compared to those of lofty mansions that scream impersonality.
If you’re downscaling, you might be wondering how you are going to manage all of your items that you’ve amassed. Big houses somehow invite more items to live in them. While certainly not a problem with a two-story home, a three-bedroom home might not have enough space for an exercise room.
When this is the case, there are steps that you can take to move. Throwing away those precious items and consolidating doesn’t have to be an immediate decision. Moving is already difficult enough, so don’t make yourself choose which memories are keepers and which ones you need to throw away.
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1.) Start planning no less than two months before your move date.
Moving is hard. That’s why we strongly encourage you to let the professionals do it. If you just have to do it yourself, then start way ahead of time. A little work each day until the ultimate moving day will help reduce stress on the day of the move. Create an itinerary and set benchmarks for you and your loved ones to hit so the entire process does not overwhelm you.
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2. Make a List of Essentials
Do a walkthrough of your current home and write down everything you use on a regular basis that you couldn’t live without. For now, don’t include items that you “might use one day.” Keep your mind open to those things being optional until you know how much space you’ll have left after packing your non-negotiable assets. Once you know how many essentials you have, then you can see how much flexibility you have with your additional items.
Obviously, you’ll want to include your main furniture and all the basics that frame your home (provided they will fit in your new living spaces). Other necessary items might be things like toolkits, expensive electronics, or basic cookware.
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3.) Get a storage unit for all of your pre-moving activities
If you are staging your home for the sale you want to get some of your items out of the way. Ask your moving professional to assist you with storage options to deal with the items you need to get out of your current home for the sale. The vast array of storage available from Dependable Relo can include full service storage or even a storage container delivered to your current home.
You can also use storage solutions for the items that will not easily fit into your smaller space until you have decided to donate them, give them to relatives or dispose of them. Sometime you just need time to settle into the new home while you decide which items you want to add to the new space.
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4. Be Realistic About Your Non-Essentials
It can be easier to make sacrifices when you know that you need to downsize your home, but it can still be tough to let go of items you’re familiar with or that you worry you’ll need one day. After making your list of non-negotiable items, be honest about what things you only plan to use but never do.
For example, be realistic about what clothes you actually plan to wear again. The ones you don’t wear (but keep around “just in case”) can be donated. Follow the same guidelines for old books and CDs. Downsizing provides a good opportunity to throw out all those broken appliances, stereos, or exercise machines that have been collecting dust in your closets or basement. It’s also finally time to tackle those “junk boxes” and drawers that have grown over the years.
If there are items with sentimental family value that are too big or too plentiful to take along, consider if you can give them to another family member or close friend to hold onto for you.
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5. Clean Out Extra Items and Duplicates
When you’ve lived in the same place for a long time, you end up collecting a lot of duplicate items. As you take an inventory of your cabinets and drawers, you might find that you now have multiple identical spatulas and tape measures, for instance. Pare down to just one or two of each item you need. People also tend to notice they have accumulated dozens of linen or china sets. Assess how many of each you truly need.
Furthermore, consolidate where you can. If you have two partially filled bottles of laundry detergent, combine their contents into one container to save space.
6. Get Creative with Storage Space In Your New Home
Do a walkthrough of your new place to take note of the storage spaces and measure the closets and cabinets. Additionally, are there shelves on the walls or in the closets (or are there least spaces to put your own shelving units)? If you have a lot of belongings that need to come with you, try to brainstorm some ways you can most efficiently use your space. Install closet dividers, find tall shelves that allow you to build upward, or place storage bins under beds and couches. Purchasing coffee tables or bench seats that open up into storage trunks is also an innovative way to store extra blankets, board games, or magazines.
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7.) Allow Dependable Relo to Help
If you are downsizing your home and moving to a smaller house and need help getting transportation services, contact the Dependable Relo team. We can help you strategize your move to save you time and money. We can also store any items that you might want to put away and decide later if you need. Out team will be delighted to help you move across the street or around the globe.
Contact one of our many transportation service representatives now. Our team is waiting to help you coordinate your moving process. Don’t let this move overwhelm you. Instead, rely on the services of Dependable ReloTransportation Services to get you moving in the right direction.
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