How to Declutter Your Home When Downsizing
When we talk about “reduction”, it usually refers to the size of a person’s home. For example, people choose to sell their larger family home after their children are grown and have moved out because they simply don’t need as much living space. Others buy or rent a home that seemed like it at first like the right size for her, but later recognized that it is too big.
Whatever the reason for your move, part of the downsizing process is clearing out things you no longer need and making sure everything has a place in its new place; in other words, a serious declutter. Here are some strategies that can help.
This is how you declutter when downsizing
You don’t have to wait until you have solid moving plans in place to start decluttering. The sooner you do it (or at least start doing it), the better: that way, you’ll feel less overwhelmed during the already stressful experience of packing and moving. Here are some methods that can help:
Separate things into goals
Have three large boxes (or sections) labeled “keep,” “throw,” and “donate,” and sort your stuff accordingly. Do an initial search of your home, grab the items you know you want to donate or throw away, and don’t wait until you move she out. This gives you more space while you work on everything else.
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Get out all the items you have in a certain category – like glassware, towels or dishes – even if they are in different places in your house (e.g. kitchen, closets, basement, attic, etc.). This gives you an idea of what you have and what to keep. Maybe you have nine baking sheets but only realized you have the four that you use regularly. If you don’t need the remaining five, they can be donated.
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Pull out your papers
It’s easy to accumulate paperwork over the years, but chances are you’re holding on to some you no longer need: a warranty on a device you no longer own, paper copies of utility bills, all of which are now available online are, paper airplane tickets and itineraries for trips you took a long time ago. You don’t have to create a whole new file system before you move, but at least go through your papers, pull out any you no longer need, and shred them.