How to Downsize

The idea of downsizing a residence is not just one of material issues; it is a question of lifestyle, daily needs, and thinking about the future. In my last blog I covered the differences between downsizing and rightsizing, but the considerations that one needs to put in to each are similar. Rather you’re downsizing due to a financial or medical need, or simply rightsizing in an effort to simplify your lifestyle and reduce the space you use, there are some very real questions that need to be looked at; your list of pro’s and con’s should be addressed with equal fairness to examine if this is the correct solution for you at this stage in your life.

Lifestyle Needs When Downsizing

Take some time to realistically consider your space needs; this includes evaluating the amount and dimensions of any current furniture you wish to take with you. If you had children who recently moved out, then you may have extra bedrooms that have become storage spaces, more or less. Before you downsize too drastically, consider if your new residence will need an extra bedroom or two for out of town visitors. One of these rooms could even be used as a spare bedroom while serving the dual purpose of a den, home office or library for the bulk of the time. Consider space that you currently use for hobbies. If you are changing locales, not just neighborhoods, consider your new seasonal needs or changes in lifestyle that you’ll need to accommodate. An important, but oft overlooked, element is the kitchen: will you be eating from home and cooking more often or less? Take this and other daily life items into mind when deciding if a smaller space truly suits you.

Downsizing With A House Full of Items

Downsizing is a great time to go through old items, shed what you don’t need, and implement new systems of organization in your life. Unless you’re planning to put a large amount of items into storage, it stands to reason that you’ll have less space for items in your new residence. While a seemingly scary idea at first, this can be extremely liberating and refreshing. Review what is important to you, what you need or want to hold on to. Professional services exist to help with this process and guide you to proper channels of selling or donating items. Be sure to take into consideration wall space downsizing (for art and pictures) and kitchen downsizing. The ultimate goal of this process is to not have to store items again or have large amounts of clutter from years past; the goal is simplifying and only keeping what you need and what is truly essential to a satisfying and joyful life in your new residence.