If you have a large family and financial means, then living in a large home is a great thing. However, there are many situations in which a small home is a preferable solution. Not only that you have to pay less for bills and maintenance but you have a lot less to manage and clean. In situations when you are going to retire, or your kids are moving away, moving into a smaller home can be a great move. On the other side, it brings some of the difficulties with decluttering and smarter reposition of your belongings.
Moving into a smaller home brings some advantages
One of the most obvious advantages would be the opportunity to start anew. You can stop worrying about too many material things and concentrate on a simpler lifestyle. With some careful planning and design strategies, you can live in a place where you pay a lower mortgage or taxes, or none at all. No to mention that smaller places are easier to clean and maintain.
Take a close look at your belongings and think about what to do with them
The process of moving to a smaller home starts with your belongings and packing. Take a good look at what you have accumulated over the years. The chances are, you already have too many things that you don’t necessarily need. Since you won’t have the same amount of space anymore, it is a good opportunity to get rid of some of them. It can be a challenging and mind-boggling task, but it’s crucial. Make a list of items and start planning how to dispose of some.
Get rid of your extra stuff
There are a couple of ways to get rid of your item. In some situations, you can even make a small profit to cover at least some of your expenses. Here are a few ideas about what to do:
- Organize a garage sale – if you have the possibilities to do this, it can be fun.
- Sell items online – there are many websites, forums, and bulletin boards where people are trading, even giving away their stuff.
- Donate your items – local charity organizations will gladly accept a portion of your belongings.
Be smart about your storage space
For a small home, one of the most important things is the optimal storage space. You can use shoe racks, shelves, hidden boxes inside your furniture or below, just be creative and practical. In general, use high-quality multi-functional furniture. The whole plan is to not to clutter your home again. If, after all, you still have some extra, then consider hiring some storage space from companies like Humboldt Storage & Moving. Storage space is essential, so plan a proper place for every single thing.
Make digital copies
While it can be necessary to have a hard copy of some of your personal documents, fortunately, there is plenty of other that you can scan place on a hard drive. Also, a large portion of your CD, DVD, and similar can be further backed up on a cloud server or HDD, or both. You don’t have to drag all those plastic boxes with yourself to your new home. In the end, you can always use storage for things that are not appropriate for digitalization.
Plan long term with thinking about financial benefits of downsizing
And, some of the financial benefits of moving into a smaller home are:
- You can save a lot over years by lowering your bills
- Why pay the extra monthly costs on the square footage you don’t need. In fact, better save money in your retirement fund
- There is no need to continue to pay for a mortgage. Luckily, you can sell that bigger house and buy a smaller one, then pay the rest of the debt off.