As the price of utilities, gas, groceries, and pretty much everything else continues to rise, homeowners begin re-evaluating their lifestyles. The “tiny home” trend only gained in popularity over the past several years. The Motley Fool reports that experts believe that the tiny home market is expected to grow by as much as $3.57 billion (yes, billion with a “B”) by 2026. But even if you find yourselves as “empty-nesters” and just want to move into a smaller home (not necessarily a tiny one), you will find the need to pare down your belongings. Use this simple guideline to help make your downsizing go a little easier.
Start Early
One of the easiest ways to alleviate the stress of downsizing is to start right away. Actually, begin packing up things you want to take with you before you even list your home. Create a plan of attack for which items/areas you want to tackle first.
Start Small
The idea of packing up an entire household quickly becomes overwhelming. Instead, focus on one area. That can be a bedroom or even just a closet. Then, once you finish with that area, move on to the next.
Prioritize Your Belongings
Downsizing means purging the excess. As you go through the various parts of your house, divide your belongings from each space into three categories: keep, donate/sell, and throw away. If you know you need it in your new home, keep it. But you may want to reduce your clothing, linens, dishes, and cookware to just the necessities. Anything that has not been used in the last 12 months should go into the donate/sell pile. However, if it is beyond repair or use, throw it away. If there are items you want friends or family to have, set them in another area and give them to the appropriate person as soon as possible.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Finally, you may still feel overwhelmed. So, don’t be afraid to ask friends, family, or neighbors for help. Sometimes, it might actually be easier to hire a professional to help you. After all, downsizing tends to bring up lots of memories and emotions. A non-biased third party helps make the hard decisions easier for you.
