Packing Your House To Downsize
A large house is perfect for young families, but as kids head off to college and your joints get stiffer, you may reconsider owning a home with multiple floors. If you’re thinking about downsizing, you’re not alone—about 51% of retirees 50 years and older move into a smaller home in their golden years.
Downsizing has several benefits, from saving money to a safer home environment. However, condensing your life into a smaller space can be an overwhelming process. Let us help you simplify packing for downsizing with helpful tips and tricks.
Three Key Downsizing Packing Tips
In a perfect world, downsizing is as simple as moving from a large home to a small home and getting rid of furniture and belongings that won’t fit in your new space. Realistically, downsizing can be an extremely emotional experience as you say goodbye to the house that holds countless memories.
From boxes packed with family photos to the oak wardrobe you’ve passed down for generations, deciding what will and won’t have a space in your new home can leave you feeling like a deer in the headlights.
Before decision paralysis hits you, take charge of packing for downsizing with three helpful tips.
Create a Downsizing Checklist
A downsizing checklist is an especially valuable tool for your downsizing process. In your downsizing checklist, dedicate a portion for key to-do tasks, like deciding a moving date, finding or hiring help for packing, updating your address, and packing your belongings.
You should also have a section where you write down notes about your new home, if possible. What are the dimensions of the rooms? Are there narrow doorways you or your movers will need to navigate? Having this information jotted down ahead of time can save you stress on your moving day.
While you’re welcome to create a DIY downsizing checklist, you can find free downsizing checklist templates online to take the guesswork out.
In addition to helping you visualize all your belongings and plan strategically, there’s a psychological benefit to making a list.
Tracking your downsizing progress and checking off tasks supports dopamine, which is a happy hormone your brain releases in response to rewards, like scratching “Update my forwarding address” off your downsizing checklist. Dopamine contributes to a positive mood and motivation levels, so create that checklist and start easing your downsizing stress!
Declutter Room-by-Room
In tandem with your dopamine-inspiring downsizing checklist, tackle your decluttering and packing room-by-room. Start with decluttering big-picture rooms like your kitchen or living room. These spaces typically have the largest furniture pieces or appliances, and deciding what to do with those items first naturally simplifies your moving process.
After you make decisions about your sectional couch or refrigerator, move on to decluttering cookware, clothes, and linens. The longer you live in a home, the easier it is to collect duplicate items. As you clear out closets and drawers, group the belongings you find in piles to better visualize any repeated items. If you have extra items like multiple spatulas or copies of the same book, donate the extras and enjoy more space.
Give Yourself More Time To Downsize With Self Storage
The greatest tip you can use for downsizing is to give yourself as much time as possible to prepare. Instead of tripping over piles of belongings while you try to pack, downsize in organized phases with a storage unit.
We recommend choosing a storage facility that offers monthly leases. Month-to-month self storage gives you the option of temporary space during your move or a long-term spot for belongings you still want but can’t fit in your new home. You should also consider a storage unit close to your new home to create an easier commute to and from your stored belongings.
Rent or Reserve Your Downsizing Storage Unit Today
When you’re packing for downsizing, you deserve peace of mind. From a variety of storage unit sizes to convenient features like climate control, simplify your downsizing process with a Freedom Storage Management-owned facility. We operate throughout the United States, so find a facility near you and confidently embrace the next chapter of your life with convenient, affordable self storage!