Minimally decorated apartmentWhether you’re retiring from full-time work or simply want to spend less on housing, moving from a big house or apartment to a smaller one is a highly efficient way to save more money every month. By downsizing your home you’ll not only be paying less for your mortgage or rent; you may discover that, with limited space, you spend less overall on household items. Follow these downsizing tips to reap the benefits of more efficient living.

Make an Inventory of Your Belongings

A detailed inventory of everything you own will not only give you some perspective on just how much stuff you have that you probably won’t need – it will also come in handy for filing an insurance claim in case of theft or damage, and for packing and keeping track of your stuff during your move. Use a spreadsheet to document your items with an accompanying description and inventory number, then take a photo and label it with the item’s inventory number. You can keep everything handy in your Dropbox or Google Drive. Your insurance company might also provide a free inventory tool.

Decide What You Can Live Without

Decluttering is a vital step when moving from a large home to a smaller one. Now that you have a detailed personal inventory, you can easily categorize items by belongings you must have, things you could stand to give away or sell, and items that can easily be replaced if necessary after you move to your new home. Determine the room dimensions of your new house or apartment and take your measurements into consideration when deciding which furniture to keep.

Organize While Moving, Not After

In order to ensure that you can keep your new space clutter-free, everything you own should have a place where it can be stored or put out of the way as soon as you unpack it from its moving box. Move your largest furniture first to get a better idea of where small items are supposed to go. If you realize that something you brought with you doesn’t have a space in your new place, now is the time to save yourself a headache and get rid of it.

For more tips about how to manage a move from a larger home to a smaller one, contact us. We’ve been in this business for decades and have learned a thing or two about downsizing your home.