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Moving, with a minimalist intent, is all about getting a fresh and leaner start in a new place but with the excitement of relocating to downsize comes the hassle of culling and disposing. And then comes packing. There is always another box to pack with another item you cannot let go of. To help you combat this stressful process, MPR Movers provides you with a panacea. This article will guide you on downsizing your home, furniture, and personal belongings before you move.
Start about two weeks early. There is no point in waiting until the eleventh hour to start packing. When moving to a new house, you may have more items to pack than you realize. Starting to pack early allows you to sort your belongings and ‘let go’ of the things you no longer need. It also gives you plenty of time to buy packing material, get help from friends or family, or contact professional movers to ease your stress.
Starting early also ensures that your items are carefully segmented into subgroups. You can make smaller groups of ‘fragile’, ‘essential items’, and ‘toiletries’ rather than stuffing everything together to get it done sooner.
It is only natural to grow attached to the items you have had for a long time. It makes separating emotion from items a challenging task. It may take you a few days to finally make peace with letting things go in some cases. However, it is perfectly okay to feel that rush of emotions. What is essential is to let those things go that no longer offer you utility or help you recall a positive memory.
A simple and effective method to take emotion out of your belongings is to list items that bring you joy. Japanese Organizing Consultant, Marie Kondo, invented this practical method to help people organize and downsize their belongings called the KonMarie method. Leave away all the items that do not bring you joy and pack the things that do. It allows you to cathartically downsize your belongings without holding onto something that may be of zero utility to you.
You have four options when looking to downsize your belongings: sell, gift, donate, and trash. It is the perfect opportunity to eliminate all those items that you no longer require. Do it now so that you do not have to do it later.
It will cut down on your moving expenses, but you will be able to build equity in your new place right away. It will allow you to move into your new home with less stress. Contact MPR Movers today to reserve your moving dates to make the process more stress-free and hassle-free. Here are the four options elaborated:
⭕ Selling: Have a few beautiful dresses that no longer fit? A bedroom set you do not need in your new house? Sell it on websites that support selling pre-loved items. You will be surprised to find out how many people would be willing to buy that cute dress for a fraction of the price.
⭕ Gifting: Have a perfectly functional watch that you do not use? A brand new dress that is not compatible with your style anymore? Gift it! It will be a nice moving-away gift for your loved ones. You may not want it, but it could be a valuable addition to someone else’s closet.
⭕ Donating: Donate all the items that you do not use anymore. You can donate it to charity, churches, orphanages, or shelters. It may also help you cathartically let go of items and feel good about helping someone else.
⭕ Trashing: Sometimes, the things you have downsized are in bad shape. In such cases, consider the option to trash it. There is no need to fill up your moving boxes with useless items that you will need to trash once you move entirely. Do it now and cut down some of that moving cost!
Usually, parents try to save up too much of their emotional belongings for their children and grandchildren. Items that contain valuable sentiment attached or are family heirlooms may take up too much of your time. If you are having a tough time trying to leave it out when downsizing, we have got a tip for you. Consider giving the legacy gifts right now!
If you had planned to write the distribution of your family heirlooms in your will, why not just give it away now? It has two notable benefits: you will get some items out of the way, and you can feel the joy of seeing your loved ones well-receiving the gifts. It will allow you to feel more at peace for the time when you are gone and give you a chance to bond with your loved ones.
This point applies to kitchenware the most. You may have two or three spoons, spatulas, cookie sheets, and stockpots. It is time you reduce some of the kitchenware items that you can. Of course, it will not be easy, so take your time. Make peace with letting go of your favorite spatula that has over-served you now, and pack the relatively newer items.
Have you got two or more of the same document lying around? A new toaster you got for Christmas and your good, old one? If yes, consider getting rid of one of those. It is essential not to pack the items you will end up giving away or trashing. Get rid of them when you are downsizing your belongings. It will save you hours, energy, and money.
There may be too many papers flying around when you are downsizing. It can be receipts, photocopies, or extra prints you do not need. It would help if you considered trashing such items to reduce the amount of luggage you will have on the moving date. Try to scan what can be scanned and reprinted instead of making separate boxes for papers. Scanning lets you keep the essential critical files inside your phone – a highly secure place – without creating excessive luggage.
Often, when someone is downsizing, they are moving to a smaller place. Try to leave behind the furniture that you cannot fit inside your smaller house in such a case. Squeezing too many furniture items will mess with the house’s aesthetic and cost you a significant amount of extra dollars.
If you plan to get new furniture, go for multipurpose furniture items, such as ottomans with tops that allow extra space for blankets, pillows, or sheets. Buy long-lasting fabrics if you require flexible spaces to do double duty, such as play space, guest room, or an in-house office.
Your old place may have had a lawn, a nice rooftop, and two guestrooms. However, if your new house does not have that much space, you need to let go of the furniture that you cannot fit inside the new house. Squeezing heavy furniture inside a smaller house will be challenging to manage and make your new home feel suffocating. Hence, take only the furniture with a designated space at your new place.
We understand how tough it is to let go of items that have precious memories attached to them. It may feel like you are not just leaving the thing behind but also the memory or emotion attached. Here are a few tips you can use to feel less sad about letting go:
⭕ Take a picture: In today’s world, everything has gone digital. It is time you make your memories digital by taking a picture of them. It will allow you to look at the cherished item whenever you wish.
⭕ Write the memory down with the photo: Try to write it all down – your memory, your feelings, and your memory’s significance. Whenever you want to recall the memory, this little written piece will remind you of it and allow you to reminisce.
⭕ Legacy gifting: If you wish to keep the memory getting cherished, give it to someone else in the family who understands and appreciates its value. If you had the item written in your will, consider legacy gifting now.
To prevent your smaller home from becoming a challenging place to settle in, ensure that you maximize your storage space utility. Create built-in storage wherever possible—for instance, beds with attached drawers, storage ottomans, and floating shelves. Make the most out of the available space and pack items that will help you maximize storage space.
While it is a long process to downsize and pack before moving, you should always take your time. Rushing through the process will only make it more stressful. Take your time, and you will slowly get used to the idea of moving without your sentimental items. Some say decluttering is a journey – and they are right. You are trying to let go of years of memories that hide in our personal belongings. It will take you some time to make peace with that. Do not rush through the procedure and take a break whenever it gets overwhelming. It will help you make rational choices.
You may have sorted your belongings, but there is still a long way to go. Measuring furniture, packing items, labeling boxes, and moving is still left. You may need to contact professional movers to take some of the stress off your shoulders. Rely on MPR Movers to carefully and professionally cater to your needs. On the day of the move, you can supervise and ensure everything goes smoothly. Count on our experts to offer you their services to assist with clearing out your old house and moving into the new one.
Enlist all the tasks you need to get done. Checklists help you keep track of your progress and ensure that you do not miss anything. It helps you better supervise the people from the moving company. Here are a few headings you can use to add items and actions to your checklist:
⭕ Downsizing items
⭕ Measuring furniture
⭕ Minimizing duplicates
⭕ Maximizing storage space
⭕ Labeling boxes
⭕ Donating items
⭕ Gifting items
⭕ Legacy gifting
⭕ Trashing items
⭕ Selling items
⭕ Letting go of sentimental items
You can customize this list according to your needs. However, if you feel lazy, you can always return to this article and look at the checklist we have here. It saves you the hassle of finding a paper and pen.
To sum it up, downsizing allows you to be more organized before a move. It helps you stay more focused, less sentimental, and ensures you take only the stuff you will use. It enables you to dispose of duplicate items and embrace the utility provided by multipurpose items. Although hiring professional movers will significantly enhance your moving experience and make it plenty smoother, you can still cover most of the downsizing part all by yourself. Try to take emotion out of your possessions and let off items that no longer add value to your life. Sell, gift, donate, or trash items based on their usability. You may not realize how valuable something can be to another until you give it away!
Immensely passionate for literature, Arsh-E-Bareen is a freelance writer. She writes content for many renowned firms, including this one. In her spare time, she loves to write sonnets and short stories that touch and inspire people. You can contact her on LinkedIn