8 TIPS TO DOWNSIZE AND DE-STRESS YOUR MOVE.
Moving can be a challenging and stressful process, especially when downsizing. Here are eight tips to help you downsize and de-stress your move:
1.
ASK FOR HELP
Don’t be too shy to ask for help. Moving is not easy and you shouldn’t do it all yourself. But don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help. Some of these downsizing steps require weeks to months to accomplish.
2.
SPACE PLAN AHEAD
Most Move Managers can provide you with a customized floor plan of your new residence. A floor plan will help you determine the pieces of furniture that will fit in your new home, and the best location of each. Knowing which pieces will fit in your new space will help you in your rightsizing process.
3.
RECYCLE YOUR TOXINS
Take time to put together a box or two of household, yard, and automotive cleaning products, as well as paint, that are considered hazardous. Visit Earth911.org for more information on hazardous collection in your area.
4.
USE IT UP… DON’T MOVE IT OUT
Take an inventory of your canned goods, frozen foods, and paper products. Plan to use as many of these products as you can before moving. If you simply have too many of these items, think about passing them on to a local food pantry.
5.
NEW LOOKS FOR BOOKS
If you own large quantities of books, you need to spend time downsizing your collections. Books occupy lots of space and are heavy to move. Consider donations to libraries or senior centers, or sales to used bookstores. Call on a book dealer for older books with potential value.
6.
SAVE YOUR MEMORIES
You may have boxes of old photos from every holiday, vacation and birthday party. What do you do with them? Consider digitizing your photos and videos in a format easily shared on any device.
7.
GET GENEROUS
Since you can’t take everything you own to your new home, now is the time to make arrangements to “gift” some of your treasures to special people in your life including, and especially family, helpful neighbors, friends, favorite organizations, or a church/ synagogue.
8.
START EARLY – END HAPPY
It’s never too early to begin the downsizing process. Begin by focusing on typical problem areas such as the attic, basement, garage, closets, file cabinets.