When moving into a new house or apartment, you might find that you don’t have room in your new space for all of your things. With rising rent prices, many people are also finding themselves having to downsize from a one-bedroom to a studio, or just to a smaller space than their current one.
When downsizing, it can be hard to root through all of your things and figure out what to get rid of, what’s going to work in your new space, and what you’ll have room for in the first place. This is only more of an issue when you’ve lived in a certain space for a long time, and have as a result acquired a good amount of items that worked for that space but might not for others.
Whether you like it or not, when moving into a new place that’s a bit smaller than you’re used to, you’re going to have to get rid of some stuff or at least put them somewhere else. Decluttering and downsizing can be a lengthy process that will need a large amount of thought and care to do so properly and responsibly. It’s also hard to do this without actually being in your new space and seeing what will work where. You don’t want to get rid of too much or too little before seeing how your place works with your things after all! Getting used to a new home and seeing how your existing things will work is hard enough without having to navigate clearing your items out after having just moved them all in.
Moving all of your stuff into your new smaller place and trying to make everything work initially isn’t a great solution, and can lead you to just having a brand new place that’s covered in clutter and is super cramped, and no one wants that!
If your stuff doesn’t fit anymore, but you need time to thoroughly go through your space and figure out what can work, portable storage could be the best solution for your move. Moving with the help of a portable storage container will let you pack and move with ease, and will let you figure out what will work in your new place gradually. It’ll also let you move with a lot less stress and hardship.
No matter if you’re moving from a full-sized house to an apartment, a large space with roommates to a place of your own, or just any bigger space to a small one, trying to figure out a strategy to downsize effectively can be easily convoluted and just hard to pull off. Downsizing pains can happen, and can just be awkward while you try to make your new space work for you. Sometimes you need to be able to see things in your space to know if they’ll work or not!
Having the right portable storage company on your side during your downsizing and moving process allows you to organize at your own pace. It also affords you the flexibility when moving and packing that lets you take on a big change like this with confidence and an open mind. Portable storage lets you unpack gradually and figure out what really works with your space and what doesn’t, rather than trying to cram everything into your space at once during a busy moving process. It’ll also give you a better idea of what you can do with your space, and what things you’ll need to get rid of.
However, to make your move even easier, downsizing the things you know you definitely won’t be able to fit in your new space ahead of your relocation will make things even easier for you. Looking for the aspects of your downsizing process to get out of the way before you start loading your container? Make your decluttering and downsizing process easy by…
Begin decluttering as early as possible. When you look at the items in your current home, just rehome or get rid of what you know isn’t going to work to get that immediately out of the way. There’s no use lugging around large or bulky items that you don’t even think you’ll be able to keep after moving them everywhere. Remember, don’t bring more than you have to – it’ll only make it harder for you!
This also goes for items that you don’t use or need – not just for ones you know will be too bulky or large to fit in your current space. Take an inventory of your entire space before you start packing. Look through clothing, furniture, and random decor items, and figure out what you don’t even make use of – or haven’t made use of in a long time. Getting rid of unuseful or unwanted items will make your move and packing process infinitely easier, and you’ll thank yourself later!
Both before and after your move, take your existing idea of your new space and try to figure out what you want to do with it, and what potential it has. Don’t forget – this is also an entirely new chance for you to completely reinvent your interior’s style and the entire vibe or energy of your space! Your new space doesn’t have to look exactly like your old one, after all.
Take advantage of this blank slate you have and determine what your current furniture or decor works with this vision. Try to incorporate your items with this new vision you have, and supplement with new furniture that is more suited to your space to tailor the style of your space to fit you and the parameters of your new living areas. Take things room by room in both your old and new homes, and visualize what will work where in your new place. If you’re moving into a studio, take things area by area and try to see how the things in the rooms of your current place can be translated to work with a sized-down space. Remember, try not to clutter or fill a studio or smaller space with furniture that is just plain too big for it! If things don’t work, they just don’t work. It’s time to start fresh, instead of making your new space uncomfortable for the sake of trying to cram in as many items as possible into it.
When bringing your two spaces together, try to start with the easy stuff. This goes for both the declutter process and envisioning how you want your new space to work. Start off easy by decluttering and organizing your clothes, as those are usually the easiest sorts of things to weed out. After all, it’s pretty apparent whether or not you get used out of clothing!
After going through your clothes, move on to decorative or unessential items like wall hangings, photos, knick-knacks, and side furniture. Anything just for show, essentially. If you’re not sure it’ll fit and it’s either easily replaceable, or you don’t like it enough to move it – get rid of it! There are plenty of people or donation centers who would love to make use of it! Get rid of anything early on that you know won’t work – including furniture like huge couches or large dressers or entertainment centers.
If you’re particularly attached to something, and think it might not work but aren’t sure, you can leave that at your discretion. If you really love it, hopefully, you’ll find a way to make things work with your new space!
When it comes to decluttering and downsizing before a move, knowing what to leave and what to take with you can be a difficult and even emotional process. After all, you might have had things for a long time that just can’t fit or just won’t work with your space. If this happens, see if they can be rehomed with a family or friend who does have the space and who will give your item the appreciation it deserves.
During any decluttering and downsizing process, it’s important to take things slowly and ease into everything so you don’t get too overwhelmed. Slow and steady really does win the race. The best part is that you know that with your portable storage container, you’ll have the flexibility to pack and unpack as quickly or as slowly as you’d like. Always check in with yourself and make sure you’re not working at an overwhelming pace. Moving is always an emotional process, and you should always take the care to not only thoroughly think through what you’re downsizing or decluttering, but in making sure you’re doing alright, too.
From there, pack your items up, load them into your portable storage container, and tackle your move with ease! If you’re looking for the best portable storage provider to help out with your downsizing and moving process, check out what The Mobile Attic’s wide inventory of storage containers can do for you.