Downsizing can be such a frustrating process, especially if you are downsizing your home with family. If you have three kids and a pet or two, downsizing from a three-bedroom home to a two-bedroom home may sound impossible.
However, it is totally doable. Plus, many families became stronger and much closer after downsizing. That said, deciding what to keep and take with you to a new home, and what has to go is a daunting task. With some helpful ideas and some thorough planning, this process can go swimmingly. Here, we will try to help you make it work.
Moreover, remember to involve your family members in decision-making, which could become a great bonding activity and a lesson in shared responsibility. Encourage your kids to partake in sorting out their belongings, highlighting the values of mindfulness and minimalism in everyday living. You could also make it a point to keep the environment in mind and aim for a more sustainable lifestyle, choosing to dispose of items responsibly or repurpose or recycle them.
Decide how small you want to go and start planning
The move itself can be difficult with kids, and if you want to move to a smaller home, that can complicate things even more. That is why you need to make a few decisions and start planning on time.
First, you need to decide how small a house you want. Find out how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want and if you need a big dining room or not. Make a list of all the features that you absolutely need in your new home.
Also, it would be a good idea to find a reliable real estate agent in your area to find you a perfect home for your current needs.
In addition, consider aspects such as easy access to schools, parks, and other community amenities while house hunting. Ensure the new home meets your family’s needs beyond just space considerations. Finding a home that encourages closeness and offers comfort in its layout and ambiance is equally important.
Start downsizing your home with family with decluttering
Getting rid of the things we pay for but never use is always a good idea, regardless of whether we are downsizing or not. However, if you are downsizing your home with family, decluttering is absolutely crucial.
Before you start packing your things, you must take a good look at all of your belongings and decide what you will take with you and what you will leave behind. Be aware that downsizing can be very emotional, especially with the kids involved. The youngsters might have to give up toys and other things that won’t fit in the new home, and they can feel very broken hearted about it.
As a parent, you could consider discussing the importance of downsizing with your children and providing them with emotional support to cope with the changes. Allow them to express their feelings and concerns, and help them see this transition’s positive side.
Organize your belongings before packing
Before you start packing your stuff for the move, organize your belongings into three groups: keep, sell, and donate.
- When you put the stuff in the group “keep”, make sure to find a place for them to reduce the clutter and take only the most important stuff with you. This step is absolutely necessary when downsizing your home with family.
- Consider the best time to organize the moving sale and sell the items you don’t need anymore. Your kids will also benefit from this, and it will help them to let things go. They can make a game out of this. Plus, every child loves to put a penny in a piggy bank.
- Don’t throw away the things you don’t sell, donate them instead. There are charity organizations that will gladly take all the stuff that you don’t want. You will do a good deed, and reduce your belongings.
Plan the storage space in your new home
Once you have decluttered and gotten rid of the things you won’t be needing in your new smaller home, you still may end up with a lot of stuff. That’s why you also need to plan your storage space, or you will start giving away the stuff you actually need and use. Think about how to organize your closets and cabinets in your new residence. Decide where you will put the towels, the bedding, socks, and underwear.
Aim to keep things accessible and easy to find. That helps maintain the cleanliness of the new space and can make daily routines more efficient. This can also be a great chance to update your wardrobe. Compare the closets you have now to the one you will have in the new home and start organizing your belongings before moving in.
Redefining your style and minimizing your clothing could be a therapeutic exercise. Opt for a capsule wardrobe, which includes versatile and classic pieces that won’t go out of fashion easily.
Digitize all that you can
Finding a smart storage solution can be a fun addition to your home, but you may still have some CD’s, DVD’s, cassettes, and pictures that need to be placed somewhere. However, there is no good reason to keep this stuff, when they can be digitized and safe on a computer.
You don’t have to keep the hard copies of the CD’s and cassettes when you can transfer them into digital files. Also, you don’t need to keep the hard copies of the important documents when they can be saved as a PDF file. This is a good way to get rid of the boxes that would take up so much space in your new smaller home. You can just go paperless instead.
Find a creative way to use space in your new home
When downsizing your home with family, you will have to find creative ways to use the space in your new smaller home. When you don’t have space to spare, you will realize that all the nooks and crannies you didn’t think about in your big house are huge space savers.
All you have to do is think outside the box and you will find a ton of creative ways to make storage space. Take a shoe organizer and hang it on the door of the bathroom. Organize the toiletries, and free up some precious space. Take the same shoe organizer and hang it on a kid’s room door to organize the toys. Isn’t it a smart way to free some space and make things organized?
Downsizing your home with a family means that you will not have as much storage space as you used to have. However, this can be very beneficial for you and your loved ones. You won’t collect and hold on to the things you don’t need.
The process of downsizing can lead to a refreshing and liberating experience, fostering a deeper understanding of what truly matters in life. It encourages the family to cherish experiences and meaningful relationships over material possessions.
Article by Sally Norton
