Moving to a smaller home can be pretty challenging for many of us. We can be so accustomed to having room to move, jump, and dance around that we wonder how reducing homes will benefit us at all. With some tips and perseverance, we’ll help you prepare for that dreaded move.
Downsizing and relocating to small spaces are, in many ways, identical. You don’t always have to be relocating to go through a downsize, but you must always downsize if relocating, especially if it’s someplace with fewer square feet.
Once you decide where to live and it’s a place with fewer square feet than before, you’ll soon learn how to live alone and stay productive and efficient. When push comes to shove, you won’t worry if downsizing is a bad idea. You’ll wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner.
How do you deal with moving into a smaller house? While you could experience depression after relocating to a small residence, it won’t last long. To start the task of relocating, you must first get mentally prepared for the fact.
Emotions will run wild when you move out for the first time and into a new home because relocating itself is challenging. You’ll read more on how to prepare but remember – prioritizing is an essential factor.
Prioritizing your space, wishes, furniture, clutter, and budget is integral to relocation. This is where you start, even if the process is initially only psychological.
It’s best to look at all aspects of relocating someplace small since there are, realistically, good and bad sides. Here are some pros and cons of such a move.
If you wonder why a small house is better, look around you. How many unnecessary things do you have, lying around and waiting for you to seal their fate somehow? Some people have hoarding tendencies, but you still likely have junk around the place even if you don’t.
All of that goes away when you move to a small place.
If you do go to a place with reduced square footage, you’ll likely rent an apartment. These small areas are easier to find wherever you decide to go. Relocating from a small town to a big city will show you more than anything else.
We can often hear folks wondering do people regret buying a big house, and for many reasons, they likely do. Big houses are often in isolated areas and are tough to maintain. If your priority is to make friends in a new city, living small and close to town will be a jackpot.
When should you downsize to a smaller house? When the cleaning times become tedious and lengthy, that’s when. If you’ve been living in a big place so far, you know what we mean; that big dining room your family rarely eats at requires a lot of maintenance.
If you look at the space you realistically need, you’ll see how some things that look nice on paper aren’t helpful or functional in practice. And who has time to clean nowadays? Just reduce your living space’s size, and cleaning won’t be a problem again.
Finding an appropriate place when relocating with pets can be as challenging as finding one to move in with kids. Both require a lot of room to play and let their energy out, which small spaces can’t accommodate.
Of course, that can be made up for if you move to some of the best outdoor towns or near a park area, where you can spend time with your furry friends or human kids.
If you move in with a partner, you’ll initially love the shared area, but only initially. Both of you are individuals with desires and work duties that go beyond your romantic relationship, hence why you should have a designated office or separate area for yourself.
A small apartment may not be the ideal solution; it’s all about the arrangement you two have.
If you don’t know how to downsize for a move, you’re not alone. People in the US aren’t used to living in cramped, small spaces, so it’s normal to be nervous about such a task. Try to do whatever you can to motivate yourself for it, which can come down to something as simple as research.
Numerous blogs and sites show off small residence decor and ideas; even if they aren’t for a downsized place, they could fit your new area quite well. When you research ideas, your mindset will change and improve.
Here are some awesome sites where you can find decor and living inspirations:
Finding creative storage ideas is a part of doing research, but this can also be more in-person. Find out which stores near you offer multifunctional furniture and storage to get inspired.
Creative storage spaces are the future. We live in uncertain times; electricity bills are rapidly rising, and recession threatens our economy almost daily, so it’s no wonder we’re all slightly concerned about our homes.
To get ahead of the times and find the good in a bad situation, downsizing and optimizing the area you use will help you focus more on leading a good and productive life. We didn’t mean to get gloomy here, but sometimes, facts are facts.
Numerous stores and manufacturers today offer space-saving furniture solutions, starting from IKEA. It isn’t just “that Swedish company that makes people put together all their furniture”; they’re also innovators and some of the first to give people reasons to move into small spaces.
Not to make this sound like an IKEA ad, but they were only the pioneers of that movement. Numerous other companies now create similar products and furniture that could inspire folks to embrace small-scale living.
Is there a downside to downsizing? This is the question on many minds. When folks face the challenge of relocating to a small place, they see downsizing as evil. This is especially true for those that like to store items for sentimental value.
Some tend to keep things around “just in case.” These people wouldn’t know how to pack a car if a car was the only thing they had to go with; it’s questionable if they’d know how to make everything fit into a truck, too.
Here’s the awful truth – you must also organize your move according to what not to pack. Getting rid of items is just as important as packing them. If you can’t fit that massive couch or vintage desk that takes up most of your workspace, find better uses for them.
The same goes for clutter. Ask yourself what you need and what you don’t. Reducing the number of small items for packing will be a good move in many aspects. You’ll save money because there will be less to pack; you’ll save time for the same reason.
Since decluttering is high on the list of relocation essentials, here’s how you can turn it into something worthwhile. You don’t have to only throw things away – you can also donate or sell them.
There might be recycling programs or charity shops nearby that you can donate to; however, if you do wish to donate to charity, the items you offer must be in relatively good condition – no one will take scraps apart from potentially recycling centers.
Another fantastic way to get rid of stuff you don’t need is by selling it. You can easily organize a garage sale and ensure your lovable trash goes to someone worthy (and full of cash).
The woman in the video below introduces a method called Swedish death cleaning. She explains how it works and the results it has for her. It might get emotional, but it could help if you need this sort of tutorial.
Cross-country relocation services are ideal for helping people move from one side of the country to another. In fact, professional help could motivate you to do more for yourself while they deal with the heavy lifting.
Here’s how to find the perfect professional relocation company:
Another thing people tend to forget, that’s actually very helpful, is car shipping. Most (good) relocation companies offer such services and let you choose between enclosed auto transport and the more common open trailer transport.
They also offer the options of door-to-door auto transport and terminal-to-terminal car shipping, and with the right combination of services, you could save a lot of money and not worry about what to do with your car.
You can ask companies for quotes on this, too.
Now that decluttering has been significantly praised, you’ll wonder what are the disadvantages of downsizing. Despite it seeming like there aren’t, sometimes that determination can bite you on the back when you realize you can’t sell, donate, or recycle everything.
So, what do you do with the stuff that’s too big to put in the new place and too valuable to throw out? Our packing tip is to get a storage area. These facilities are excellent room savers and could be well within your relocation budget, which you expanded due to decluttering and going to a small residence.
Renting one shouldn’t be too complicated. If you could see the benefits of car shipping with a car shipping company, you’ll see the benefits of relocating with movers.
Lucky for you, many relocation companies shipping cars in the USA also offer some excellent deals, and storage is one of them. With many movers, you can get free monthly storage services and insurance coverage for all your items. Now, that’s the right way to save money!
We can’t guarantee living in a small place will make all your dreams come true. What we can claim with certainty is that your life will change in positive ways. Whether you agree or disagree now, over time, you’ll be sure of the beneficial parts of small-scale living.
In conclusion, a house is a home if you decide it is. Its size and location can’t determine that factor; what you make of it does. You’ll find happiness if you know how to make yourself happy.
