Downsizing involves a lot of difficult decisions
With a moving day just a couple of weeks away you are probably wondering how to pare down moving expenses and reduce the amount of lifetime’s worth of belongings. When sorting through your possessions prior to the move you are likely to come across a bunch of old and unnecessary items that won’t fit into your new home. Downsizing means dealing with a limited room while arranging your new living space.
If you are concerned about the amount of stuff you need to pack and transport to the new residence, which happens to be smaller than your current one, you need to figure out how to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Guidelines for moving to a smaller place
Moving from a large home to a smaller place is a tricky undertaking and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of is easier said than done. While there are a lot of reasons why downsizing makes perfect sense, sorting through your belongings and choosing what to move and what to leave behind is never an easy task. Downsizing is a great opportunity to get rid of all the items that you no longer use or need. The sooner you accept the fact that you cannot move everything you own to a smaller place, the sooner you will figure out how to do that.
– Be ready to compromise. Can your new home accommodate oversized furniture? Instead of moving large furniture to your new place, consider investing in multipurpose furniture pieces that occupy less space.
– Are you ready to let go of sentimental clutter before moving to a smaller place?
– Check each corner of your house including often ignored premises like attic, garage, basement and storage area since they usually accommodate lots of clutter and useless stuff.
– Know your options. Completely useless or broken items can be thrown away or recycled at the nearest recycling center. Be mindful of your environment even when you are moving house! An eco-friendly household move refers to environmentally aware and socially responsible attitude during an important life transition. On the other hand, feel free to sell or donate items in good condition – people in need may appreciate your kind gesture.
– Think of some effective storage options before you move into a new place.
How to host a moving sale when downsizing
Organizing a garage sale before the move will help you turn your clutter into cash and reduce the moving costs. Provided that you start moving preparations on time you may come up with an efficient plan for a profitable and successful moving sale. Hopefully the following tips will help you make the most of your moving sale.
– Find out if there are any restrictions related to hosting a moving sale. If a special permit is required, make sure to get it in advance.
– Make an inventory list of all the items you would like to sell and assign reasonable selling prices to each of them. Remember that regardless of how valuable the item is for you, your main goal is to get rid of them, so try not to overprice your belongings. The more items you sell, the easier packing and moving will get.
– People will try to negotiate the prices with you, so be open to making a deal with your prospective buyers.
– Assess the content of your home and collect items you don’t want to move to your new place. Remember that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure – chances are that other people may find your possessions very valuable.
– Schedule a moving sale for the first weekend of the month if possible. A sunny Saturday or Sunday is considered as the most convenient period for holding a successful moving sale.
– Advertise the big event so as to attract as many people as possible. An effective advertising strategy can go a long way towards holding a successful garage sale and making a significant profit.
– Use social media to spread the word about the upcoming moving sale and share all relevant details: location, date and time, contact number and description of all items that may seem interesting to the prospective buyers. Promote your garage sale on the internet and consider posting your ad in the local newspaper. In addition to that, put up visible signs around your neighborhood.
Make the most of social media network when announcing a moving sale
– Display all items in an appealing way by classifying them according to the condition and type and putting similar items together, so as to make shopping easier. That way it will be easier for prospective buyers to find what they need.
– Keep track of the sold items and offer special bargain for the items that cannot be sold easily. Have your inventory list handy and cross out items that have been sold.
– Secure your home and keep your kids and pets away while hosting a moving sale.
– Make sure buyers can test out electrical appliances so as to make sure they work properly.
– Clearly mark items that are not for sale so as to avoid misunderstandings.
– Make your visitors feel comfortable while shopping by creating an inviting environment and giving your shoppers enough space to look around the sale area without interrupting them.
– Have appropriate packing supplies at hand so as to make shopping easier for your prospective buyers.
– The point is to declutter your home, so consider donating leftovers or selling them online of you have time.
Choosing what to keep and what to toss is one of the most difficult aspects of moving to a smaller place. However, the ideal would be to embrace downsizing as a positive circumstance and consider it as a step forward, since it will boost your financial situation and simplify home maintenance projects.
