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How to declutter and prepare for downsizing

Writer's picture: Organised and ProudOrganised and Proud

If you’ve lived in your home for a long time, the likelihood is that you have surrounded yourself with possessions that mean a lot to you.  They probably fit and look right in your home.


When downsizing, it’s a time to look forward and think about what will fit and look right in your new home.  Unless you are a minimalist, it’s a good time to make decisions around what you will need and what you really treasure. 

Here’s some tips to help you declutter

1.       Start decluttering as early as you can.   Decluttering normally takes longer than you think as you are battling the heart over head dilemma of whether to keep something or not.

2.      Take one room at a time.  Ideally start with a room that you use the least such as a spare room. Start by emptying furniture or cupboards into a central place.  Make space for 2 areas : Keep and Go.

3.      Work through the items in the centre of the room and place them in the relevant area.  Anything that is in the Keep Area, can be boxed immediately.   For items in the Go area, bag anything that can easily go to a Charity Shop and take items that need to go to a local recycling centre. Once there is more space in the room, set up areas indicating what will happen to items.  Ideas include  Family/Friends,  Auction House,   Offer to New Buyer, Sell on Social Media,  Charities for larger items. When working through other rooms, you can add items to the areas you have set up in the first room.

4.      If you still have items from your children, ask them to sort through their things themselves and to take anything away with them that belonged to them.  This could be a great time to bring back memories from when they were younger.

5.      Think about the storage you will have in your new kitchen.  It may be a time to cut back on the amount of cutlery and crockery that you have.  There may be items that you really like and therefore you will need to think about the frequency you have used them and how likely you will use them in the next year or two.  Perhaps it is time for someone else to get pleasure out of using your item.

6.      Large pieces of furniture can make the difference to the size of removal van you need for your move.  Measure your furniture and consider where it will fit in your new home.    For pieces that are quite wide, also consider the width in the hallway and whether the piece could fit through it. 

Doing this alone can be tricky and therefore Organised and Proud can help you to do this.  I will work alongside you, helping you to keep your new home at the forefront of your mind and support you to make the right decisions for you.

Working together can not only speed up the process but can turn a challenging task into something that is fun and rewarding.



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