You are officially an empty nester; the kids have moved out and you’re sure they aren’t coming back. This is your time to finally downsize your home and move into a smaller house or condo. It’s an exhilarating feeling making that decision, until you start looking around your home and see how much stuff you have accumulated. So, when faced with the challenge of how to downsize your home you may need a little help!

The following tips on how to downsize your home will help guide you through this process so you can start fresh, living with only those possessions that you really love and need.

Items Belonging to Your Adult Children

Just because your children have moved out, doesn’t mean they’ve taken everything they own with them. Contact your children to let them know about your plans. Tell them to make a list of any items they have left behind that they want; everything else can be donated or sold.

Decide What to Keep

This will be the most difficult part of the process. To avoid being overwhelmed, go through your home room by room and make a list of the items you absolutely want to keep. This applies to all of your household possessions, like those five sets of dishes sitting unused in cupboards. Unless you are planning to buy new furniture for your new home you will have to decide which pieces of your existing furniture to keep. If you haven’t chosen your new home yet, revisit your list once you know exactly how much space you will have.

Resist the Urge to Store Unnecessary Items

When cutting down your must keep list, resist the urge to think about renting a storage unit where you can keep old furniture that won’t fit into your new home. Unless there is a real possibility that someone you know will need these items within a few months of your move, don’t do it. You will only end up spending money keeping things that will eventually have to be disposed of in the future.

Decide What to Do with Items You are Not Taking

  • High End Furnishings

You may be able to recoup a percentage of the money spent on high-end furniture. Contact reputable antique and second-hand dealers. Depending on the value and quantity they may arrange to either auction or have an “estate sale”.

  • Garage Sale

If you are up to the work, then having a garage sale is another option for disposing of unwanted goods. Make sure you advertise your sale online as well as by posting signs in the neighborhood.

  • Donations

Once you know what items you will not be keeping, consider donating them. There are numerous organizations that will accept donations of furniture, household goods, clothing, electronics, sporting equipment and other possessions. Some will arrange for pickup at your home and will remove the items from your house but others require you to bring the items to driveway or curb for pick up.

  • Junk Removal

Every homeowner has items that are no longer useable, which is why junk removal companies have sprung up all across the country. They are a convenient option to renting a truck and hauling your own items to the local disposal centre. Most of these companies will remove items from wherever they are located, in your home or garage.

The next step will be choosing a reputable moving company to help you plan and coordinate your move. Premiere Van Lines is here to help!. Contact us at 1-877-671-6683.