Tips for Downsizing From a House to an Apartment

One common mistake with downsizing is that people forget to consider all their needs. If you want to have a large play area for your kids, moving into a place without adequate space can leave you feeling frustrated. If you want a spare room for visitors, you don't want to end up resenting that you only have the couch to offer a guest.

What do you love about your current house that you also want to be a part of your new apartment home? With this in mind, make a list of all the basic needs you have for a new apartment home. You might want to make a list of things you don't want, too, so you know which apartments to avoid.

As you go through your things, decide what you want to keep, donate, sell, store, or give away. Be as thorough as possible. Don't just go through your stuff once. Try to go through everything at least twice. Do this on different days. You may find that you are more receptive to getting rid of excess clutter when you have some time to think about it and go through more stuff.

After looking through your things and deciding what you want to give away, you may wonder how to best give some of your stuff away. One fun way to bring friends together and also offer them something they'll appreciate from your move is to throw a downsizing party.

Designate one room as the party room. This can be the living room or den so that you won't have visitors wandering all through your home. Then, as you go through your things, place all the stuff you want to give away in the party room. Then, invite guests to come over at the same time and choose what they want to take home.

Here's a fun idea: serve beverages in glasses or mugs that you also want to give away. Encourage your guests to take their beverage to-go in the cup it was served in. Another idea is to have a table set up with different glasses and cups, then encourage people to choose their own to keep. That way, they choose a glass they like.

Collecting things is a worthwhile hobby. A collection of postcards or magnets can bring to mind memories of exciting travels. A stamp collection may also double as a sound financial investment. However, not all collections bring joy.

Look over your collections and decide how much they mean to you. If you can get rid of a few excess collections, that might be a good way to start letting go of some of the clutter from your home. Some collections can be sold online or at a resale shop. Then, when you move into your new apartment, it can feel freeing to not bring along things that stopped bringing you joy.

The process of downsizing takes time and is not something that should be rushed. If you are short on time during a move, consider renting a storage unit for your extra things until you have a chance to sort them properly for downsizing. The one mistake you don't want to make is selling off items with little reward if they are valuable to you on a personal or financial level.

Finally, there are many clear advantages to moving from a house into a new apartment. Contact the caring team at Meadowdale Apartments today to discuss our variety of rental options that are sure to suit you. You may be amazed at how great you feel in a spacious apartment with a fresh start to being decluttered and organized.