Aibu to ask for your best downsize tips

[Hullothereitsme]

All tips welcome!! Posting here as very slow traffic elsewhere
have been ruthlessly decluttering, can’t afford to buy everything new and getting nervous as it approaches!!

You don’t appear to be getting too much traffic here either.

What are your circumstances in downsizing… 5 bed house to a 1 bed ? Close move or across the world? Just you or a big family? That might help to give relevant advice.

Take photos of rooms set up in your house now, and also of items that you might like to remember but are not going to keep. The photos could be fun…For example, have a springtime brunch in your garden and lay the table with various mugs and plates and vases you’re getting rid of. Many things we keep for sentimental reasons we can get pleasure from seeing in photos instead.

Try Gransnet for this question. I have downsized but only because I had to not wanted to so cant offer advice.

Your utility bills should be cheaper

Easier to keep clean

Think carefully about furniture... bigger stuff can overwhelm smaller rooms.

Start furnishing each room from scratch with your existing furniture. So you might pick a bed from one room, but pair it with a slimmer chest of drawers and bedside table from a different room.
Make sure stuff isn't too big, or too numerous, for the smaller house.
If you won't have enough space to host more than 3 people, you don't need 30 mugs etc.

Declutter more than once. So go through the house and get rid of the stuff you are clear you don't want to take. They go round again, and see what else you feel can go.

Thanks.
I think I need to have a change of mindset. I won’t be able to host dinner parties so no need to keep a lot of things connected to that I guess. Just seems so wasteful.

I downsized from a large 4 bed to a tiny one bed cottage.

The main thing to get your head around is that the value of space is much higher than the value of most of your stuff. I was ruthless and still decluttering regularly.

Did you take much from your old place or buy new to fresh start? Really torn.

Focus on what you want to keep, not what you get rid of. Focus on feeling more free.

It's not a waste unless you literally throw it in a bin. It's rehoming it with someone who can use it, and enjoy it, and treasure it. Its giving an old item a new lease of life. We moved country - 8 suitcases and 8 boxes between 4 of us. I sold LOADS, and then got messages from people over the next year or two of their families enjoying items that we has also treasured.

This is a good tip.

I wouldnt recommended taking money out the housing market if you can avoid it

Definitely this! I know her method is probably cliché and possibly over used but do focus on what actually brings you happiness (joy).

I came across the 4 second rule a little while ago that helped me. You need 3 boxes/piles. You have 4 seconds to want to
(1) keep something (because you love it)
(2) get rid of it or
(3) maybe/undecided

You go through everything like this. At the end remove the (2) get rid of pile and if you have the energy you go through the (3) maybe/undecided pile again and repeat the 4 second rule steps.

I hope this helps

Surely buying it all again new would be much more wasteful that having to rehome your dinner party sets? I don’t really understand your mindset here.

@Owlatnight sorry not sure what you mean?

Basically you have to pick out what you need in your new home, in sensible amounts. Gather together sheets, towels, saucepans, tools, cushions etc and pick out the best until you have enough. So you have say, your nicest 3 or 4 sets of bedding to take with you. Imagine you are furnishing a holiday cottage or something.

What's left over, you have to say, only a stupid person would keep things they don't need that would also clutter up the new house. Then sell/donate in bundles. This approach helped me to let go of things that were still nice because regardless of that they were SURPLUS.

It's not wasteful because they will all go to someone else who is in the stage of life to make use of huge dinner service/salmon kettle/kids bedding etc. You had them, you used them, you pass them on.

Also if things just don't fit or suit new lifestyle, you can replace them. We have had several different dining tables over the years that suited different size/shape of rooms, but kept the same chairs. Likewise wardrobes have come and gone.

Give stuff away - In two weeks - I got rid of the entire contents of an elderly aunts very large house using Salvation Army to collect large items and listing on Next door and Frecycle. People took everything from jam to bleach, spades and buckets. The only thing I had to take to the recycling was paperwork.

Choose a dry day and leave stuff outside with a "please take" sign on them. One person's trash is another one's treasure.

I meant that house prices are falling at the moment so if you are hoping to downsize and have spare cash you won't get so much cash because your house sale will likely get a lower price than 6 months ago. If you could hold on for e.g. five years things might be better.

Ah thanks for explaining