Downsizing and struggling to imagine where it will all go.

[ecocredentials]

How the heck do we fit it all in! We are going from a large 4 bed with loads of storage space to a 3 bed with no storage (new build). We’ve been extremely brutal with the loft clearing but we still have a lot of Christmas decorations, a huge box of photos - probably about 3-4 very large plastic crates (lidded) with things that we want to keep for sentimental reasons.

I cannot compromise on these - we will have a garage which is something we don’t have now. Does anyone keep airtight crates with photos and books etc in a garage? The brick is only single skin but the garage walls are reasonably well sheltered. Do things go damp out there?

The developer says we can’t board the loft but I think we will have to with those loft legs over the insulation as we’ve nowhere to keep suitcases, Christmas decorations etc.

How do people downsize to tiny homes? Any tips on clever storage solutions please?

My stepmum is just doing this but a bigger downsize to a much much smaller property. She has been brutal with it. The other thing she did was scan all physical photos onto a drive and then get rid of the actual photos. I could see why as I’ve got suitcases of them under beds which really takes up space I could use. I keep
things in lidded boxes in the garage and they’ve been absolutely fine. I also have boarded eaves space in the garage if that’s a possibility? Be creative with storage. I’ve got underbed boxes which are also really helpful.

Having recently cleared my uncle, DMIL and DFs houses after they died, plus a loft conversion then move to a smaller house, which we’re now starting a major renovation of, I can promise you that your first declutter is nowhere near as brutal as you have to be.

Im now on my 4th major declutter and I’m getting quite good at it, helped by the experiences of clearing elderly relatives’ homes.

My big space makers:

• throw out ALL chipped and cracked crockery and glasses
• keep only 2 sets of bedding per bed - donate the rest to charity
• ditto sets of towels - 2 sets for people living in the house, 1 set for potential guests (plus keep no more than 3 very old ones for messy clear ups
• all your tea towels should fit in a single drawer
• throw out photo negatives, all duplicate photos, out of focus pics, pics of unknown scenery, plants, animals and people. Digitise what’s left and if you want a physical thing to look at, collate all into a photo book(s) that will fit on a bookshelf (don’t go for huge size)
• unless you avidly read your books several times, just donate them when you’ve read them - they only take up space and gather dust.
• subscribe to Spotify or similar and sell all your CDs to Music Magpie or similar. Do equivalent for your video/DVD collection
• chuck out all broken/damaged Xmas decorations - in a smaller house you’ll only have space for one or two trees, so just keep enough to decorate them. You don’t need lots of different sets of colourways/ styles. Give them to grown up kids if you have them.
• limit yourself to one sentimental keepsake box for each member of the family.
• donate all unused games and toys, avoid keeping old toys for potential grandchildren - they won’t be appreciated by your DCs and their partners as much as you think. Perhaps soften the blow by asking them help you decide which special ones to keep.
• scan and file electronically all essential papers. Shred the rest. Again, a single box file of very essential hard copies should suffice.
• chuck out all opened make up and toiletries apart the ones you are regularly using. Ditto paint, varnish, fence treatment, garden products, cleaning products - they go off.

@MachineBee sounds like you've cracked it!
Following with interest. We plan to downsize, but one of us is very bad at decluttering.

What ever you do..dont use storage units, my neighbour down sized from a huge 5 bed flat to a one bed...16 years later and over 30k in unit rental fees...its all still untouched...total waste of money, most items now mouldy and damp as its a cheaper outside giant unit.

We have a wall of kallax boxes in one bedroom. It goes 5 high.

Ottoman beds! Honestly, game changer.

Take the photographs out of plastic storage, place acid free paper between them and keep in cardboard boxes. Place in an area of the home that will have the least dramatic heat change

under an ottoman bed sounds great

an attick or garage has drastic heat change and will deteriorate your photographs swiftly

I don't mean to be rude but don't bother keeping toys for grandchildren unless they are really really expensive rare things, as they more than likely won't be wanted.

I disagree. I would have loved it if my grandmother had had toys at hers. She had kept them and older cousins had played with them, but one aunt and uncle had a little prince, and little prince wanted them and little prince got what he wanted.

Maybe I should have added that you don't need to keep many, and my grandmother had lots of grandchildren. Little prince was one of the eldest.

There’s a big tub of Sylvanian Families and a big tub of cars and Lego. Pretty universal stuff for children. They can go in tightly lidded boxes in the garage - they’ve survived fine in the loft so far.

it’s the very old family photos, beautifully embroidery from my grandmother, shawls and blankets for my children crocheted by no longer alive family members, old mining memorabilia from my husbands parents etc. Things that have family connections and memories.

From experience the priority is to get the loft properly boarded, either on stilts or as we did suspended from the rafters. Then box up your precious items until you can find the time and energy to go through them and decide what you need.

There will always be stuff you can’t bear to get rid of even if you don’t use it, and it can be a mistake to lose too many of them too early. I would never rely on digitising images as I managed to lose many treasured photos when the memory stick corrupted and I had inadvertently deleted the back up collection.