Downsizing to La Palma? Take These Ten Tips First

Are you preparing for a move into a new home? Downsizing can be an excellent move for many personal reasons. But the process of getting your stuff ready for a smaller home takes time and effort. And only you can sort through your things to decide what stays and what goes. So before you call in the best La Palma moving company for your move, take these ten tips for downsizing:

1. Start with the big stuff

When you’re downsizing, you’ll likely need to get rid of some furniture that you either no longer need or that just won’t fit well into your new home. Sometimes, for instance, you’ll need to replace an oversized couch with a smaller love seat. The best way to start here is to take measurements of your new home. Sketch it out, and then determine where each piece of furniture will go. Get rid of anything that won’t fit well before your move, so you aren’t paying to move it for no real reason.

 

2. Sort the attic and garage

When you’re ready to start getting rid of some stuff, start with your storage spaces. The attic, garage, and guest rooms are often places full of stuff that you don’t really need anymore but haven’t had time to get rid of yet. Starting here can give you some momentum.

3. Downsize the clutter

Next, take time to sort through decorations and other potential clutter items. Remember: the smaller your space, the more easily it will become cluttered. So try to get your decorative, clutter type items down to a minimum before you move into your new home.

4. Then downsize personal items

Moving into a new home with less closet space? You’ll need to take time to downsize your closet, then. Get rid of any clothes you haven’t worn in ages, and try to craft a closet full of a few items that you just love.

5. Start packing

One of the best options for keeping tabs on the volume of “keep” stuff you’ve sorted out is to start packing the items that you really want to keep. Label and set aside these boxes first, so that they’re out of the way. Then, you’ll know what’s left that you need to sort through.

6. Consider using short-term storage

Personal storage units can be helpful when you’re downsizing. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what items you’ll want to keep and what you’ll need to get rid of to fit into your new home. So rent a short-term personal storage unit. Some La Palma movers even offer portable storage units, which are even more convenient. You can keep items on hand that you might want, and move them into your new home slowly. Whatever is left over at the end of a few months, you can donate.

7. Give items to family members

What do you do with left over sentimental items that you like but don’t have room for in your new home? Start by asking your kids, grandkids, and other family members if they’d like to have any of these items. Often times, family heirlooms can be spread out through the family now, saving you space and cutting down on your guilt factor for offloading these items.

8. Get a garage sale together

Taking time to have a garage sale can help you make a little extra cash while offloading things you don’t need. If you’re drastically downsizing and getting rid of lots of things, consider just having a whole house sale and selling things off the walls. This is the most efficient way to offload things you no longer want, while making some money.

9. Arrange for donation pickup

Schedule the Salvation Army or another ministry to come to your home the day after your sale. They’ll often do free pickup for donations – especially if you need to donate larger furnishings or loads of items. This gives you a way to get rid of your extras that are still left over (for a tax deduction, to boot), and also means that you don’t have to worry about dealing with the donations directly.

10. Hire movers for the rest

Once you’ve worked through the whole downsizing process, you’ll have had loads of stuff to do already. So once you’re ready to move, hire the best La Palma moving company to do the rest of the work. One bonus of downsizing is that your move will be relatively cheaper now that you have less stuff to move!