Downsizing your living arrangements is often a good, and relatively easy, choice because smaller homes and apartments can help save a significant amount of money. The most common questions regarding downsizing are
- Will downsizing work for me?
- How do I do it?
One of the main things to remember when downsizing is that you still need adequate space for yourself and any needs you may have for your family. You may be tempted to move to the smallest home or apartment you can find. This can, however, be disastrous.
Look back at the needs of your family in your larger home, and then apply them to the smaller home. When you have made your decision, look at the options you have to utilize the space to it's fullest. Stores like Target, The Container Store and Ikea all offer solutions and furniture for maximizing space in small homes.
Living Day-to-Day in a Smaller Home
Once you have made the decision to downsize your living space, it is time to look at the day-to-day living arrangements
- Sleeping arrangements
- Children sharing rooms
- Multi-purpose rooms
- Storage options- basement, storage shed, storage cage
Downsizing your home actually opens up a whole new avenue of home decoration and planning. Sleeping arrangements, room usage, and storage options become creative. Remember that while horizontal space may be at a premium, there are options such as storing underneath furniture, behind doors, and on shelves. Also, utilize vertical space. Can your children use bunkbeds or lofts to make the most of a smaller bedroom?
Keep, Toss, Sell
Another item to remember is that when downsizing, purging your belongings is a must. Many times the new space you are moving to is significantly smaller than your previous space. This is the time to decide if you really need certain items- knickknacks, clothes, shoes, books, children's toys, DVDs and CDs, kitchen appliances.
- Place DVDs and CDs in an organizational binder instead of keeping them in their cases
- Go through your collections and pick out the items that mean the most
- Purge your books and make friends with your library
- Go through your clothes. Throw out items you no longer fit into, cannot be mended, or that you no longer wear
Downsizing with Children
You've purged your belongings... what about the kids? One idea is to have your children help you purge their toys. Make going through and discarding toys a fun activity. Include your children in taking these items to charity or in helping price and sell them at a garage sale. If your children still end up with more toys than you have space for, introduce toy rotation. Put some toys away for a month or so, and then bring them out to replace the toys that are being packed away.
Downsizing one's living arrangements is probably one of the easiest ways to cut back on expenses. Initially investing in organization solutions or new furniture may seem like a waste of money, but the move to a smaller home will help cut back on your living costs.
Other Pluses to Downsizing Your Home
Another plus to downsizing is that forces one to simplify their living style and curb superfluous spending. Spontaneous spending on things “for the house” or “just because” become curbed because there is no room for these purchases. Lastly, downsizing your home may lead to greater desires within yourself , and your family, to spend time outside, away from the television and computer.
Downsizing is much easier than you may think. Explore your options, and start saving money!
