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How To Downsize & Pack Like A Pro | Winter Moving & Storage

You’re moving to a new place that’s smaller than your current home. Before you move, you need to downsize what you’ve got. Here are a few tips on how to downsize efficiently before packing for your move.

#1 Measure the Place You’re Moving Into

Before you start purging furniture, go to your new place and take measurements. You need to know how much space you have in each room. Take time to plan where you want key pieces of furniture. Also, consider if you need to move furniture to an upper floor. That big dining table may not fit on the condo elevator.

#2 Worry About the Large Items First

Finding where to put large items is a common issue during a down-size move. Your living room sofa is 84″ long. However, the place you want to put it is 72″. Do you put the sofa in another position? Or do you get rid of the sofa and use the smaller ones from the family room?

Getting rid of larger items first helps you keep your new place feeling comfortable and spacious. It also removes the pressure to get rid of all your smaller items. With the large items sorted, you can take time to place smaller items and determine what can stay and what needs to go.

#3 Go Through Every Container

It’s truly amazing to see what items you will find in boxes you haven’t looked through since your last move. Things you deemed important enough to move 10 years ago haven’t seen the light of day since. Some boxes may contain precious items you want to pass down. Others may contain utility bills from 20 years ago.

Go through every container in your home. Packing and moving things you don’t need or want is a waste of time and money.

#4 Purge Things You Don’t Use or Need

Get honest with yourself. Do you need a closet full of formal business clothes from your old job when you wear business casual to the office these days? Get rid of 90% of those clothes, keeping a couple of outfits for more formal occasions. Use this technique before packing anything.

If you don’t use something or don’t need it, stop packing it away. Instead, sell it, donate it, or throw it away.

#5 Pass Special Items Along

Many people have a stash of special items they treasure. It can be items inherited from grandparents. It might be art projects from when your children were little. Instead of packing them up again, it’s time to give them a new home.

One way to free up space while packing is to pass some of those special items along to others. See if one of your kids or grandkids might be interested in forgotten toys, old family jewelry, or grandpa’s collection of stamps.

#6 Think About Storage Needs

You’ve gone through the entire house, and you’ve done most of the packing. However, you find yourself with more items that you have storage in your new place.

Can you add more storage? Examples might be adding shelves in the garage or a storage cabinet in the laundry room. Don’t forget the attic or basement. If you can’t add storage inside, look beyond the walls of your new home. Building a storage shed is one option. Renting a storage locker nearby is another.

Learn how to downsize for a new place & evaluate all the stuff you’ve accumulated. When you’re ready to start packing, give Winter Moving a call. We offer packing and moving services for local and long-distance moves.

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