12 Easy Tips For Downsizing Your Home In Sydney

Downsizing your living space does not have to be the worst thing in the world. Read our 12 tips to make moving into a smaller space easier and more effective.

If you are moving into a smaller space for whatever reason, chances are you might struggle to adjust to your new living conditions. Many of Sydney’s singles, couples and families are considering downsizing to be closer to transport and infrastructure, as well as to save money for other projects.

While downsizing can be quite a shock to some it doesn’t have to be. Proper planning and thoughtfulness should help you start to pick items you need and dispose of those that don’t make the cut. Obviously everyone’s experience will be different, but there are things everyone can do to make your move less stressful.

1. Your Must Have Items

What are the items that you have to keep? If you are looking to downgrade your living space a good place to start is with the belongings that you would defiantly want to keep, whether they are sentimental or just something you can’t live without. One good way to think about this is what would you replace if you lost all of your things? In other words, what would you pay money for again and again if you lost your things again and again.

You could also try picking a certain number of things, for example, something like picking 10 – 20 things that you can’t do without. Fitting your essential items into a small list should help you fit them into a smaller space. You can use this technique for multiple things as well such as books, item of clothing, DVD’s and video games, aka items that you have a lot of but need to slim down on.

2. Planning Your Living Space Before You Move In

Before you move into your new home make a floor plan for your new place. Using things you already have, start planning your living space, fitting things into the space as you see fit. This will help you decide what is worth keeping, if there isn’t a place for it then you probably can’t keep it.

Doing this planning well in advance can help you a lot, especially if there are some items you have that you might be able to sell on for a good price. Knowing what you won’t need in your new place means that you can get a jump on selling it now, rather than having to take it to your new home and apartment to take up space. If you don’t sell it, give it away! There’s no point having something in your home you don’t need and chances are that once you move in to the new space, it will stay there.

3. Infrequently Used Items, Do You Really Need Them?

Infrequently used items can range from exercise equipment to gadgets that are out dated. We are all guilty of holding onto items even though we never use them or if we do, it very rarely. With these sorts of items, it’s important to consider whether it is really something you need to have in the house at all times.

Could you simply rent a bike the next time you want to go for a ride? Or does your treadmill need to be staring you in the face even though it’s been months since you last used it. Understandable, some of these infrequent or barely used items are often our most expensive ones. Guitars, bikes and exercise equipment quickly clog up space. So if you don’t want to get rid of these items why not store them? That way you’ll still have the items for when you need them, but all don’t have to clog up your apartment or home with them.

4. Limiting The Space For Each Item

This is another great way to save space and ties in with planning your space before you move in. Limiting the amount of space each item can take up is a great way to look at. Only having books that fit on your book shelf or clothes that fit in your cupboard will limit the amount of clutter in your home. If it doesn’t fit don’t keep it.

Similarly, if you have multiple pieces of furniture, the likely hood is you won’t be able to fit it all into your new space. Limit the amount of space for table, chairs, book cases, cabinets and other furniture. You could also arrange your space by how you are going to use it – this much space for relaxation and entertainment, this much space for work, this much space for cooking, ect.

5. Sell Unnecessary Items And Belongings

As mentioned before, if you’ve properly planned your move then you should have no trouble selling you items off before you enter your new space. Selling items can be a great way to make a bit of extra cash on those things that you don’t need or use. You can also sell some of your bigger items that won’t fit in your space and use the cash you make to buy new ones that will. The chances are the couch, table or storage from your old house won’t fit into your new one, so this can be a great way to pay for a new item of furniture that will.

If you haven’t planned ahead but still have items you want to sell, consider putting them into storage while you find a buyer. This means that you don’t clutter up your new space with this item. It also means you are less likely to want to keep it, clogging up your apartment or home because you didn’t get a buyer.

6. Use Storage For Those Things You Just Have To Hold On To

Remember that time you rocked out with your band mates on your old guitar or when you got given a family heirloom that you just can’t get rid of? The chances are that we will all have things that while we don’t used them often or at all, we just can’t bear the thought of letting them go. At the same time your new place simply doesn’t have the room for the bike that you won a race on five years ago. This is where you should consider moving some of these items into storage.

Moving your items into storage means that you can still use them when you need, but they don’t clutter up your living space. Storage can also be used for the things that you use seasonally. Things such as camping gear, skiing gear and suitcases are only needed once in a blue moon but you do need to hold onto them. This is where storage has an advantage as you can store your things when you don’t need them and take them out when you do, like a shed for people who don’t have a shed. You can also sneak some of those extra items from your glory days in there if you need to.

7. Limit Your Collections And Collectables

Many people collect things and usually their collections are very special to them. But often we will collect something and then get over the thing we once cherished. In these situations, you can limit the amount of collections you bring into your new home by throwing out the things you don’t care about or look at anymore. If you can’t bear to part with your collection, then put it into storage.

This also goes for the actual collections themselves. Limit yourself to a few specialty items that you love, and sell or give away those things that you don’t consider to be an important part of your collection. This could include old DVD’s, CD’s and Records, Books and even more specialty items such as art or figurines. Whatever your collection is, don’t force yourself to make space for it in your new home, especially if you can trip it around the edges.

8. Have Furniture That Serve Multiple Functions

Having furniture that can serve multiple functions is a great way to save space. Sofa beds, extendable table and TV cabinets that hold other house hold items are great ways to make space while keeping all the things you still need. There is so much of this sort of stuff out there at the moment as retailers have realized that people will save space if they are able, even if they have a bigger space.

Take a trip to Ikea and find great combination furniture that you can use to save space. Sell of the item that you had two of to pay for it! Saving space and money is always a big win and will keep your home clutter free.

9. Make Use Of All The Space You Have Available

This goes back to the multiple furniture functions point but adds another element, storage. If you are moving into a smaller place from a bigger place you are going to need to start using storage options around the home to save space. Storage not only helps create space in your home but it can also be quite stylish and make your home seem bigger.

Get storage and use it for everything. This is not only a great way to keep your space clear but it will also help you to organize your home properly once you have moved in.

10. Limit Your Bathroom Supplies

Bathrooms can easily become clogged up with things that you rarely use or need such as creams, electronics and medicine. But you don’t need to clog up your life with all this stuff! That’s why you should only have what you need every day or every other day in your bathroom.

You don’t have to necessarily throw everything out, but putting things that you will need in the future but don’t need right now into storage is a great way to make sure that you have it when you need it. This could be as simple as having a cabinet in your home for all medicine and underused bathroom items. Anything that doesn’t fit in the cabinet, gets throw out.