The process of downsizing is strange because you’re often looking for a sense of relief in eliminating unnecessary items, yet the actual process itself can often be anxiety-inducing. Downsizing your home can be a big job, but you can make it easier by knowing what to look for as you start to get rid of things. While you don’t have to rid yourself of all your earthly possessions, most people feel better when they get to purge a lot of stuff. Here are some of the best items to get rid of when downsizing to make your life easier.
Larger Furniture
Large pieces of furniture are always a hassle to move around from place to place. To save yourself a lot of trouble, try to ask yourself how much you really need each piece of furniture. Do you have a chair that no one ever sits in? Does that table just take up space? Trashing or donating this furniture is a great way to make your move easier and let go of a heavy burden.
Clothes You Don’t Wear
When you’ve been in a house for a while, you tend to accumulate several wardrobes worth of clothes that you don’t need. When it’s time to downsize, you probably won’t have anywhere near the same amount of storage space you once did. That’s why it’s the perfect time to take those old clothes you never wear and give them to someone who will. No need for them to collect dust when they could make someone else happy.
Kitchen Appliances and Gadgets
Some of the best items to get rid of when you’re downsizing are small kitchen appliances, gadgets, and utensils. Like clothes, these kinds of items seem to pop up out of nowhere as the years go by. We’ve all bought a kitchen gadget that we thought we’d use all the time and then shoved in a drawer somewhere where we forget about it forever. You don’t need to hold onto these and have them clog up your drawers. Let them go, and maybe someone else will find a use for them.
Used Books
While collecting books is a hobby that anyone can enjoy, if you’re downsizing, it may be time to reconsider which books you really want to keep. If you’re moving somewhere with less space than your current home, you might not be able to fit all your books in one place. Not to mention that boxes of books can be a serious hassle to move from one place to another. Pass on the stories and the knowledge to someone else when it comes time to downsize.