Moving day is here! We thought it would never come soon enough. But now that it's here, of course we grumbled about having to move, yet again. You see, we live in a neighborhood of questionable security. We've experienced frightening encounters with our neighbors (including having bullets fly through our walls barely missing our heads) and I am constantly looking over my shoulder while walking the pugs. So as much as I hate moving, I am ready to find a safer, more stable neighborhood.
We are currently spoiled with a large space, great vaulted ceilings, a garage and fenced backyard. In order to find a space in our budget and in a safe, convenient neighborhood, we are having to downsize, losing our fenced yard and garage. A huge change!
Right when everyone in our lives are buying houses, we're going in the opposite direction. Not ideal, but it also means I can continue to pursue my dream of running this business full time. Worth the sacrifice.
I thought I'd share some tricks I've acquired in the process of downsizing that could be helpful to you too! Here are my 10 tips for moving & downsizing:
- Use up everything in the pantry
- Throw out expired food and spices
- Determine what will need to be sold or stored (goodbye patio set...)
- Do a closet overhaul and donate clothes you haven't worn in over a year. Throw out old, stained clothes.
- Sell books you no longer want to a used book store
- Donate "stuff" you've been holding onto but not using (I found a boombox, old backpacks, and mountains of blank CDs)
- Go through old paperwork and determine what you need to keep (Learn about how long to keep paperwork around from Lifehacker)
- Recycle or shred the rest (getting rid of those college notes felt so good!)
- Only buy what you need. This is a rule I should live by all the time. Almost out of toothpaste? Do you have enough to last until after the move?
- Let friends & family know you are moving. It's likely someone has some recycled boxes from a recent move that they are looking to get rid of!
I hope this helps you all next time you are getting ready to move or downsize. Do you have any tips & tricks for moving? Share in the comments below.
P.S. If I seem a little more quiet this week, I'm lost in piles of boxes!