No matter where you are in life, there’s no home improvement quite as refreshing as downsizing. If you’ve been holding onto a lot of extra stuff over the years, this is a great way to clear up neglected spaces in your home, like crammed closets and room corners, to expand the functional area of your home.
Year after year, homeowners stock up on new items to replace all of their old or obsolete things. This leads to crammed closets, attics, and rooms that become less and less usable each year. In this guide, we’re going to take a look at a few tips that can help you reclaim your spaces, lighten your load, and open up your home for bigger and better things. Whether you plan to sell it or not, downsizing your home in Stockton comes with plenty of benefits.
How Do You Begin Downsizing Your Home in Stockton
1. How Do I Know What to Give Away?
Have you ever heard of the one year rule? This is a handy rule of thumb that you can use while looking through your closet, dresser, garage, or backyard to figure out what items you’ve neglected. If you haven’t used the item for over a year, then it’s probably just taking up space and could be much more useful in someone else’s hands. So, empty out that CD and DVD drawer, look through your workout room, and scour your kitchen drawers for anything that’s just collecting dust. (It’s fine to keep sentimental items, just keep the number low.)
2. Find a New Use for Them; Don’t Toss Them
Of course, throwing all of these items away is pretty wasteful. There are plenty of people out there who would find a lot of use in them, so consider giving them to friends and family or donating them. For instance, you might be able to hand down those boxes of old toys to grandchildren or friends with kids. The same goes for artwork, crafting supplies, kitchen gadgets, and tools in the garage. There’s someone out there who would happily take them off your hands.
3. Assess Your Furniture
Downsizing doesn’t just go for smaller items and appliances – take a look at your furniture too. Maybe your couch is a bit too big for your current needs. In that case, consider selling it and picking up a smaller one that you’ll get more use out of. You could also hang up your TV. This can help you clear out that cumbersome TV stand and replace it with a more minimal storage option. Take a walk around your house and look for more options: is that old piano just taking up space? Is your dining room table too big for your current needs? Is that old elliptical machine in need of a replacement? These are all great things to consider while you’re downsizing your home in Stockton.
4. Don’t be Scared to Digitize
Keeping files is always a great idea – but they don’t have to be stacks of paper anymore! If you have a few years of important files and records filling up a few drawers in your home, consider scanning them and uploading them to a secure computer or cloud storage service before shredding the old documents. To keep your paper trail low, you can also opt out of paper bills and statements with paperless options.
5. Do You Need all Those Mugs?
A harder downsizing hot spot to identify is functional duplication. Maybe you’re stocked up on mugs and dinnerware of all different styles, making it look like they’re different items. They aren’t. There are only so many plates and forks a family needs, so consider keeping only what you need and a bit extra for guests. This will clear up a lot of drawer and counter space, and you’ll be left with a kitchen full of your favorite items and nothing more.
6. Get Organized
If you’re about to sell your property, then downsizing your home in Stockton is a great way to lighten the load (and cost) of moving. Better yet, it gives you a chance to really get organized. Pack away items by what room they came from, labeling them as go and keeping similar items together. This will make unpacking a breeze once you get to your new home!
7. Hire a Professional Downsizer
