A home that’s bigger than you require could be costing you a lot of cash. Whether family members have moved out or you’ve gotten rid of a lot of items you didn’t need, you may be finding there are a lot of empty rooms in your home. Here are our top tips for downsizing and saving yourself some cash too.
Choose a Smaller Property that Works for you
When you’re in the market for a new house, you need to weigh up the pros and cons. To downsize, you want a smaller house but you also want to make sure it’s large enough for your needs. You should also consider the location and surrounding area, as you don’t want to downgrade this!
If you have a hobby that requires a lot of equipment or an outdoor space, for example, then you’ll want to ensure that you’re not compromising on this. You don’t want to feel like you’re giving up or sacrificing anything in your new home.
Get Rid of Unnecessary Items
If you’re moving to a smaller space, then you have to be realistic about the things you’ll actually need. Items like mugs and glasses often start to creep up in number, but you might actually only need a couple of each. These are good areas to start reducing the numbers, as you really won’t miss them.
You can also start to purchase furniture that will help you to save space too. A corner sofa bed is ideal for a smaller property, either for your daily needs or in the place of a dedicated guest room. As you identify the right areas to get rid of items, you won’t feel like you’re missing anything when you get to your new place.
If you don’t want to consign these items to the dump, you can sell or donate them. Using local listings is a great way to find people in the area that want your larger items. You can also look to ship smaller items if you get a better price from further afield.
While storage is an option, it’s better to go for a more permanent solution that won’t end up costing you money every month.
Reduce your Spending
If you spend a lot on home items on a regular basis, then you should reduce this. You don’t want to move to a new home and then fill it with clutter that you don’t need. A smaller home will fill up much faster than what you may be accustomed to. It’s also a good idea to let friends and family know you’re reducing these items, so they’re less likely to gift you them.
You can also opt out of junk mail and go paperless to reduce the amount of things coming into your home. The vast majority of the time, these just take up space in your home until they’re thrown out, so skip this and opt out.
Downsizing can offer you a load of financial benefits, if you do it properly then you’ll reap the rewards without a downside.
