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Migrating to a tiny shelter needs many adjustments, but this shouldn’t stress you anymore. This article contains various tips to help you fit in your new small house. There are a lot of changes that you will put in place to ensure your possessions fit in the new space.
What is downsizing? This is simply an act of considering valuable possessions while reducing down unnecessary items. The process is essential in maximizing your new tiny house and minimizing cluttering. When transiting to a small house, below are some of the best tips for downsizing your possessions:
11 Expert Tips for Downsizing Your Possessions
1. Buy multipurpose furniture
Downsizing is not as simple as abandoning your belongings and existing furniture. It’s time to rethink how you can re-evaluate items you own. In this process, you might ignore households you bought several years ago to allow newly purchased items to fit in your tiny house.
Ordinary furniture may fail to fit in a tiny house; a multipurpose one is the best. Such furniture works incredibly, primarily for small-sized living space. This is because you acquire optimum utility without utilizing too much space. Typical multitasking furniture is; convertible storage desk, storage bin seats, bed frames with inbuilt drawers, and a multipurpose breakfast maker.
2. Digitize your files
If you fall under the sentimental category, media and files consume a lot of your storage space. Items like magazines, books, CDs, DVDs, Photo albums, and other valuable documents occupy space in the house. Even if they carry your treasured memory or information, you will be going through them once in a while.
More so, materials like personal files remain the everyday items that you can downsize quickly.
Photo albums: You should learn to upload your photos in the cloud or store them in Google drive. Try to compile them into digital scrapbooks to enhance easy safe-keeping.
Blu-rays and DVDs: With multiple mushrooming streaming platforms, the need for keeping DVDs is diminishing. Nowadays, you can easily access movies from digital copies and online.
Books: Give yourself enough time to customize your favorite books and save everything in audiobook or eBook format.
VHS: Look for a suitable way to convert available tapes into digital format. Doing so will keep treasured home and family videos forever.
Video game and CD collection: Copy the contents to your computer. However, you can still purchase digital copies of software and games to reduce physical discs.
3. Employ the “declutter challenge.”
source: https://hlc.edu.in/
Decluttering is a universal experience based on internet-sourced ideas. Nowadays, many people have become dependent on the internet for many valuable tips and ideas. Aggressive fellows take advantage of such ideas in decluttering their houses in straightforward steps.
Below are some convenient methods to do it;
40 bags in 40 days challenge: Many people have found this challenge helpful for decluttering their houses. The challenge involves filling a bag daily for forty days. Once you’re satisfied with your new house’s order, you can decide to throw away, donate, or sell the collected items on the bags.
The 12-12-12 challenge: This act involves grouping items into three categories that contain 12 items. It’s simple as you will have to select 12 articles for donation, 12 for storage, and the other 12 for throwing away.
Four box method: Before you implement this challenge, you’ll have to buy a trash can and three boxes. The next step will be to label the boxes with “give away,” “storage,” or “Put away.” The trash can will now be what to dispose of.
It’s therefore advisable to carefully inspect everything in your house and determine which box to keep into. Doing so is essential since it allows you to decide necessarily on dispensable and indispensable items.
4. Fit a hanging rack with all kitchen appliances
Kitchen accessories consume a lot of space in our houses, but we often don’t use them. Downsizing will help you transform your kitchen into a “Swiss-Army Knife” style. It would help if you utilized the walls in your tiny house ultimately.
Add hooks, hanging rack(s), and shelves to maximize the storage space. Arrange the kitchen utensils based on what you will be mainly using. Additionally, it would help if you eliminated ornamental or redundant kitchenware like knife collection units, ice-cream maker, etc., it’s advisable to invest in alternative products to replace the two.
5. Develop an inventory checklist
source: https://www.jotform.com/
This checklist is mandatory for those who are wishing to move to tiny houses or move houses. Developing an inventory checklist gives you a chance to revise what you have to spot redundancies.
Organizing your inventory sheet by room is advisable. Have a look at everything in a room, considering the linen and the pantry closet. You will be astonished after realizing that you don’t use everything in that house.
Therefore, you need to mark how soon you always use these items.
6. Keep clothing staples’ capsule wardrobe
A capsule wardrobe is usually made up of 20 to 40 clothing
staples; flexible and timeless. This sounds like an intimidating tip to customize your closet, transforming it with a handful of items, but it saves a lot of time and space. An excellent wardrobe allows you to mix and match clothing every day easily.
Furthermore, a capsule wardrobe allows you to pack easier because y
ou can quickly force them into one bag.
7. Get rid of ‘multiples’ from your house
If you hold some doubts, try taking inspiration from minimalists. These people understand that there’s no need to own many items for a similar purpose in the house. Downsizing should begin in your kitchen.
Tiny house living doesn’t require many visitors anymore. So, you should ask yourself whether you still need all the dinner sets and coffee mugs in your new tiny house. So you still have to check your inventory list and note which items to keep and the ones to eliminate.
8. Know what can be replaced with smaller items in the house
Under this tip, things that consume a lot of space in your room should not be introduced into the new tiny home. Some of these belongings include; giant TV screen and an old washing machine.
Consider buying more minor things like mini-fridges, washing machines, and TVs.
9. Consider donating some of your stuff
I know you only believe that selling your extra belongings is a win-win challenge. No, donating some of the stuff to others could be beneficial too. Unless you are in financial constraints, you need extra cash. Otherwise, consider donating the excess items because;
Reselling the items will cost you more effort and time; you will spend time searching for appropriate buyers.
You will be embracing generosity; try to use donation and charity as a motivation to declutter. You don’t have to regret how you will let go of your belongings without anything in return.
Discover the benefit of owning few households; donating some of your unused stuff creates more space in your house. Still, you will be touching somebody’s life.
10. Adopt and implement a “one in, one out” technique
This policy is simple as it involves abandoning an item on your inventory checklist once you buy a new model. The method is essential in maintaining the capacity of what the house can accommodate. Once you buy a new item, remember to eliminate another used thing from the tiny house.
This policy should teach that the number of households you buy should be less than those you should throw away.
11. Give experiences over objects
source: https://embracetheperfectmess.com/
Experts affirm that it’s advisable to invest in an experience rather than a material object. This becomes reality, mainly to people living surrounding you like spouse, kids, or roommate. Don’t bother if the experience will last longer or create strong bonds. Doing so will embrace decluttering. Instead of buying gifts, why don’t you consider donating some of your unused items in the house?
Frequently asked questions:
How can I downsize my households?
Try to be ruthless while downsizing; toss out anything you do not use.
Anything you love should be kept
Sell all items that are not in bad condition to create more space
Learn to distinguish cluttering from decoration
How should I consolidate my possessions?
Consolidation should start by pairing down bathroom materials to a few drawers. Kitchenware should be customized into cupboards or drawers and storing only half of your closet.
When is the right time for downsizing?
There are several downsizing determinants, i.e., retirement, overwhelmed with maintenance challenges, unused rooms, lifestyle changes, financial troubles, etc.
Is downsizing a great idea?
There’s no need for downsizing if you’re satisfied with your room/house look. However, selling the used household can earn you a lot of money. Besides, donations are helpful for bonding and generosity. You touch someone’s life through donations and charity.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the above 11 tips for downsizing your possessions help you customize a tiny house. Downsizing comes with many benefits, but sometimes you might end losing treasured items if not careful. You don’t have to leave with regrets; be cautious while downsizing.
You have to take advantage of this art as a suitable way to allow your family to enjoy a fresh and nice-looking home. Doing so will maximize your house for fresh air circulation and easy maneuverability.
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