Perhaps you’re an empty nester, or your family needs have changed, or you want to save money… whatever the reason, you need to move into a smaller place and this can be tricky waters to navigate for many people. The first issue being that typically, moving a house full of furniture and personal items into an apartment can be a tight squeeze, especially if you’re not a fan of clutter.
The upside is that when moving from a house to an apartment, you’ll soon notice that apartment living has plenty of perks—from not having to worry about maintenance issues to not having to pay those pesky HOA fees. But adjusting can still be hard. From having neighbors suddenly above (or below) you, to suddenly having very little storage space, there are a lot of nuances that make a downsizing move in particular, one of the hardest of all for some. Figuring out how to downsize is just a part of the process of moving.
Here are some tips on how to best prepare for moving from a house to an apartment:
- Have an epic garage sale: know what furniture you want to take and want to get rid of. Facebook marketplace is also a great tool for selling off items to neighbors.
- Measure all the furniture pieces you want to take with you and know the dimensions of your new space. Nothing is worse than moving in and realizing your old living room couch is eating the new dining area.
- Do you have storage in your new place? If not, head to Target (or Amazon) and stock up clever ways to store your items.
- Go through all your clothes. Haven’t worn it in a year? Put it in the Goodwill pile!
- Sift through all of your books, papers, miscellaneous items, and sentimental items – you’ll be amazed at how much paper you hold on to that you don’t need.
- Try not to buy! Sure, when you’re moving into a new place, you want some new stuff to match… but considering you’re already trying to get rid of excess, buying can just make matters worse. See if you can revamp or restore what you have. Turn an old nightstand into a new shabby-chic piece!
