6 Rules for Downsizing When Moving

Regardless of your age, downsizing when moving is always a good idea. A move is a fantastic opportunity to edit down your belongings and keep what matters, tossing—or better yet, recycling and donating—the things that don’t. And because you’re already going through everything you own anyway, you may as well take the time to do an inventory and figure out what should stay and what can go.

Now, if you are downsizing more officially, for example, if you’re reducing your home’s size after retirement or simply moving into a smaller home, then this is even more important. Especially because most of us are holding on to a lot more things than we really need—or, let’s be honest, even want.

Of course, we know that downsizing when moving can be overwhelming. And the longer you’ve lived somewhere, the more things you’ll have accumulated So to make it a bit easier on you, we’ve put together this quick and easy guide to figuring out what to hold on to and what to get rid of, plus a look at why you should undertake the process in the first place.

By the numbers: downsizing statistics

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to your home. That’s probably why more Americans are opting for smaller spaces and, by default, limiting the amount of things that they bring with them when they move.

    • 37% of homeowners would rather have a smaller home than a larger one, compared to 23% of homeowners who prefer the opposite
    • 60% of people who live in homes that are 2,200 square feet or bigger say they’d pick a smaller one next time around
    • Of the 37% of baby boomers planning to move in the future, 42% say they’d prefer a smaller home

    Just as interesting as Americans’ preferences regarding the size of their homes is how much stuff they fill those homes with. The average American home contains 300,000 items, and offsite storage is a booming industry for holding everything else. As for at-home storage, 25% of people with a two-car garage don’t even have room to park their cars in it.

    There’s no denying it: unless you’re a stark minimalist, you’ve probably got a lot of stuff. Downsizing when moving is a chance to tame it all down—and make your life lighter in the process.

    Knowing that you can do with fewer things is one thing—actually getting rid of a huge portion of your belongings is another. Only you can decide what you really can’t live without, but here are some helpful rules of thumbs for taking the guesswork out of the process.

    Go room by room

    Separate items into four categories

    • Category 1: Keep
    • Category 2: Throw out or recycle
    • Category 3: Donate
    • Category 4: Not sure yet

    Depending on how much time you have (and how much effort you want to put into it), you could also end up with a fifth category of items that you’re going to try to sell online or through a pre-move garage sale—both of which are good ways to make some extra cash.

    Ditch any duplicates

    If you won’t have room for it in your new home, don’t keep it

    If you don’t use it, don’t keep it

    Bring in some help

    Do good with your downsizing

    For some people, downsizing feels like a weight lifted off of their shoulders that they didn’t even know they were carrying. For others, it can be tough to say goodbye, even if it’s items that were out of sight and out of mind. In both cases, you can sweeten the process by donating as much of your downsized belongings as possible, which allows items to find new purpose (and keeps them out of landfills).

    As for where to donate, you have quite a few options. This includes:

    • Non-profits/charities (including homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, animal rescue organizations, clothing drives, and others)
    • Friends
    • Families
    • Schools and libraries

    Bonus: there are lots of charities that pick up your stuff for free, so you don’t even have to worry about how to get your donatable items from point A to point B.

    If an item is in good condition, always seek to donate it. In many cases, you can even donate items in not-so-good condition, such as broken or outdated electronics. Old linens and towels? Your local animal shelter can make great use out of them. Random building materials? Try Habitat for Humanity. If your goal is to give your discarded belongings new life instead of just getting them out of yours then we promise it will be a lot easier to say goodbye.