subject: 4 Tips for Moving into a Smaller Home [print this page] During the recent global financial crisis many families found themselves having to call in the interstate removalists and relocate either to cheaper or smaller houses.
Moving house is one of the most stressful events in a person's lifetime so it's important not to underestimate the difficulties which can arise. That is not to say that you should avoid moving at all costs, on the contrary, moving to a smaller house can have significant benefits and there are plenty of things you can do to make the move easy and relatively stress free.
Let's look at some of the strategies you can utilise when moving to a smaller home.
* One of the advantages of moving into smaller house is that you have the opportunity to rid yourself of clutter and excess. You can take this opportunity to organise yourself better and get rid of unwanted items that were just taking up space and not performing any useful function. One of the best ways to do this is to measure out the available space in your new location and plan to use it to your best advantage by placing the most commonly used items in the most accessible places. Prioritise and streamline are the key words here.
* In a smaller home, it's quite likely that you will have more limited space in which to store your possessions. That's why it's important to make sure you install as many shelves as possible. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to use a carpenter to build new shelves for you, although this is not a bad idea. However, there are many storage specialists who can provide you with ready-made solutions that maximise storage space within cupboards and drawers. Reorganising your possessions into logical groupings makes this a lot easier and shelving plays a large part in maximising the utility of your new space.
* Allocate responsibilities. When moving to a new home a great way to get everyone involved is to have each person plan their own bedrooms. They can do this by labelling the cupboards and shelves they will use for various items and then get them to pack their belongings accordingly into boxes that are similarly labelled. This will help with the move itself, but will also make it easier to organise things at the other end. If you are moving interstate make sure you have packed enough personal belongings in a suitcase that can sustain you until you have actually moved into your new house.
* When you finally arrive at your new smaller house, make sure you only unpack the absolute essentials. This applies to every room in the house including bedrooms, and especially the kitchen. Once you have done this you will have an exact idea of how much space you have left in which to accommodate your other belongings. It's time to be ruthless and eliminate the unnecessary items from your inventory at this point.
By following these simple steps you'll go a long way to making a successful move to a smaller house. What's more, after the furniture removal has been completed, it's more than likely you will be even happier when you eliminate the clutter from your life and start to live with the bare essentials.
