12 Downsizing Tips: Striking the Balance Between Pack Rat and Minimalist
Declutter
TL;DR: How To Downsize Before Moving
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When I decided to move onto a 41-foot sailboat with just a couple hundred square feet of living space, I knew I had to get rid of boatloads of stuff (no pun intended). I’d been renting a room in an apartment near San Francisco, and I needed to seriously implement some downsizing tips. I had furniture, clothes, knick-knacks, and books. If, like me, you’re wondering how to downsize your home, you’ve come to the right place.
At first, downsizing your home may seem like a daunting task. How do you decide what to get rid of and what to keep? How do you drastically downsize? Should you rent storage unit facilities? The list of questions may feel endless, and the downsizing tips on the internet are aplenty, but taking action will soon quiet down that inner monologue.
I only had one month to downsize and move out, so there was no time for endless reminiscing or hemming and hawing. In those four weeks, I got rid of most of my stuff and fit the rest in a few gray bins that I stored in my mom’s attic.
It’s been four years since I’ve been mostly stuff-free, and I’ve never felt better. Getting rid of belongings sets us free, removes us from the rat race, and gives us a sense of well-being.
If I could downsize my belongings to fit inside a tiny home like a sailboat, you can, too. Whether you’re staying in your current house or journeying into a smaller place and needing moving services, I hope these tips motivate you to start downsizing your home immediately.
You’ll be forever thankful you did.
Make sure your goal is motivating and keeps you on track, especially when navigating a long list of downsizing tips.
1. Know Your "Why" for Downsizing Your Home
While a 30-day deadline to move onto a sailboat gave me a major kick in the pants to start downsizing right away, your goal may not be as concrete. You can read tips for downsizing and storing, but you will always need to adjust what you read to your unique circumstances. Knowing the deadline and goal is just as important as knowing how to downsize your home. But so is knowing why you’re downsizing your home.
Chris DiCroce, the author, sailor, and minimalist, says it’s a good idea to articulate your goal, dream, and desire for downsizing your home. Put it into one simple sentence you can refer back to often.
“When the process becomes difficult, you can lean back on that goal for support,” he says. “Whether it’s going sailing, becoming debt-free, or living a simpler life, write it down and have it in a visible place. That will be a daily affirmation that will keep you focused on your goal. For me, I posted a picture of the sailboat I wanted on my bathroom mirror. It was the first thing I saw in the morning and the last thing I saw before bed.”
Make sure your goal is motivating and keeps you on track, especially when navigating a long list of downsizing tips and trying to figure out what sticks. Make it a point to read that sentence daily.
2. Create a Schedule
Often, you’re downsizing your home because of an impending move, renovation, or other deadline-driven occurrence. If you’re in a situation like this, you’re likely wondering how to downsize and start decluttering when overwhelmed.
Having to rush through a decluttering process may leave you feeling worse. My advice, though, is not to let your emotions keep you from making progress. Every hour counts right now!
So, what are the best downsizing tips for people who have a monumental amount of clutter? One of my favorite decluttering hacks is to make a schedule and a decluttering checklist that starts with your move date and works backward to the present. See how much time you have to work, and divide your decluttering tasks between the available days. There are many templates and guides out there to help you get started.
To prioritize, list all your home’s areas. These may or may not be actual rooms. Feel free to think more about the stuff in your house and where that stuff is located. Then, rank and organize them from easiest to declutter to most difficult. Start with an easy area, then move to those more challenging rooms.
The following downsizing tips to declutter before moving provide more information on how to define these “easy” and “tough” areas.
3. Start With the Easy Stuff
I was lucky to only have a few rooms to go through when I started downsizing my home to move onto a sailboat. But whether you live in a two-bedroom apartment or a five-bedroom house, an efficient way to start the process is by sorting through the stuff with little to no sentimental value.
For example, it was easy for me to go through my clothes to create a donation pile and sort through my paperwork for recycling. My childhood mementos? Much harder.
“Those remotes in the drawer that you have no idea what they go to? Those burned-out candles on the mantle or bookshelf? Throw them out! Go into your attic, basement, or closet and gather up those dusty old suitcases and gym bags. Half of them have broken zippers or missing straps,” says DiCroce.
Next, take aim at the duplicate items.
“Ladies, you have purses in that closet that you rarely use but just can’t get rid of,” DiCroce says. “They might only match one outfit. Gather them up!”
Donate or sell the good stuff. If it’s trashed, don't donate it to someone else. Throw it out, or better yet, find a recycling center. Many areas have local shelters, a Goodwill, or a Salvation Army that will gladly take many types of donations. Just make sure you do so with good research behind you.
If you start with the easy stuff and see clutter go down, you’ll be motivated to tackle the harder items.
If you already have items boxed up in a closet, take them out and look at them with a fresh set of eyes. Ask yourself, “Do I really need this?”
4. Take Stock of What You Use and Need
When you downsize room by room, it’s important to consider what you truly use and need. I knew I wouldn’t need my full-size bed and chest of drawers on a sailboat, so I immediately got rid of those things. Since I’d also recently lost my job, I got rid of a lot of my work clothes and high-heeled shoes.
While it was difficult to let go of those things on some level, I also knew they’d be easy to replace should I ever need an apartment or office job again.
As you assess what you really use, consider getting rid of duplicate items. Do you really need five different moisturizers? What about several sets of measuring cups? Do you really use 15 plates on a regular basis? If you ever did need them after decluttering, fortunately, many of these items are at thrift or rental stores for cheap.
Keep only what is currently valuable in your life. Remember, it’s only stuff. It can always be replaced later if you think you’ve made a downsizing mistake.
Trust me, after you get rid of stuff, you’ll barely miss it (if at all) down the road.
5. Figure Out the Best Way to Get Rid of Your Stuff
Part of downsizing your home is getting rid of unnecessary items. You can do this in several different ways. Here are some ideas to help you declutter your home and banish stuff for good:
- Host a successful garage sale before making your move and advertise it on Craigslist, Nextdoor, or on neighborhood Facebook groups.
- Sell stuff online using eBay, Poshmark, Craigslist, OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace.
- Donate stuff to Goodwill or The Salvation Army.
- Post stuff to your neighborhood’s Buy Nothing group.
- List stuff “for free” on Craigslist and see it disappear within hours.
- Ask friends or relatives if they could use any of your stuff.
What you no longer have use for may become another person’s treasure. In fact, I had way too many gorgeous cast-iron pots when I downsized my home. I gave them to family members to “hold onto for me.” They’ve enjoyed those pots now for years, and I know I can get them back if I ever need them again.
One of the best downsizing tips for long-term success? Parting with something temporarily is sometimes easier than parting with it for good.
Measure your furniture to see what will fit in your new space, as one of the most practical downsizing tips includes knowing the physical limitations of where you’re moving to.
6. Measure Your Furniture
If you’re downsizing your home to move into a smaller place, you’ll have to figure out which furniture stays and which goes. The last thing you want is to pay movers and deal with loading and unloading if your stuff isn’t even going to fit.
Take some measuring tape to your couches, end tables, dining room table, and bedroom furniture, and make sure it has a home in your new place.
The more you can get rid of before your move, the better!
Also, make sure you actually use the items and furniture you’re going to take. Is your bookshelf just home to endless knick-knacks you don’t really care about? Get rid of it! Is your bedroom end table cluttered full of stuff? Think about what can go.
7. Rent a Portable Container for Decluttering
Since PODS on-site self-storage containers are delivered right to your driveway, they can help immensely when you’re downsizing and moving. You can put boxes, furniture, and belongings in your container while sorting through things and making decisions.
“Just because something goes in doesn’t mean it stays in,” said Sherry and John Petersik of the popular Young House Love podcast when they used a PODS container to help their family of four downsize from a whopping 3,150-square-foot home in Richmond, VA, to a cozy 1,400-square-foot beach house in the Florida Panhandle.
When you’ve loaded your container to the brim with the stuff you do want to keep, PODS will take it to your new home or wherever you need it — whether it’s across town or across the country.
| Learn all about Sherry and John’s amazing downsizing and home remodeling journey by listening to their Young House Love podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or your favorite podcast app. |
If your downsizing is temporary (you’re staying in a smaller home while your home is being renovated, traveling for a year, etc.), consider keeping your portable storage container in a secure PODS Storage Center.
8. Consider Longer-Term Downsizing Tips and Storage Options
The only things I can’t store on my sailboat or in my campervan are my childhood mementos. Really, there’s no room for bins full of childhood artwork, photo albums, yearbooks, and a few treasured toys in a small space.
Luckily, I could store that stuff in my mom’s attic. But most downsizing projects are bigger than mine. Once you’ve assessed what stays and what can go, it’s time to figure out what to do with your stuff when you downsize.
If your downsizing is temporary (you’re staying in a smaller home while your home is being renovated, traveling for a year, etc.), consider keeping your portable storage container in one of PODS’s storage unit facilities. That way, your belongings will be safe and sound until you need them again — no spare attic space from your parents is required.
DiCroce says to be extra critical of what you’re paying to keep, though. “Usually, if we're going to store washers, dryers, or refrigerators, we're paying to store diminishing technology. A year from now, the refrigerators, washers, and dryers will be more efficient than the ones you're planning on storing,” he says. “It might be better to sell the appliances and tech you have (that right there could pay to store other items) and replace them when you know what you need in your new life.”
9. Get Creative With Emotional Mementos
One really hard part about downsizing your home is getting rid of stuff that has emotional value. For me, it was the Breyer horses I played with as a child. I moved those horses from home to home and finally decided to get rid of a bag full of them a couple of years ago. All downsizing tips up to this point helped me build the courage to do so.
I almost couldn’t drop them off at the Goodwill, but then I imagined the happy children who would play with my treasured horses. A day after I dropped the horses off, I didn’t think about them again!
I did keep several of the horses to remind me of my happy childhood days. I just didn’t need two boxes full!
If you have birthday cards, letters, or dozens of similar items you’re holding onto, consider keeping just two or three of those items and giving the rest away. For example, my dad had boxes of Christmas and birthday cards that all said basically the same thing. He kept two or three examples and recycled the rest.
Another idea? Consider taking photos of some of your treasured items and turning the photos into art or a wall decoration. Then, you’ll have a reminder of your stuff without actually needing to store it or move it around.
10. Think Outside the Box for In-Home Storage
Once you arrive at your smaller place, or even if you’re staying in your current one, there are ways to get inventive with storage for the things you do keep. Unique storage solutions are some of the best downsizing tips you can find, and they can keep stuff out of sight and out of mind, reducing clutter and stress. Every small closet can be multifunctional, and every vertical space is useful.
For example, John and Sherry now have only three closets in their new beach home. “We added shelving and vertical storage to our closets, which got a lot of things off the floor,” said Sherry. “We built several shelves over our washer/dryer, which gave us much more storage space.”
Keeping only what you need and then finding a good home for those items is one way to keep your house open and clutter-free.
11. Don’t Buy More Stuff
Using all these downsizing tips can make everyone feel like there are some gaps in their wardrobe or decor. However, once you’ve successfully downsized your home, you’ll really enjoy the sense of space, tranquility, and openness you’ve created in your house, your mind, and your life.
Now, it’s time to keep that clutter-free existence and put your buying habits in check.
After I got rid of most of my stuff, my buying habits changed. Now, I think critically about each item I buy. I ask myself several questions before making a purchase:
- Do I really need this item?
- Is this item duplicating anything else I currently have?
- What will I get rid of to make room for this new item?
- What purpose does this item have in my life?
- Will I use the item on a regular basis, and does it justify the cost?
I simply don’t have the space to keep multiple versions of the same item, whether that’s running shoes, hiking backpacks, or coffee cups.
By downsizing your home, you’ve taken a major step to prioritize what’s important in your life. You’ll save money because you’re not buying tons of new stuff, and you’ll know every item you buy has a purpose.
12. Hire Professional Help
Downsizing your home is a big project, and — as the old adage says — many hands make light work. There’s a reason why professional home decluttering services and downsizing tips from experts exist everywhere. Call in the pros, especially if you’re working with a tight timeline.
Using professional decluttering services and expert organizers will give you a systematic approach to decluttering, helping you make informed decisions about what to keep, donate, or discard. This doesn’t just help eliminate your stuff; it helps lower stress, too.
I think you’ll enjoy your newfound freedom with their downsizing tips and insights. Instead of feeling bogged down by all your stuff, you’ll feel a lightness and energy you can put toward other goals, like hobbies, outdoor activities, and visiting with loved ones.
Hopefully, these “how to downsize your home” tricks will leave you feeling inspired and ready to get the ball rolling today! All downsizing tips are welcome ones, especially when everyone tackles the challenge with their own unique experiences and abilities.
Start early and give yourself plenty of time to downsize and declutter.
Downsizing Tips — FAQs
Q: What should you not do when downsizing?
A: One of the best downsizing tips is to downsize while you’re moving. Don’t wait until after, because then you will have spent so much time packing unnecessary items into boxes that take up space in the moving truck. Additionally, when you downsize and declutter, do not underestimate how many objects you have accumulated in your life. Give yourself ample time. While a YouTube creator may be able to make a 45-minute video decluttering their life that you love watching, it will take you weeks — maybe even months!
Q: What is the 10-10-10 rule for decluttering?
A: This is one of the many methods for learning how to downsize. All you have to do is spend 10 minutes in 10 spaces of your home and get rid of 10 items in each location. This is great for people who are overwhelmed by the number of objects they have and need a more accessible, instantly gratifying goal.
Q: What are common downsizing mistakes?
A: After you declutter, move, and set up your new home, it might feel a little barren. There may be a corner that looks like it needs a new armchair, or a chunk of the bookshelf without something filling it out. The most common downsizing mistake is trying to fill these spaces immediately. You learned how to downsize before moving so you could have breathing room and grow into the new place. It will eventually fill out naturally. Plus, it’s better for your mental health to have fewer items and have it be a gradual process.
Q: What is the hardest thing to get rid of when decluttering?
A: Sentimental items are the most challenging objects to get rid of. This frequently includes items like journals, photos, cards, inherited items, and gifts. Everything in your home could have sentimental value, depending on what experiences, memories, and people you have associated with it. The best downsizing tips will tell you to give yourself extra time to process these things compared to more functional items.
How PODS Helps With Downsizing Your Home
The effort you put into using these downsizing tips will directly affect the joy and lightness you feel when you move. PODS is a great resource for downsizing, especially with an on-site self-storage container right in your driveway — perfect for organizing and compartmentalizing your progress. Use the container as a staging area while you sort through the clutter or load it up with the things you decide to keep for transport to your new home. With one month’s storage built into the cost of every move, you can take your time without feeling rushed. If you need help with any of the heavy lifting, PODS can even refer you to local packing and loading assistance.
Visit PODS online for a free on-site storage quote or call 877-350-7637 for long-distance moving and storage.
Kristin Hanes is a writer and blogger who helps people downsize and live in tinier homes, whether that’s a campervan, RV, sailboat, or tiny house on wheels. She now splits her time between the sailboat and a campervan. You can find her blog at The Wayward Home.
*This article was written on behalf of PODS Enterprises, LLC (“PODS”). PODS does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this article and disclaims any liability for reliance upon the content herein.
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