Downsizing | A guide to paring back your living space

In many respects, downsizing is a lot harder than the other way round. However, with thoughtful consideration and a well-executed plan, you can easily scale back your home. Minimise your living footprint – and hopefully those bills – with this guide to downsizing.

Have a serious declutter

Downsizing effectively comes down to time and thoughtful consideration. Purge your life of the things you don’t need without getting rid of the things you do need. If you know you’re downsizing from a three-bedroom home to a two-bedroom home, there’s no reason for you to hang onto three beds, three dressers and three bedside tables. Canvas the immediate family, see if anyone’s interested, then get onto Gumtree.com.au. Who knows? You may even make a profit.

But don’t throw everything out

If you’re downsizing, or if you’re just fed up with the clutter in your home, you may be tempted to give away or sell a lot of small items. It’s a good idea to go through your stuff to get rid of the general junk that tends to accumulate but do it conscientiously. Separate the must-keeps and maybe-keeps, and wait to give away or sell items until after you’re settled in your new space. It’s difficult to know exactly what new storage can hold without actually storing. 

Think long-term 

If you haven’t used a particular item in the last year, you’re unlikely to use it in the next year. And if you’re unlikely to use something in the next year, then you’re unlikely to use it at all. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule – if a particular item serves a specific purpose, or is particularly nice or high-dollar, use caution before giving it away. Be a realist when separating the stuff you keep from the stuff you don’t. 

Be clever about storage

Less rooms mean less cupboards – and less cupboards mean less storage. If you’re looking to remodel your home to make it more in line with your current and future needs, particularly regarding mobility, it’s important to remember that the storage you may not even realise you need is also going to go. Clever storage hacks can help minimise clutter and provide ways to keep your precious things close.

To find out how you can downsize your current property, or looking to build an elegant-yet-petite forever home, contact us today.

Looking to expand, not contract? No problem – we have you covered.