Downsizing is a term typically used when a person or a family decides to buy and move to a smaller house. This is done to cut costs and help ease unnecessary spending for the upkeep of their current house. Now, in order to effectively downsize, you have to avoid storing things that are not useful to you anymore. Moving to a smaller house would mean that your storage space will also be limited, so you have to make every effort not to bring inessential items that will only take up space.
Here’s a list of items you should throw away to downsize:
1. Bags
Bags tend to pile up easily like clothes. You buy one after the other and eventually forget them. Think of it: do you need all those bags? Downsizing is a practical decision that should be accompanied by practical actions. Check your closet, shelf, or bag stand, and you will be surprised as to how many of them you are not using anymore. Throw away the bags that don’t work for you or you can choose to donate some that are still in good condition. The important thing is to only retain the ones that are useful to you, and of course, your favorites.
2. Unused Clothes
As mentioned in the previous item, clothes tend to pile up easily and what’s worse is that they take up so much space in the closet. Not only that, but you find it difficult to store other things in your room because a lot of your clothes are taking up space. We wear that specific clothing once and never wear it again, so it ends up being unused for how many months, years, until you forget it. The same happens with other pieces of clothing in your closet.
Instead of hoarding all of them, sort them out to see which ones you can still keep, throw away, and which ones can be donated. Keep in mind that in downsizing, you will need all the storage space you can get, so be wise in deciding which items you keep.
3. Excess Furniture
Large furniture items can be bulky, especially when you don’t really have much space for all of them. And when you are preparing to downsize, the last thing you need is to carry items that will only take up so much space. That’s why if you have furniture items that are clearly just an excess and don’t have much use for you, it will be better to dispose of them. You can decide to donate of course, if they are still in good condition and are still functional for other people to make use of. The point is you get to do away with items that will bring more stress to your downsizing.
4. Kitchen Utensils and Appliances
It is not everyday that you get to throw away kitchen utensils and appliances because they are functional and can really come in handy. But yes, they are included in the list of items to throw away when you are downsizing. Maybe you haven’t been using that electric kettle for years or your set of wooden ladles are already cracked or warped. Chances are, you already have new kitchen utensils and appliances that serve a greater purpose for you that’s why you are not paying attention to the old ones. When this happens, it is time to take a good look at your kitchen and throw away utensils and appliances that are not useful to you anymore.
5. Books and Magazines
For people who love to read books or browse through magazines, it can be hard to throw some of them away, especially when those books have a sentimental value. But then again, you need to consider the storage space you will have once you downsize to a smaller house. Sorting out all your books and magazines will help you know which ones to throw away. Doing this will help you clear out space. You can consider donating or selling them as well, so that other avid readers can enjoy them.
6. CDs and DVDs
Since the movies you watch and songs you listen to are basically digitized nowadays, you may be thinking, “Why not store all of these CDs and DVDs for memory’s sake? They won’t take up much space, right?” But no, they do take up space, especially when it is a large collection you are planning to store. You won’t be needing the majority of them in the long run anyway, so there is no point in storing. Choose to keep only some, but not all of them.
7. Keepsakes or Memorabilia
The thing with keepsakes or memorabilia is that not all of them remain significant up until the present, most of them only hold their relevance for a certain period of time. So they end up being forgotten and stacked up somewhere in your storage area. Instead of storing them, you can choose to throw them away.
8. Workout Equipment
Do you have workout equipment in your room that hasn’t been used for months or maybe even a year or two? If they have remained unused that long, it may be time to donate them to a local charity or give them to a friend. Workout equipment, especially the large ones, can be a bit bulky and space consuming, so it is better to do away with them rather than to have them take up space that you can use for other items.
We hope that this article has been helpful in listing down items you should throw away to downsize.
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