Downsizing? Here's What To Expect

Downsizing - what’s it all about? And why do people do it? While this significant life change is often associated with people later in life, there’s no age requirement for this process. In fact, many people are switching to simpler living earlier in life now. Smaller homes such as log cabins, mobile homes, and even storage containers are the preferred choice for many looking to get onto the property ladder. Still, as referenced, this option can come with some big habitual changes because it means that people who opt for this will need to downsize and rid themselves of the majority of their possessions. In this latest EZ Living Furniture blog, we discuss how to plan the logistics of making a move to a smaller home and the furniture you’ll need to make your transition smooth.

You Need To Plan Ahead

The biggest mistake people make when downsizing is not planning far enough ahead. First, you’ll need to look at the pros and cons and set a realistic timeline and budget for completing all the steps involved. For example, if you know you will require an estate agent to sell your current home. Once this has been organised, the real work begins - decluttering. This is arguably one of the most overwhelming tasks but the best way to tackle it is gradually starting with one room at a time. By doing this, it breaks down your task and makes it much more manageable. Start by removing anything broken or damaged. Then search for ways to properly dispose of these items like a local recycling plant. Enlist the help of a friend to help sort through the items you no longer use or need i.e. clothing and items in perfect working order can be sorted into a pile dedicated to charities. Everything you plan to keep should fit into a small car, if it doesn’t and a van is required, you may need to sort through your belongings again, after all, you won’t have the space for any non-essentials.

You Need A Solid Support Network

This is essential when downsizing. This massive lifestyle change takes planning, patience, and emotional support. Surround yourself with friends and family who can help with the practical tasks and can be ruthless when the time comes. With this kind of support system in place, you can approach downsizing with positivity and fun instead of worry.

You Need To Research New Furniture

While some items are perfectly ok to bring to your next, smaller home, other furniture pieces will need to be swapped out for more suitable alternatives. Remember, it’s important to be realistic about what you can and can’t adjust for a smaller home.

With a tight place, you must be smart with the available space on offer because one item might need to accomplish many things. For this reason, we suggest incorporating multi-functional furnishings into your new home.

• Living Room: If you already have a small 2-seater sofa or armchair that fits perfectly in your new living room, then lucky you because you won’t need to invest in new seating. Should you own a large corner couch then unfortunately it has to go. When investing in a new seating arrangement, opt for a sofa bed, this has two functions and works as a sofa and a bed.
• Kitchen: Opt for a round dining table in your new home, if, of course, you don’t already have one. A rectangular table uses up more floor space and you won’t be able to use this in your new house. Alternatively, you could invest in a smaller extendable table that can elongate when needed and fold back to its original small-scale state afterwards.
• Bedroom: Ottoman beds solve many problems. They have space underneath them that can be used for storage. Better still, they don’t consume any more floor space than standard bed frames do. Swap out your current bed for this style, you won’t regret it.

As you can see, we have only listed the rooms that we know you are likely to have in your small home, other areas such as hallways, offices, and utility rooms are luxuries at this point, right?

Once you have worked through each of these steps, you can approach downsizing positively and realistically.

To learn more about space-saving furniture for a garden, read; multi-functional garden furniture here!

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