Moving to a Smaller Home

Visualize the space with which you will have work in your new home. Next, mentally add your furniture. Try to see it in various locations. If the space seems crowded, try removing a few pieces.

Make some decisions about what furniture you will take, what you will store and of what you will dispose. Chances are that you won't be able to take everything with you. If you have any inexpensive pieces of furniture that you won't be using in your new home, it is best to get rid of them. You can take them to a second hand store or throw them away. If you have expensive furniture that won't fit, you should either sell it or store it. As a general rule, sell it if you don't think you will ever use it again, store it if it has sentimental value or you may eventually use it.

Go through your kitchen with a fine-tooth comb. Your new home will probably have less cabinet space with which to work. If there are appliances, dinnerware or kitchen gadgets that you never use, don't pack them. Throw out anything that is cheap or worn out. Sell or store any expensive items.

Clean out your closets. The smaller the home, the less closet space it usually has. If something doesn't fit or is never worn, don't pack it. If it is in good condition, sell it or take it to a second-hand store. If it is stained or torn, throw it out.

Sort through the bathrooms. Smaller homes generally have fewer or smaller bathrooms. Get rid of any appliances, shampoos, soaps or other toiletry items that you do not use. You should take only those items that you use on a regular basis. Go through your towels as well. Throw out any old, stained, torn or mismatched towels that you will not use.

Sort through your children's toys, if applicable. Do not pack anything that they have outgrown or do not play with on a regular basis. Throw away the toys that are in bad condition. Sell, give away or store unwanted toys that are in good condition.

Reorganize your paperwork. Throw away anything that is unimportant or dated more than seven years ago.

Get rid of the junk in your home. This might include broken tools, empty cookie tins, old CDs, outdated computers and printers or unwanted ornaments. For each item, decide whether to throw it away or sell it. Do not store it.

Have a garage sale to sell the items that you won't be taking with you but which were too nice to throw away. Moving is expensive and the extra money from the garage sale could really help out. Do not keep the items that did not sell. Take them to a second-hand store.

Pack up boxes by room. This will make it easier to unpack and settle in to your new home.

Arrange the furniture in your new home to create as much space as possible. For example, push couches and beds against the walls. If you find that an essential piece of furniture is too large to comfortably fit, consider selling it and purchasing something smaller. If you have too much furniture to comfortably fit, place it in storage or sell it.

Organize your personal items in your new home. To keep things tidy, organize them efficiently. You may need to purchase storage bins or extra shelving to do this. As you unpack, throw out anything that you won't use.