If you are looking for some moving house tips, you have come to the right place, especially if you are downsizing. We have some invaluable tips and tricks to share with you that will help make your entire move as smooth as possible. Downsizing can be a stressful time for some and exhilarating for others. However, no matter where you are on the stress spectrum, everyone could benefit from helpful tips that will make things easier. So let’s dive right in.
1. Is Less Really More?
Yes! You’re going to have to get rid of some of your “stuff.” But don’t groan, we are going to help you with this so you don’t have an emotional meltdown. You will need to start by only trying to tackle one room at a time. This will help the process seem much less daunting and you will find that with each room it gets a little easier. So it’s best if you start with a room that doesn’t contain many memories or things that have a high emotional attachment to them, such as the garage. Then you can move on to another such room like the bathroom and kitchen. Save the bedrooms and storage spaces for last, because by the time you reach the rooms that contain the things you are most attached to, you will find you have a system down and have become a pro at throwing things away. You might even find it fun. Make a game out of it if you have to.  Use whatever mental technique you need to make the downsizing process easier for you.
2. How Do You Actually Start The “Throwing Away” Part Of Downsizing?
Well, that’s an easy one. You simply don’t throw anything away, unless it’s trash of course. What we mean by don’t throw anything away is that you should attempt to sell, donate or recycle anything you are not keeping. This will help you in several ways. Donating your things will give you the peace of mind that someone else will have the opportunity to enjoy your things as much as you did (the same goes for selling your things). This will be mentally easier than throwing something away as your brain sees throwing something away as more of a finality, which keeps many people emotionally bound. And of course, selling your things gives you extra money, so this will help your emotional state because you can replace the emotion of sorrow with the excitement of knowing that with the extra money you can buy something new.
3. Yes or No.
The next thing you need to learn if you’re looking for moving house tips and downsizing is probably a little different than what you’ve been previously told. The best way to start the downsizing process is to only allow yourself two options, a yes or no option. That means you will only have two piles. A yes pile for those items you absolutely have to keep and a no pile for everything else. If you have items that you are emotionally attached to, allow yourself to keep three of those items. You can then take pictures of the rest so that you can keep the memory and let go of the item. You can put your memorabilia pictures into a photo album, scrapbook or onto some sort of digital media storage. This step will significantly help you  avoid the feeling of loss since you will still have pictures to remind you of any given memory.
You might have noticed we don’t recommend that you have a “maybe” pile for the sorting process. This is intentional. You don’t want a maybe pile because you never want to handle an item twice as this will take way too much time and cause the process to become too long and drawn out. Additionally, the more you have to see and handle an item, the more of an emotional attachment you will have to it. And, believe it or not, once you have gotten rid of the items in your “no” pile, after six months or so, you probably won’t miss them and will more than likely have forgotten that you ever owned them. So, it will get easier with each passing day after the initial sorting process.
4. Are You Ready To Party?
Well that sounds like a strange question when talking about downsizing, doesn’t it? But, it’s not what you think. Yes, you are going to have a party, but this party will be for your family and friends.  You will invite everyone to your home and allow them to go through your “no” pile and take whatever they want. This will give them something to remember you by and it’s also a great way to loosen all those emotional attachments and lose those feelings of loss, because you will be there to see your things are going to a good home, so to speak. And mentally, this is one of the best techniques to help you get through the downsizing process without losing your mind.
5. Moving House Tips That Will Help Save You Loads Of Money
Never, ever waste your money on things like bubble wrap and boxes. OK, you are probably wondering how you are going to pack without any bubble wrap or boxes aren’t you. Well, obviously you are going to need some boxes, but don’t buy them. Local grocery stores and other outlets have boxes they are usually willing to give you for free. You could also check with your local recycling center for boxes as well. And if you don’t have any luck there, you can find used boxes online that cost significantly less than buying them new. Which leads us to the next money saving tip. Once you are done with your boxes, you can re-sell them online and make your money back.
6. Now, for the bubble wrap.
Instead of buying expensive bubble wrap, try using old magazines and newspapers for packing.  Ask your friends and neighbors if you can have their old magazines and newspapers for your move. It’s best if you begin collecting these several months in advance, if you want to have enough to get you through your move. Additionally, you can also use towels and linens to wrap your fragile items as they usually have the perfect amount of cushion to keep everything in one piece.
One last mention for our moving house tips segment. Before scheduling your movers, check with the your local USPS for shipping some of your items parcel post or via media mail, especially books, which can add a lot of extra weight to your load and that could cost you extra money. Oftentimes, this is a much cheaper option than renting a U-Haul or the quote you will receive from a long distance hauler as they base their prices on the actual weight of your load.
2 Point Highlight
1. Â We have some invaluable tips and tricks to share with you that will help make your entire move as smooth as possible.
2. Â Never, ever waste your money on things like bubble wrap and boxes.
