Tips, tricks and information to help you downsize what you own for a more minimalist and clutter-free life.

There are many reasons that you may need to downsize what you own. Perhaps you are moving to a smaller house, maybe you are going on a road-trip adventure to live the RV lifestyle, perhaps your children have left home and it is time to redo the house. Even without a specific reason, most of us want to be minimalist and more clutter-free these days, because we know it is better for our wellbeing.

If you feel like stripping down what you own to a more manageable amount, follow these easy steps to owning less:

Ask Yourself: Why Do You Want To Downsize?

From the very beginning of this process think about why you want to downsize your stuff. Unless you have a time limit pushing you to minimise your belongings it is unlikely that you will have the willpower to follow the job through, unless you have a strong reason for doing it.

Research Helpful Processes

Watch Marie Kondo on Netflix, The Minimalists Documentary and Tiny Homes Nation, they will give you many tips to help you go through the downsizing process quicker, easier and with better results.

Utilise Services And Places

Your stuff really shouldn’t just go in the bin. Binning it is neither practical nor ethical. Sure, some of it will end up going to the tip. However, you can recycle and pass on a lot of what you own. Sell it, recycle it, gift it, reutilise it – do whatever you need to make the item make you money, help somebody else, or to make the item usable again. There are multiple sites you can list your stuff on to give away or sell, to exchange it for cash or to send it to where it is needed. Utilise what you have around you, and you’ll be surprised how many potential new homes your belongings have.

Be Thorough

Be thorough in your downsizing. Don’t leave any drawer or box unturned. Knowing you have totally sorted out your entire home will feel incredible, and it means you only have to go through this process once. Once your whole home is sorted out, you can then go onto a maintenance regime which is a lot easier to do regularly.
 

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Be Ruthless

You must be ruthless when it comes to downsizing your stuff. It is so easy to get attached to items emotionally, or because they cost so much when you bought them, or because they might be handy one day. Think about camping and how well you operate on that small amount of stuff. You really don’t need as much as you think you need and the chances are you have expanded what you own to fill the space you have. Be ruthless and you will get a better payoff during this clearout.

Use The Money Earnt To Pay For Better Stuff

You will earn money from selling a lot of your stuff. Put that money into a savings pot and use the money to replace what you have ditched with better quality, more efficient items designed to last. Alternatively, use the money for a holiday or a treat that doesn’t involve purchasing more stuff for your home.

Hopefully you can enjoy the decluttering process enough to not just downsize once, but maintain a more minimalist existence which is known to be good for us both physically, and mentally.