1. Make a plan
Take a trip to your new place and measure the size of your rooms and storage areas. This will be your guide for how much you can take with you. It is better to underestimate than overestimate. As you’re deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, do one room at a time. Moving is a big job, and you don’t need to tackle it all at once. Plan to do a little bit each day and leave extra time so you aren’t rushed. Decide on your furniture first. Going from big to small will give you a better idea how much space you have left to fill. You don’t want to have to reshuffle everything if you can’t take that bookshelf with you.
2. Sort your belongings
Will you use it? It’s easy to convince yourself you might still wear that 10-year-old shirt with the tags still on someday. But if you haven’t used it in the past year, it’s likely you never will. Also, get rid of multiples. Do you have multiple coffee pots, or several sets of china? If you can only use one at a time, you don’t need to keep both. As you sort, follow a strict yes/no policy —no “maybes” allowed. Make a “yes” pile and a “no” pile, and force yourself to choose. If you aren’t convinced the item deserves a yes, then it’s a no. “Maybe” piles just mean more work for you later.
Decide how to divide up your “no” pile. You may not want or need these items anymore, but they’re probably useful to someone else. Special items may be handed down to friends or family members. Furniture, housewares, clothing, and other items in good condition could be sold at a garage sale or on sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Or you can choose to donate reusable items to organizations like Goodwill, who sometimes offer neighborhood or even residential pickups, making your task that much simpler. Anything damaged or worn beyond repair should make its way to the recycling bin or a trip to the dump.
3. Preserve memories
Digitize photos to save space and easily share them with family. Photo albums take up a lot of room, and how often do you actually go through them? Pick up a digital frame and enjoy all of your photos in a rotating slideshow or create a slideshow screensaver for your TV or computer. Take photos of items that bring up good memories, but you no longer have room for. You can look back on the memories without actually keeping the items. To make sure those treasured items are in good hands, pass them on to your children, grandchildren, or close friends. They will love the gift, and you get to enjoy seeing the items being used. Another strategy is to give keepsakes a new life. If you love to craft, items like old movie stubs, letters and photos are perfect for scrapbooking, letting you create a record of your experiences. Or make three-dimensional pieces of art using shadow boxes. Gathering up your memories in one place will make them easier than ever to enjoy.
Downsizing is an emotional process. You will discover items you haven’t seen in years, and you will have to decide what to do with them. Give yourself some time to reminisce, and then make a decision. Keep in mind your space limitations. Take with you what is truly valuable — only you can decide what you can’t do without. Just imagine: Once you’ve finished your move, you’ll be able to enjoy your new place surrounded by the feeling of home.
Once, it was the room that no one would show in movies or even mention in polite company—but these days, a fabulous bathroom is a prime home feature, and for many proud owners, the subject of major bragging rights. They’re luxurious! They’re high-tech and functional! They’re beautiful! Plus—and here’s the real point—today’s HGTV-savvy homeowners know that upgrading their bathroom is likely to impress buyers and boost home valuations.
Although currently dimly lit and a little rough on the eyes, your unfinished basement still has a lot of potentials. With just a little love and the help of the following ideas, you can spice it up in no time and get some great use out of the space.
Home energy cost is not something people always think of when it comes to buying a house. But don’t get consumed by the details of finding and buying a house without considering the potential bills you’ll have to pay every month for heating, cooling and more.
As a pet owner, you know that accidents happen. There are a variety of reasons why our four-legged friends do their business or act out inside the house and on the floor. Maybe they’re marking their territory, or their anxiety may be manifesting in their clawing at the carpet. However, your home is probably your biggest investment, so you want to maintain its resale value—and keep it from looking and smelling like a litter box. So, what are the best options for pet-resistant flooring that would also appeal to future buyers? Check out the expert’s top recommendations.
As winter moves along, you may want to just hibernate until spring — and that may be more true than ever this year. But there are some simple ways to find joy in the quieter months of the year.
“If you want to sell your home, paint your rooms beige.” That could be the rallying cry of real estate agents across the country, and for good reason. Presentation and first impressions mean everything when selling a home, and the men and women who make their living selling homes know that neutral colors will generally spark more interest from buyers than bold colors.
There are things that can happen to their homes that their homeowners insurance policies don’t cover. Fire is the basic coverage provided by an insurance policy, while other common perils are water damage, theft, wind and liability. Earthquake and flood usually require a separate policy. In some states you can add earthquake coverage as an endorsement. It is important to discuss the risk you face and purchase the proper coverage. Just so you’ll be forewarned, here are eight other perils, besides damage from an invading squirrel, for which you probably aren’t insured.