Downsizing Tips!

I was talking with a friend recently, who is looking to get organized and not just in the way where you line everything up perfectly and buy a few containers, but really organized and downsizing to necessary items. I am the perfect person to discuss this topic with, as I have downsized from a good sized house, to an apartment, and then another one and then add two more moves on top of that. With each move, I realized more and more what I actually needed and what I was just keeping out of guilt. Once you have moved 5 times in 2 years you become very unattached to items, you keep what you need and everything else seems like a hassle. So, I was thinking if one friend needed some tips, maybe someone else would too.

When it was time to move out of my house, I had a 6 month old baby and my house was stuffed with stuff. I was extremely overwhelmed with the idea of downsizing to less than half of the space, with a new baby who had tons of stuff. I would lie awake at night trying to picture what I was going to do, but I just couldn't get a handle on it.

Tip #1. I mapped out my new space.
I drew out my new apartment, even drawing out each closet layout (bars, shelves). I labeled each room according to their purpose and then I started by drawing in each rooms necessary items, ie: In Izzy's room, I drew a crib, changing table, and so on. It took several attempts to plot out their correct locations, but I could then visualize each space and quickly realized how much room that left for each rooms less necessary items like toys. I used the closet picture to layout how I would organize clothes and large toys/baby items I wouldn't want shown on a daily basis and that left me with all of the things that I deemed "unnecessary".

Tip #2 Get rid of the guilt!
It is amazing how much a person holds onto, based strictly on what the other people in their lives deem important. I had BOXES of decorations, hand-me-down family items (not sentimental), wedding gifts that after years had remained unopened or unused. I kept all of these things based on guilt. I didn't use any of it, but what if those gifters had ever come to my house? What if they asked to see it and I had given it away? Eeek! So for years, I lived in my house with boxes of unused items just waiting to for the rare chance that my Aunt from out of state might visit and ask where her crystal wedding figurine is. Yep, that never happened. As the days passed and the pressure mounted to move, it finally hit me. I am not keeping these things because I love the gift. I am keeping them because I love the person who gave it to me. Giving these things away does not diminish my love for anyone, and if that extremely rare visit ever did happen, they love me enough to understand my situation. Guilt gone and so were tons of boxes. :)

Tip #3. Toys! Toys! Toys!

Israel has this book called "Too Many Toys." It is one of his favorites and I think that every parent can attest that that book is so true to life. It is about a boy who has so many toys that they overflow the entire house and his parents are so sick of stepping on Legos and cars that they make him pack up a box of toys to give away to kids who don't have anything. By the end of the story, he does as he is asked, but when his Mom goes to pick up the box he has turned it into a spaceship and tells her it is his favorite toy and she can't get rid of it! We have all been there, but isn't true that we feel this need to give our kids everything we can and most times it just sits unused. I know when Izzy was small I would buy a "must have" baby toy because I just knew it would make him so happy and he would play with it once and be done, but I kept it because I spent good money on the item and maybe "someday" he will like it. Well, I am here to tell you, I did not just get rid of one box, I got rid of many boxes of toys and my son is still here, happy and doesn't know any better. I made a list (I know, but get used to it, it is the only way to get through this process without crying) of all of his favorite items; toys, books, stuffed animals. The list was much, much smaller than I anticipated. First to go were stuffed animals. I kept one for my memory sake and then decided on a number and picked that many of his favorites, the rest were given away. All little collectible toys (happy meal, Chuck E. Cheese prizes) were automatically trashed. All books in good condition were kept, reading is important! All of the toys that didn't meet expectations were given to new homes. Bottom line: Getting rid of your kids stuff ranks up as one of the most difficult areas to purge especially because if your kids are small, you haven't had the items for long. My rule for my kids is now, if it doesn't fit in their bedroom in an organized way, we don't buy it.

Tip #3. The Kitchen
This is a tough area to downsize, most items are really expensive and you can always use them. Downsizing your kitchen, truly depends on your living situation. When we moved from our house to our first apartment, oddly enough the apartment had more cabinet space. I didn't get rid of much except for duplicate items or those appliances that were never used. The more I moved, the more I needed to get rid of and ultimately, after moving in with my parents, my only kitchen item I own is my Kitchen Aid mixer. Most people won't have to downsize to this degree, but I am unwilling to pay storage fees for dishes and Tupperware! All of these things are replaceable and weren't worth the hassle or cost to keep. Also, a fun thing to look forward to a brand new kitchen when Med school life is over!

Tip #4. Storage
This is a big one. My parents learned the hard way after thinking they would only need a storage unit for a short amount of time, they just boxed items up quickly and stored away. Unfortunately, their house didn't sell as quickly as planned and those items were in for an extended amount of time. When the house sold and they began to unpack their items, they realized quickly that they lived without those things for so long they didn't need them like they originally had thought. All those months, paying a hefty storage fee for items that they ended up giving away or had replaced with newer versions. If I had kept my living room furniture, it would have been in storage for 2 years at this point. It could be another 3 years before we move out, in my situation, by the time I would need that furniture again, my taste would probably change and I would want new items anyway. Lets not even speak of what that cost would have done to my monthly budget either. For me, storage should only be very temporary and only for items you can't part with.

Tip #5. Memory items

How do you downsize and get rid of things when they were given by people who are no longer with us? Difficult. I know because my first son, even though he had a very short life, had many items I bought just for him. I had a nursery ready to bring him home to and a tub full of items from his day of life. It is extremely difficult to let go of things that hold meaning or a memory to someone you loved. At some point in the grieving process, you become more ready to move things and when that happened for me, I used the same rules as I did with everything else. What are the most important items to you? What holds the most memory? I decided to keep 1 tub of my favorite items for Judah. That tub holds his first outfit, his first blanket, a memory box given by the hospital and a couple of small items from his nursery I bought just for him. There are lots of other items, but I had to determine a boundary. For me, 1 storage tub contained my most favorite items, they are all organized and I can at any point go to one place and find those precious things. It is difficult to let go of the other things, but there is freedom in not clinging to everything as well. My tip is when it is the right time, create your own limit and choose your favorite things create an organized space for those items and make it available so you can go visit with those items when you feel like it.

Tip #6. Be realistic

Save yourself some trouble and frustration. If you are moving from a 4 bedroom house (like we did) to a 2 bedroom apartment (like we did) you will have to get rid of 50% of your stuff. We now only have 3 bedrooms and no living space so we have probably downsized to a total of 80% of our original. I know you are wondering...what did we keep? Well I will tell you!

Master bedroom set and lamps.
Baby furniture and bookshelf.
Israels bed
kids table and chairs (fit in izzy's room)
Kitchen Aid Mixer
Baby clothes and items (kept in attic for future babies)
Bikes and ride-on toys
Musical instruments
Washer/Dryer
Clothes and winter coats.

That is right, we got rid of all of our furniture, appliances, tools, mowers, grill etc. If it doesn't fit into our bedrooms, we didn't keep it. Luckily, our house has a large basement, and the previous owners left ride on toys and some larger things like a kid tool station for our boys. My parents have given the under stair area for toy storage/play area for the boys and all of their bikes and ride on toys hang up.

Tip #7 Stay Downsized

Everyone knows as time goes on, you obtain more and more stuff. Holidays and birthdays and before you know it the small stuff you decided to keep is now overwhelming the small area you are living in. Before each holiday and birthday, I purge broken, old and unused items. Make room for the new then reorganize each space based on the new things.

If you try to keep more in an area than that space really allows, you are just going to find yourself overwhelmed and stressed. This major rule applies to any area, keep what you love. Not what you used to love, or what you might love in the future!

Even after moving into our own home again, I still plan on keeping these rules intact. I used to dread going into my storage space at my house, with those boxes sitting there in judgement. Now, everything I have, I love. I can purge almost anything without feeling bad about it, because I know how wonderful it is to live with less. I can stay organized and that makes me very happy.

Purge those judgemental "guilty" items, pick out your favorite things in each area, and bless others with the rest. You will be so glad you did!

Here is to a very happy, healthy and organized 2011! Cheers!