The new year brings with it plenty of resolutions, cleaning out the closets and resolves to “do better” with our lives. Whether you want to move into a smaller house or just plan to rid your home of clutter, downsizing your belongings can be easier said than done. Here are 5 tips for downsizing with no financial regrets:
Go through each item
It may take more time to go through items individually, and if you have a lot of items to get through it might be easy to just toss out big piles of stuff without thinking. If you don’t downsize carefully you might unknowingly throw away money or important documents that have been tucked away.
Don’t pay for storage
This is not only expensive, but you also are just delaying the sorting and downsizing you will have to do eventually. If it’s something you feel you could live with in storage a lot of times it’s something you could do without all together.
Have your family look through your stuff
Show your kids everything that you want to get rid of in a room and let them pick what they want. This is a great way to share what you have without feeling the need to hold on to items.
Test it out
Pack up the items you think you don’t need in the garage for a month or so. If you realize you’ve made a mistake, you still have access to those items. If you don’t use them or forget they are there, take them out for good.
Think about timing
Unless you have to move within a certain time frame, there’s no need to rush through the downsizing process. On the flip side, if no one is pushing you to downsize it can be something that keeps getting pushed off until “later.” To avoid feeling overwhelmed, try setting aside some time each day or week to go through sections at a time. Or give yourself an end-date by scheduling a yard sale with a neighbor, setting a date your family can come look at things or when a donation company will come do a pick-up.
Found new savings from that emptied storage garage? Looking to organize more than just belongings? Liberty Savings is here for your financial needs too–from new savings options or loan consolidations and refinance options, we can help you save money by “cleaning up” your loans. Contact us today to see current rates and offers that could help you save.