Downsize your life

Organization is key when moving into smaller digs

By Tracy Rogers

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Print item

Photo by Greg Moody

LITTLE ROCK — Moving from a home into a smaller house or apartment can be a daunting task.

The rising costs of essentials such as water, electricity and groceries have some homeowners feeling the crunch and searching for alternatives to larger properties. Senior citizens and “empty nesters” especially find themselves looking for smaller places after kids are grown or if they are struggling to live on a fixed income.

Home foreclosures can be another cause. According to Re altyTrac.com, more than 360,149 foreclosures were filed in the U.S.

in July, including 2,251 in Arkansas. That represents a 35 percent increase from June and a 110 percent increase from July 2008.

Whatever the cause for the move, many families are forced to either climb over excess furniture and personal items accumulated over the years or to downsize their lives.

While downsizing may be one of life’s more difficult events, there are upsides to the process.

Downsizing allows families to eliminate the clutter in their lives and make a fresh start with only what they truly need. Downsizing also means smaller utility bills.

And renting an apartment or house also means fewer maintenance projects, since landlords will take care of the leaky faucet or the toilet that won’t flush. Anapartment also means no more lawn maintenance.

For those looking to downsize, organization and planning are key to a successful move.

START WITH BASICS

Moving to a smaller place is the ideal time to give some thought to what you really need in terms of furniture, decor and other items. The best place to start is by requesting a floor plan or asking to measure your new place.

While it may not be possible to take measurements of the exact apartment you will move into, many complexes have showcase apartments. Either approach will help you find out how much space you will have for furniture and other necessities.

Measure all rooms, the cabinets, bathrooms and closets so you will get an accurate reading of your total space. The next step is to measure your furniture. Start with such essentials as beds, sofas, desks and tables that will take up the most space. Be sure to measure overhangs and depth as well as width and height to get an idea of how much actual space your furniture takes up.

Now you can make a plan for how your furniture will be arranged in your new space, leaving a little room around eachpiece for comfort. If you’re still unsure if all of your furniture will fit, Better Homes and Gardens has an “Arrange a Room” tool on its Web site to help (arrangearoom.bhg. com). The tool is free, but registration is required.

If all of your furniture won’t fit in your new apartment, you may have to get rid of some stuff. Cramming all of your furniture into a small space may be tempting, especially if it has sentimental value, but people need space to live in.

Loaning out furniture that won’t fit is one option. Family and friends, particularly those with larger homes or who are unable to purchase furniture due to finances, would benefit from a loan of a dining room table, living room chair or a desk.

If you’re reluctant to loan furniture, a storage unit may be a solution. The most secure storage facilities are gated and have only one entrance. It’s also wise to check the sturdiness of the locks and doors on storage units before paying rent.

If you don’t have anyone who will take your furniture and can’t afford a storage unit, garage sales and consignment shops are options. Online sites like ebay.com are a good place to sell smaller furniture and other items. Selling online expands your buyer base. If you’re not lacking funds but still need to get rid of some furniture, some charities will take used pieces to sell in their thrift stores.

The most important question to ask yourself is: Will I use this in the future? If you’re moving into an apartment and hoping to have a house again one day, then you might. But, when will it be and is it worth paying a storage fee?

DECLUTTERING YOUR LIFE

Whether or not many of us care to admit it, much of what we save for the future simply collects dust. Experts suggest making three piles - one for things you use regularly, one for things that you never use and one for things that are on the bubble.

Items with sentimental value are particularly difficult to part with. If you’re keeping your kids’ school papers or old toys thinking they might want them when they’re older, it may be time for a reality check. Saving a few items is fine, but the reality is that most children won’t have the space or inclination to house a large collection of childhood keepsakes once they’re grown.

Another clutter-cutting place is home decor. Naturally, a smaller living area will have less wall space for photos, art, wreaths, mirrors and such. One solution is to change your decor each season and store the rest. If storage space is a problem, pick your favorite items and sell the rest.

Old boxes of bank and credit-card statements must be disposed of with care. In the age of identity theft, it’s important not to simply toss these in the garbage. Many counties and even some banks offer free shredding services to help deal with the overflow of paper containing personal information. It might be time to explore if your financial institutions offer paperless ways to manage accountsonline.

Take a close look at items that are gathering dust. For example, if everyone in your household uses an iPod or similar device, chances are your stereo sits there unused. If you bought that exercise bike or home gym thinking that you’d exercise daily and haven’t, it’s probably time to sell it. If you change your mind, some apartment complexes have gyms you can use to exercise.

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Once you’ve made the hard decisions about what stays and what goes, you can explore storage options in your new abode. One of the easiest places to find extra storage space is underthe bed, using clear plastic containers or makeshift drawers like wicker baskets or anything similar with handles that make them easy to push and pull.

Door hangers - metal or plastic hangers that slide over the top of a door - can be used to store shoes, hang coats or as towel hooks in the bathroom. They are easy to use, require no installation and even the metal versions don’t scratch doors.

Organization is also essential in kitchen and bathroom cabinets and drawers. A multitude of items end up in these storage areas, often without rhyme or reason. Organizing tools like silverware trays and little plastic baskets cankeep everything accessible. Over-the-door organizers designed for pantries and kitchen cabinets can hold small items such as spices and plastic storage bags.

In addition to these easy storage solutions, it’s important to use the storage space you have without creating the “overflowing closet” effect. Most new apartment buildings have relatively large closets with built-in shelves. These shelves can be used for Christmas decorations, boxes of family heirlooms, luggage or other items not currently in use.

In some cases that extra chest of drawers or bookcase you really didn’t want to get rid of may also fit in your closet. Stacking boxes or storage containers in the back of your closet is another option as long as they aren’t encroaching on your living space or interfering with the main purpose of your closet as a home for your clothes.

Whether downsizing for financial reasons or to simplify your life, organization and planning are key to a successful move. Whether you view the process as a series of difficult decisions or the chance to make a new start, downsizing offers an opportunity to reassess your needs, declutter and make your home as functional as possible.

Coming next week: The sound of water

bubbling over rocks

can sing you to sleep

or introduce a splashy

landscaping statement.

Learn how to make a

water feature yourself.

HomeStyle, Pages 39 on 10/24/2009

Comments

To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.