Downsizing: What Do You Really Need?

Ditching clutter is always a difficult decision. For some reason we build emotional attachments to stuff that has been in our home and struggle to get rid of it. BUT, to have the space when you're downsizing you are going to have to make some brutal cuts to all of the paraphernalia you've accumulated and cut it down to a new, much smaller, size. If it's going to be too tricky, consider using a storage unit and seeing how much you still care for the hoarded items after they've been out of sight and out of mind for a couple of months.

Magazines, books and paper

Otherwise known as heavy, dusty and pointless. Magazines somehow become collectable to us, they look nice all stacked in a row with their dates aligned but they take up an enormous amount of space. Don't kid yourself that one day, these magazine will be worth a fortune either - the most they will probably reach is around £40 and only if they are in perfect condition. Books are culprits too, we like to look intelligent with our shelves and shelves of well leafed books but the likelihood of us picking them out for a second read is somewhat low. Get them bagged up and down to the charity shop so that a new pair of eyes get the delight of reading them. Paperwork is the worst, how many times have you opened a bill and stashed it away only to pay online or over the phone? They need shredding, be savage with your paperwork and keep those of utmost importance.

Sentimental items

So, you inherited a doll from your great-great-grandmother, it actually scares you quite a lot but you've kept it anyway, out of respect. Well it's these items that need to go, they were amusing for a bit but if you don't really love them it's time to set up a stall at your local antiques centre and get selling. Just keep reminding yourself that someone else could love these items, set them free! If you can't quite bring yourself to make the cut, this is where storage comes in. Box them all up, bung them in storage and see whether you're still attached after not seeing them for a couple of months.

Furniture

It's tricky when it comes to furniture, but, if you're downsizing you're going to need to get your measuring tape out and have a cull of that too. Consider the exciting new pieces you can hunt down for your new home and try to use that as an excuse to sell your current pieces. Ebay and similar websites are great for selling big items like furniture and you can opt for 'collection only' so that you don't end up spending loads on postage. Just make sure the items that do keep giving you a spark of joy get boxed up for the new pad, you might not find an exact copy and it's not worth missing something just for an extra square metre of space.

Jodie Watson, owner of Supreme Organization, has a great tip when it comes to making the cut on personal items. To tell what is truly meaningful to you, ask yourself the question, if I could only take three items of artwork with me, what would they be? Or, if I could only take 10 books, which ones would I choose? These are the ones you should take with you, the rest are negotiable.

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