I am in some serious need of advice/tips for downsizing. We are moving from a 4 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom mobile for the next few years (trying to pay off debt and save money) and I am at my wits end on how on earth are we going to survive in such a small home for the next few years. There is no storage closets or coat closets, just a closet in each bedroom....one being a walk in in the master bed.........so I know we will need to get (when we have extra $ to pay for it) a storage shed. The master bed is only 10x6, plus a full bath and the walk in closet. No clue where or how to put out Queen size bedroom set....and I would hate to sell it...maybe put his dresser in the walk in??
The kitchen is 13x4 with an utility room off to the one side where washer and dryer will go and small dining area is there too. I have a full size freezer, upright and a pantry........where will it go??? My table and chairs wont fit...will have to get a small round table........
NO place for my puter/desk/files either...........ugh!
Livingroom is 14x8....I have a sectional with bed and reclining chairs.........no end tables or coffee table....thank god.........but I do have tv stand and movie cabnit.
Bedroom #2 is REALLY small..........7x10...where does the bed even go in here???
Bedroom #3 is a little bit smaller than bedroom #1 with being 9x4....I can see where to put a bed.......but where do all the toys go from my current toy room here???
Oh, cant forget the dishes and all in the china closet and the brand new treadmill I just got in Jan.....UGH!
I have a 2 yr old girl and a 4 yr old boy.........I am beginning to think I am going to punish myself big time with this whole downsizing thing........but at this point in time, I have no other options.......
Does anyone here have any ideas that may help make our move easier (other than selling everything )
First of all, I would like to applaud you for taking a big step to reduce your debt and save money!
I can only suggest that you get rather ruthless with your belongings and decide what is essential and what you can do without. I know you really don't want to hear that suggestion, but I can't think of any other way that you can do it. I would suggest that you keep clothing to a minimum, just so you will have enough space to store it.
You will probably think this is crazy, but, Dh and I are planning to move to a much smaller home in the next couple of years in order to simplify our lives and not have so much to take care of. We are looking for a bungalow under 1000 square feet. We have been living simply for a number of years, so we have pared down our clothing and many other item. We have a minimum of items to store, including little used items such as Christmas ornaments. I sold alot of "extra" stuff on eBay and really did well. Mostly, I sold decorative items that were worth something on the secondary market. I sold Hallmark ornaments from my "collecting" days and have never missed them!
If you really don't want to cut back, I would suggest that you try to store some things with relatives or friends. When Dh and I were first married, we lived in a basement suite. We stored some items, such as china and furniture, at my in-laws home until we found a house. They had lots of space and really didn't mind.
I did do a yard sale this past Saturday..........sold alot and still have alot........but its a huge start and with flea markets going up everywhere, I think I will be hitting some of them as well to try to rid the rest. I have been going through clothes glore........I just went through my closet again this morning and I have 1/4 leftover of clothes that fit......basically all new clothes I just got....best part about that is that all the clothes I took out and bagged up were TOO BIG for me!! I am down 6 sizes so far!!
I have to go through the kid's stuff this week too......I had 3 huge totes opened at my yard sale of clothes for babies and up to 4T....both sexes.........and I sold them for $1 an outfit or $2 for coats.....just to get rid of them..........I cant believe how much I got rid of!! And to think I have tons more coming!!
I am going to go through more and more things as we get closer to moving....we find out about it tomorrow!!
This may not work for you, but it will allow you to hold onto those possessions for a little while. Have you thought about renting one of those small stalls at a storage facility? There is one here in our town that has an introductory price of just $20 a month for a 12 X 12 stall. It's only for the first 3 months, but that could allow you to move in and take it from there. I know you don't want to spend more $$$, but a few months renting a stall could be worth being able to keep something you really love.
The other, depending on the area you are in, would be to barter something in exchange for someone storing your things for you. Whether it's someone who has an empty house or an empty storage shed, they may want someone to cut the grass once a month. My fil lived in a house rent-free while he worked and the rent was cutting the grass and picking up pine cones at the main house. The little old lady needed someone to do it and didn't need the rent payment.
I had weight loss surgery 11/16/01 (5 months ago) and I have had such great success with it..as most do I have lost 83lbs so far and am now down to a size 16 from a tight 28!! I have a goal to lose a total of 150lbs to get me into the 130's range......more than half way there now and super excited........now, if I can only get through this downsizing thing...lol.
Sue,
How wonderful for you to lose all that weight. That's so great. I'm in the thinking of surgery stage right now. But as to downsizing-- well our house is tiny, but it's ours. As we start to redo some of the rooms one thing that I'm insisting on is built-in bookshelves in every room. Also Can you put your beds on risers so you can use under the bed for storage? I got rid of our regular kitchen chairs and put in a corner bench instead, there's storage in the seats and I use baskets for other things underneath. Deacon Benches make great seats in any room and have all that storage too! Maybe you can set up your computer on shelfing in an odd corner. Good Luck and keep the faith, everything will work out.
Laura
First, I applaud your efforts, and your determination to downsize. They are giant steps to a life that is so much more satisfying!!
Dh and I downsized five years ago, and I have never EVER regretted our decision even for one moment. Please understand that the steps you are taking now will pay countless dividends for the rest of your life!
We went from a 10-year-old four-bedroom home (almost 4,000 sq. ft.) we built to a 1,500 sq. ft. 1921 Craftsman that needed work, and the amount of possessions I had to get through in order to accomplish that feat was incredible. Actually, the first purge wasn't nearly enough although I felt as if we had gotten rid of just about everything we owned! I went through 3 of these efforts before I got it right! Perhaps some of these suggestions will help you ~
1. Be ruthless in what you get rid of! You will find, after the initial onslaught, that you still have too much "stuff" so keep paring it down. If you really, really need it, you can buy/find it again.
2. Look for creative ways to find storage. Do you have any old dresser drawers that you can put wheels on for convenient under-the-bed storage? Will your couch allow storage underneath it? How many rooms can accomodate shelving above the doorframes? What about a garbage can outfitted with a wooden circular top and then a tableskirt to cover ~ makes a wonderful "round occasional table" for the front room, and is a perfect place to store out of season items, especially clothing? Would a closet organizer with a tower of shelves help, and will the cost justify the results? While you may be short on floor space, how much actual vertical space do you have? Where can you put more storage vertically?
3. Start looking for storage containers at every garage sale and tag sale you can get to. Look for wicker baskets, plastic storage pieces, plastic blanket and bedspread bags. Also look for those space bags ~ these are worth the cost even if you have to buy them new. A vacuum cleaner hose will suck the air out after being loaded and it is incredible how many of those filled bags can fit into a small space.
4. Look at everything you are getting rid of that could be used for storage. If it doesn't or can't hold something else to eliminate the clutter you will encounter when you are moved to your new home, get rid of it.
5. Start watching for over the door hanging units to hold towels, clothing, etc. Same thing for any kind of peg unit to hold coats, bathrobes, etc. Watch for those old fashioned metal "figure S" coat hangers that can hold more coats, hats, etc. Watch for wire baskets (old office kind) that are great for storing winter hats, mittens, scarves, bar soaps, toothpaste, bathroom clutter, etc. They also work great for organizing and containing placemats, napkins, washcloths, etc.
6. Consider installing pegboard somewhere in your new home to accommodate a myriad of items that can be hung/housed there.
7. Get rid of EVERYTHING you have more than 2 of in the kitchen ~ no more than 2 pitchers, 2 cookie sheets, 2 cake pans, 2 9x13" pans, etc. If you can get by with just one, so much the better.
8. Cut your personal items and clothing stash down to a bare minimum. If you haven't worn it recently and aren't planning on wearing it within the next six months, get rid of it. Garage sales and just plain giving it away work well here ~ remember to get a tax donation sheet if giving the items to a charitable group. Store sweaters, heavy winter clothing, etc., in your suitcases instead of your closet. Rotate seasonal clothing in and out of the closet to eliminate problems.
9. Eliminate your food stash now before you move. You can always accumulate it again in the future but you need to "live" with how much room you are going to have before you pantry stock.
10. Invest in plastic stacking storage bins for the kids toys. When those bins are full (you have to decide how many works for 2 kids), that's the limit. No more toys until some of the old ones are gone. Same goes for seasonal decorations such as Christmas decorations. Your new home is smaller and won't accommodate as much as your present home so get rid of the extras.
Keep your chin up and your spirits even higher. Think of the positives you are doing. Your life will be SO much simpler! It takes time and $$ and effort to take care of all you have now, and you won't be doing that in the future.
For me, it wasn't a matter of trying to find ways to hang on to the stuff we had ~ it was a challenge, a game, to see how much I could get rid of. There isn't one single thing I got rid of that I have missed enough to go out and get it again. And somewhere along this journey, I discovered how wonderful it is to be unincumbered by all those things ~ I don't have them, I don't want them, I don't miss them. I now delight in having so much less, and yet if you walked into my home today, it appears as if we have a lot.
Remember that Mother Nature hates a vacuum ~ an empty space will always be refilled with something else.
Thank you Sandie.........I have taken everything u have said into great consideration.....and u r right. I agree. I have decided 2 days ago already, that I am going to give up one of my dish sets that I have and then soley use the one "good" set that has been sitting on the hutch collecting dust all these years.......came to this decission when I realized that a hutch wouldnt fit into the the home. Its a start.........and as I begin to pack for the move in the next week and so, I will be creating a donate box, a sell box, and a keeper box...ok, maybe not one box each, but u get what I mean :p
This is beginning to be more fun.....a fun challenge that is and no longer a mind wrecking thing.....thanks everyone for all the input!!!
Downsizing Household....HELP!!!! 
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I have lost 83lbs so far and am now down to a size 16 from a tight 28!! I have a goal to lose a total of 150lbs to get me into the 130's range......more than half way there now and super excited........now, if I can only get through this downsizing thing...lol. 
