6 Decluttering Questions: Question 6

When you start the process of decluttering and downsizing, you will have to make a lot of decisions to help you sort your things. I recommend asking 6 questions in order to help you make decisions about your items. Today’s blog will cover question 6: Will the item fit into a smaller space?

Luckily, those of you who aren’t anticipating an immediate move can probably skip this question for now. Congratulations! For those who are not just decluttering but also downsizing a space, this question becomes very important. 

When touring a new potential living space, many people visualize how their favorite items would fit into the new home. Sometimes the current furniture or decorative pieces you have WON’T be a fit in a new space. This can unfortunately cause some people to pass on great home options that could be a good fit for your future living needs. For this reason, it is helpful to keep in the back of your mind what your goals are for the move and realize that some items might need to be adjusted or replaced based on size constraints. Try to figure out ahead of time which items in your home are non-negotiables and plan around those and only those as you evaluate home options.

What if you have no idea where you will be moving, you just know that you WILL eventually be moving? How do you evaluate for this scenario as you declutter? It is really tricky to plan and make decisions if you don’t know what size or type of space you’ll have to fill in the future. If this is the case for you, this could be a good place to bring in your “Decluttering Notebook” again and make some decisions on paper about which items you WOULD be willing to let go of if/when it’s time to make that move. Then you’ll be one step ahead when the time comes yet haven’t gotten rid of a bunch of stuff you still have space for right now.

Once you have selected a space, it’ll be time to verify that the things you want to keep will fit. Measure those items ahead of time and keep the list of their dimensions handy. Bring a tape measure to your property tours so you can plot out where those items might fit in the homes that you have interest in.

The last thing I want for you is frustration and disappointment when you move. You’ll need to be realistic about what you should/can and shouldn’t/can’t take with you to a smaller space in order to avoid disappointment.