Downsizing from a house to an apartment might mean downsizing your living space. By doing this, many people feel scared or frustrated as they have to make a lot of sacrifices. But, there are good reasons for that - people are either trying to save their money or to make their lives a bit more simplified. Both reasons are more than legitimate; however, how does one start this process of downsizing? Moreover, how does one adjust to having less space all of a sudden?

Well, it is not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. Eventually, you will learn how not to depend on material thingss and you will certainly have more free time and some money to spare. So, without further ado, here are some tips and tricks for downsizing.

Get Blueprints of Your New Apartment First!

First things first, before you start throwing away your old stuff or buying anything for your new apartment, make sure to get blueprints of your new home. Or if getting blueprints is not possible, you can also measure all the rooms and create a little DIY room layout. This is crucial because you must know how much space you are working with! Consider and plan everything.

Measure the furniture you are planning to bring with you as well! You will see that with careful calculation of the total space and by looking at the blueprints, you will avoid any unpleasant surprises later on. This is especially important when moving from a house to an apartment, or especially if you were moving and starting over in NYC for example, where apartments are really tiny. In that case, be sure that you will probably be able to relocate only half of your belongings.

Getting blueprints and having a room-layout is of key importance when downsizing from a house to an apartment.

Donate, Sell, Throw Away

After getting all the blueprints and knowing with what dimensions you are working, it is time for the next step. That is, you should decide which things will movers from DA Moving NYC relocate to your new home, and which should be donated, sold, or thrown away.

As previously mentioned, relocating from a house to an apartment requires a lot of downsizing, so most of your stuff will probably have to be left behind. But, look at the bright side - you will start fresh, you will save money, and you will learn to live without so many materialistic things. There are many reasons why you should move into an apartment instead of a house. Thus, get a couple of boxes, and start decluttering and separating your belongings inside like this:
● Donate Box - If you have some items that are in good shape, but cannot fit in in your new apartment, consider donating them to your local charity. You will make somebody really happy!
● Sell Box - And if you have some items, again in a good shape, but you want to earn some money on them, you have two options. The first one is to organize a yard sale, and the second to sell everything online.
● Throw Away Box - Finally, if you have some things that are broken, damaged, or completely useless, just throw them away!

Do not get over-sentimental over material things! You will feel better with less stuff!

Be Creative with Storage

If you've lived in a big house before, moving to an apartment might be challenging at first. There will be no place for your bulky furniture and all the little knick-knacks you used to have. But, let's be honest, many of those things were just collecting dust. Now it is time to make space only for the items you love.

However, even then, you must be creative with your storage options. You should create storage when there isn't one by using apartment storage hacks. That means investing in compact and storage-friendly furniture.

So, for example, if you have two children, consider getting bunk beds to save space. Or, invest in beds that have built-in drawers beneath for extra storage. In the living room, add a lot of hanging shelves, buy ottomans or coffee tables that open up space, and similar. Try to be creative! Do some researching online and find some tips for maximizing the apartment space, too.

Invest in furniture with a lot of drawers. They are great for hiding things that cannot fit anywhere else in your small apartment.

Other Storage Options?

Getting rid of everything from your house or overcrowding your apartment with items are not the only two things you can do.

For example, if you have some items from your garage that are useful, consider asking some of your friends who live in houses if they have some extra space for them. Of course, until you decide what to with it.

Then, if you really do have a lot of stuff you do not want to get rid of, consider finding an apartment in a building that offers basement usage.

In addition, you can also find an apartment close to a storage facility. Those are great for keeping your belongings somewhere safe but still out of the way.

Renting a storage unit is always a good idea for keeping the items you love but do not have enough space for them.

Learn to Live With Less

As mentioned, a couple of times before, when downsizing from a house to an apartment, you will have to learn to live with less. And, you will have to learn to buy less, as even one small addition can make a huge difference.

But this can be a good thing. You will think twice before you buy something, and that only means one thing - saving money. Also, you will spend a lot less time cleaning the apartment as there will be fewer rooms too clean.

So, with this money saved and having some spare time, you can actually do something you've always wanted. Take up a hobby or go on a trip. Do not look at this downsizing as something bad, but as an opportunity for a fresh new start.