How we love our "stuff" - all those bits and pieces, treasured possessions, necessities and not-so-necessary items - that make our houses our home sweet homes. But for a variety of reasons - retirement, lifestyle choice, children leaving home - there may come a time in your life when you decide to downsize. And that means some serious reassessment of your possessions: what to keep, what to throw out or give away and how to go about making those decisions. Here are our tips for separating the trash from the treasure, and paring down your possessions so you actually fit in your new, smaller, abode.
Declutter - prelude to the move
For those who've had the space to indulge a hearty appetite for the home décor style known as maximalism (in other words, lots of "stuff"), the notion of paring back may be overwhelming. Where and how do you start? See our "Decluttering your home" article for a step-by-step approach to clearing your home of clutter.
Get some attitude
Be ruthless. Approach the task of downsizing with a minimalist mindset. That doesn't mean getting rid of the things you love. It means assessing each item for its real worth. If the item in question is a chipped vase, handed down from your maternal great-grandmother, that holds immense sentimental value for you, then clearly it should stay. But if we're talking a broken chair picked up from a kerbside clean-up pile that you planned to fix and use two years ago - forget it!
Act sustainably - put your unwanted stuff back into circulation
Genuine rubbish should, of course, be placed in the bin or taken to your local tip or transfer station. (Depending on the timing of your move, you may also be able to get rid of unwanted items during Brisbane City Council's biennial kerbside clean-ups.) But don't ditch stuff that's still useful.
Hold a garage sale. Or check out Scoodi, a free service that allows you to sell or give things away in an environmentally conscious way. Another option is to join Freecycle Brisbane, a group dedicated to reducing landfill by giving unwanted items to others rather than throwing them away.
Of course, you can always donate your unwanted goods to charitable services like Lifeline, Endeavour, St Vincent de Paul and Salvo stores. Check our Directory for a charity near you.
As a last resort, store it
If you have things you just cannot let go of, but also cannot fit in your new, much smaller, home, take a look at Brisbane's many storage options.
What's your best downsizing tip? Add your comments below.
