Downsize to a Traveling Home: Start Planning Now
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It’s never too soon to start planning for a big downsize into a traveling home. The earlier you start, the better prepared you’ll be when it comes time to pack up and go. To help get started, here are some tips on how to prepare for a big downsize and take off on that next adventure!
“How do I do a big downsize?” This is a common question we hear from most people that can’t imagine getting rid of most of their belongings and living in a really small space. There are so many things to consider including furniture, clothing, electronics, kitchen gadgets, keepsakes, and more.
Now is an excellent time for people who have always wanted to travel but haven’t had the courage or the opportunity to get out there and go. One of the biggest hurdles seems to be dealing with all the “stuff”. Let’s go over some things to start thinking about and planning for.
Prepare yourself to get rid of possessions that won’t fit in your traveling home.
Getting rid of your belongings is really hard to do sometimes. The sooner you can start the better. Start decluttering and getting rid of possessions that you don’t need anymore, such as clothes, books, and furniture. I recommend not saving this until you actually prepare to leave your home. You have way more stuff than you realize.
It’s easier to get started with things you no longer need or use. Make it easy on yourself and start with those items. If you aren’t sure where to begin with this process, sign up for the 50 in FIVE Downsizing Declutter Challenge!
Should you store your belongings when you downsize to a traveling home?
Depending on your travel plans, you may want to keep some of your belongings. Storage could be an option for some items but I would caution you on what you plan to store. I would consider storing items that can’t be easily replaced. This way you pay for a small storage space and only store your treasured items in it.
Rather than store some of your belongings that may not store well, I’d try to relocate them to friends and family. They might be able to store it for you or better yet, gift it to them. It’s nice to give something you love to someone else who will appreciate it.
Maybe you know someone who is just starting out and needs a lot of little things to set up their new house. Well, you probably have multiples of things that you could donate to them and that will bring a smile to both of your faces.
Along the lines of donating, if it’s been a while since you’ve used or worn something, chances are you won’t use it again. Donating these items rather than trashing them is a great way to give back to others who may be able to benefit from what might otherwise go to waste.
Just remember, paying for storage space can be quite costly. My suggestion is to not waste precious storage space on items that don’t have special meaning and are easily replaceable. Another thing to keep in mind is that not all storage spaces are created equal. Some are temperature-controlled and a lot are not. Before choosing items for storage, think about how the items will fair in cold and hot temperatures.
What will you do with keepsake items?
Completely getting rid of all of your keepsake items might be hard to do. However, drastically reducing the amount you keep is very doable. If it’s not safe for storing in a storage unit and it’s not small enough to take with you, reach out to a friend or family member to see if they have space for a few boxes.
Again, you’ll want to try and minimize these keepsakes so you only have a small amount you’re storing. Digitizing photos and kids’ artwork is a great way to reduce the number of keepsakes that need to be stored. Also, you wouldn’t need to worry about them being damaged (don’t forget to backup your digital storage and make copies).
Have adult kids? Maybe it’s time to pass their childhood belongings back to them. A lot of the childhood memorabilia you keep is really for yourself and with the thought that your kids will want it someday. Sometimes they do but a lot of times they don’t. Take photos of what you want to remember and give your kids the opportunity to take their childhood stuff off your hands. If not, it just might be time to let it go.
Downsizing is stressful enough without worrying about what will happen to those special things from the past so start planning for it by making time to start sorting through it now. The tubs and shoeboxes are ready to be dusted off!
Think about your new living space and how much space you’ll have for your belongings.
When it comes to downsizing into a small space, in some cases a much smaller space, you’ll have to start thinking about what you can live without. I don’t recommend hanging onto things “just in case” you need them. You’ll soon discover that there is no need for a lot of what you have. Start thinking about what you actually “need”.
When you’re downsizing into a small space, what should stay and what should go? This is where your creativity will kick in. You’ll have to be really honest with yourself about what needs to come along for the ride. Likely, there isn’t much space and the necessities will overrule the wants.
If it’s not a necessity or going to add value to your travels, then don’t take it. Make a mental transition of making memories and not needing “things”.
Start going paper-free and digital before you downsize to a traveling home.
The less paper you have now, the less you’ll need to sort through when it comes time to downsize to your traveling home. Start changing your filing process now. Going paper-free can help a lot. You might have years worth of paper files that don’t need to be kept any longer. If so, it’s likely a lot of it could be shredded.
Scanning documents is so easy these days and can even be done on your phone with apps. No need to have a scanner along with you. Of course, bulk scanning is done much easier with a desktop scanner.
There are so many benefits to going paperless. Besides less clutter, you can easily find files in a digital filing system on your computer. With digital files, it’s important that you back them up on the cloud or with external hard drives. Having extra backups can help ensure your documents are safe!
Quit buying household items that aren’t needed.
You’re going to be getting rid of your belongings in the future. That means you should use what you already have and wait until that “thing” wears out or breaks before replacing it with another one. Push those “wants” aside and before you buy think to yourself, “will I be able to take this with me when I’m traveling?”.
This not only helps you save money by reducing your spending but it also will be one less thing to get rid of down the road. Another thing to think about is that you most likely won’t recoup the cost of your purchase when it comes time to get rid of it. Maybe it will be something you can’t sell and you end up donating it. Is the purchase really worth it?
Quit stocking up on things.
This one probably depends on how close you are to starting your travels. Just remember, you most likely aren’t going to have room for giant packs of toilet paper on your RV or sailboat. Well, unless you have it sitting out somewhere!
Use what you have and only stock up on something that you know you’ll use. Buying in bulk can be hard to deal with once you move into your traveling home. This can be good for some things but most likely your new pantry is going to be much smaller!
Clean out your pantry and freezer.
This is along the same lines as stocking up on things and buying in bulk. Again, food storage might be limited so work on using up what you already have and only stock up on things you know that you’ll be eating. I know, it’s hard to pass up those deals sometimes! There’s nothing worse than getting ready for the big move and realizing you still have a freezer full of food that won’t’ fit into your new small freezer.
By downsizing the amount of food you store in your home and making meals around what you already have is great preparation for life in your traveling home.
Are you ready to start planning for your downsize to a traveling home?
Take it from me, don’t wait until the last few months to figure out what to do with your life’s worth of belongings before you start your travel adventures. The earlier you start planning, the better prepared you’ll be when it comes time to pack up and go. Starting to think about the tips in this article will help you to start mentally preparing for the tasks ahead of you and will make things easier for your future self.
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