How to Downsize: 14 Tips for Moving to a Smaller Home

Thinking about downsizing your home? Whether you're moving to an apartment, condo, townhome, or house with less square footage, these 14 downsizing tips can help you get settled in a smaller space!

Know When to Downsize

There are plenty of reasons to downsize: retirement, opting for a minimalist lifestyle, saving money, moving to a new city, or dealing with an empty nest after kids leave for college. Regardless of the reason, letting go of possessions and moving into a smaller space will come with its share of difficulties. But keeping the motivation behind your move in mind at all times can make this life transition a little easier.

Focus on the Benefits of Downsizing

Remembering the advantages of downsizing your home can help you stay excited about small space living. Maybe the move will allow you to pay off debt, take more vacations, or start a future savings fund. Or perhaps you can take comfort in the fact that you won't have to do home upgrades, maintain a lawn, or worry about a mortgage. Try to think less about the space you lost and more about what opportunities you've gained.

Draft a Budget

When downsizing your home, you'll most likely be downsizing your spending, too. By moving to a smaller home, you can save on mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance costs, utilities, and more. However, a common mistake is overestimating how much you'll save—and without a clear look at your full budget, those anticipated savings can disappear faster than expected. Take time to review your living expenses, identify areas for adjustment, and decide how you want to allocate any money you free up.

Take Measurements

One of the best ways to start downsizing is to take measurements in your current home and your new one so you can compare. Write down the dimensions of each room to determine what furniture will or won’t fit. Measure your largest pieces and use a floor plan app or simple graph paper to see whether these items will physically fit in your new space. This will save you time and emotional energy when deciding which furniture and large objects you want to bring.

Snap Photos of Room Layouts

Take photos of how your rooms in your current home are set up. While your new space will have different dimensions, this can at least offer inspiration and help you remember how rooms used to come together. Also, taking photos of how you had set up cords and any technology in your old home is another moving tip that can save you time!

Declutter Before Moving

A key step in your downsizing home checklist is to declutter your home! Moving to a smaller home means paring down your belongings, so take time to go through everything before your move to decide what to bring. Start with large items—like refrigerators, laundry machines, and large pieces of furniture—then focus on smaller items. Use decluttering methods like the Four-Box Method or KonMari Method, or hire a professional to help establish home organization habits you'll carry into your new space. Embrace a minimalist approach to decluttering by prioritizing what you truly need—and take your time to avoid discarding items that could serve a purpose in your new space. Consider donating items you no longer need.

Create a Home Inventory

Some of the best downsizing advice is to keep track of items as you go. Make an inventory and categorize what you're planning to keep, donate, sell, or store—this can help you identify and eliminate unnecessary duplicates. Organizing these items into different boxes or in separate rooms can help, but on moving day, having a list or photos to reference will be helpful.

Sort Through Sentimental Items

When downsizing, sentimental belongings often present the biggest challenge. A downsizing tip for seniors or anyone with a lot of keepsakes and memorabilia is to make piles for what you definitely want to keep, what you're on the fence about, and what items your children, family, or close friends might want. That way, you can mentally prepare to part with special belongings or store them elsewhere for safekeeping. If the process feels overwhelming, start with sentimental items that carry less emotional weight, such as duplicates, items without a clear personal story, or things tied to more recent memories. Building confidence with these decisions can make it easier to navigate the more meaningful items later.

Digitize Photos & Documents

To maximize space in a smaller home, organizing photos and other paper products by transitioning from physical to digital storage is one of the most effective ways to "pack" your history without the heavy lifting. Scan documents, sentimental photos, and children's artwork into a hard drive or a secure, searchable cloud service, allowing you to discard entire filing cabinets while keeping information and memories at your fingertips.

Involve the Entire Family

Downsizing a family home? Get everyone involved! Not only will this ensure you don't throw out something important, but it will also help divide the workload. Inviting friends over to take things you no longer want is another great way to downsize your home quickly.

Take Extra Time with Kids

Moving with kids can be incredibly difficult. Because they won't understand the benefit of letting go of some of their things, be sure to spend extra time with them as they go through their books, games, and stuffed animals. Turn the process into a game, talk to them about why the move is happening, and get them excited for the future.

Prioritize Space-Saving Furniture

Moving into a smaller space? Multi-purpose items are about to become your best friend! If you already have space-saving furniture like a wall desk, coffee tables that double as seating or storage, or a drop-leaf dining table, be sure to bring them with you. Or install a Murphy bed to make a small bedroom seem bigger. Finding furniture that can do double duty is key when maximizing space in a downsized home!

Make Spaces Multi-Functional

When downsizing your home, giving different spaces multiple functions can help you save space without compromising your lifestyle. Combine your guest room and office and use features like a rolling desk, or try hidden living room storage to accommodate play room toys. Maximize space in a studio apartment by using furniture, room dividers, or curtains to create distinct zones that allow one area to serve multiple purposes—especially if you're sharing the space with a roommate. Other tips for living in small spaces include using vertical space for storage, choosing a light paint color, and doing space-saving renovations.

Consider Renting Self Storage

One way to avoid selling something you may need or overcrowding your new home is to rent a storage unit. This can give you more time to decide what to do with items you're on the fence about and give you a place to store belongings you want to keep but don't have room for. Our size guide can help you pick the most economical storage unit size for your needs.

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