At some point in our lives, most of us will face the challenge of moving from a large space to a smaller one. Moving can be very intimidating, as there is the potential for procrastination and difficulty in planning. Whether you are a senior looking to downsize your living quarters, a young person renting your first apartment, or a parent looking to move your family into a smaller house, this guide will provide you with links to online resources and books from our collection to help you plan the big move.
Downsizing for the First Time
People moving away from home for college, work, or other reasons face a unique set of challenges in adapting to their new living spaces. ToughNickel’s guide, opens a new window to a first apartment explains how to look for a first apartment, what types of leases there are, and the hidden costs of apartment life. Moversville provides a checklist, opens a new window of items for a first apartment, and Wikihow’s guide to moving into a first apartment is a detailed, step-by-step guide to the process.
Downsizing for Families
Families face their own set of challenges in choosing and adapting to smaller living spaces. Downsize, opens a new window details how you can build or choose a small home to maximize its storage space. Bigger Than Tiny, Smaller Than Average teaches how to select a smaller house without compromising style or suffering the lack of storage space in a true “tiny home.” And Let It Go, opens a new window explains how to adjust to the challenges of your changing life by decluttering your environment.
Downsizing families may also find certain websites helpful. Homelight’s guide, opens a new window has strategies to make it easier to move your family to a newer, smaller living space. This post, opens a new window on Parents details the potential financial benefits and other reasons a family might look into downsizing their home. And, The Fun Sized Life, opens a new window blog teaches decluttering and debt relief strategies that can help you optimize your money.
Downsizing for Seniors
Seniors face a number of unique challenges when moving from larger homes to smaller ones. Don't Toss My Memories in the Trash, opens a new window is a guide on how to deal with emotional attachments and physical stress while preparing to move efficiently. Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff, opens a new window teaches a method for choosing which items to take with you into your new home. And Downsizing the Family Home, opens a new window explains how to move out of a long-used family home, taking into account the potential value of possessions and the mental health of family members.
Several websites may also help seniors in downsizing for a move. House Method, opens a new window has a simplified guide that demonstrates how to downsize in nine steps. Seniorhomes.com, opens a new window features a lengthier downsizing guide that explains the types of downsizing and senior communities in greater detail. LifeStorageBlog, opens a new window has a checklist of steps to take prior to moving into a new home. Finally, Express Moving and Storage’s website provides a Senior’s Guide, opens a new window that has many links to useful things, such as an appraisal calculator for homes and a guide to choosing a listing agent.
These websites and books can be very helpful when downsizing or planning a move. Have specific questions about downsizing or moving to a new location? Ask a librarian to answer your questions, via phone, chat, or email., opens a new window
