The ultimate downsizing guide for Canadians



    There are lots of reasons why you might want to downsize when moving anywhere. Most importantly, it can save you lots of money you would have otherwise spent on packing and moving that stuff yourself. But it can also serve as a great way to start anew and turn a new page in your life. We all tend to gather too many belongings we don’t actually need, so this ultimate downsizing guide might be just the thing you need. It will help you decide what to keep, what to throw away, and so on. Depending on how many items you have, this can prove to be either a major or a minor thing to do. You can do this either before or after hiring movers in Canada, just make sure you do it on time for your relocation.

    Begin with assessing what you need to downsize

    It can be tricky to know what you actually have in your house. That’s why it’s a good idea to begin by checking everything you got in your house, and assessing whether or not you need it. Even though this is something minimalists do all the time, most of us don’t have this habit. Even though it might seem silly, it’s important to put some effort into this. You don’t have to really perfect when it comes to details, but make sure you do a good job. Begin by looking at each room individually, and write down anything you think you can live without. For example, do you actually need those armchairs that have been collecting dust in your attic? Think about such scenarios.

    A woman making her ultimate downsizing list.

    Come up with a list of items for downsizing so you can do it more quickly later on.

    Once you are down with writing what you think you can downsize, it’s time to really set some goals. For example, even though you might have a lot to downsize, you don’t have to do it right now. If you are in a hurry because of your relocation, focus on the most important items. Depending on what you have, those might be the biggest ones (to save you space), the heaviest ones (to save you money), and so on. At this stage, it’s important to set some realistic goals. Naturally, if you can manage to downsize everything and do province to province moving you should absolutely do that! Just be mindful of your schedule, and all the other moving things and preparations you need to do. However, if you do have time, it’d definitely be a helpful thing.

    Either keep it or throw it away — don’t put a “maybe” label on it

    This is a mistake lots of people make. Once they start considering what to downsize, they make lots of small “maybe” or “maybe, probably not” piles of stuff. You want to think of it in black-and-white terms. Either you need it, or you don’t. If you “maybe” need it, chances are you do not. Even though this might seem like a bad way to approach this problem, it’s efficient. It’s going to save you a lot of time, and you are going to be able to downsize a lot more than you’d think. It will also save you energy. The sooner you are done with downsizing, the sooner you can get back to planning your relocation.

    A woman putting her clothes on the floor

    Don’t put too much thinking into downsizing, just decide what you want to keep and what you don’t need.

    What’s the need for an ultimate downsizing guide when moving

    Lots of people really don’t know why downsizing is good when you are moving somewhere. First off, it’s going to save you from a lot of packing. That’s only logical. If you have less to pack, you can spend more time doing other things, like being with your family and friends. Second of all, it can make your moving costs lower. But what’s more important it can also take some of your stress and anxiety away. After all, it’s not the same when you have to relocate 20 and 35 boxes! Decluttering and downsizing are connected, and there are lots of reasons to do them even without moving. Moving just adds another layer of importance when considering this stuff.

    It’s also going to make it easier for you to find a moving company across Canada. It’s also going to be cheaper, so this is definitely a useful thing. The typical moving company across Canada service costs from $2,600 to $6,700 in Canada, depending on distance, household size, and other considerations. But it’s only natural that it will cost a lot less if you have fewer items. Moreover, this will be also influenced by the distance you are covering. If you’re moving a short distance, chances are you won’t need to downsize a lot. As you can see, this all can depend, so it’s on you to make the decision on how much to downsize and how quickly.

    A person calculating how much money the ultimate downsizing guide is going to save for them.

    Downsizing is going to allow you to have more money for your relocation.

    No ultimate downsizing guide can tell you what to do with your items

    Once you’ve got everything you want to downsize, it’s time to decide what exactly you want to do with these items. No guide can help you here, though. You need to decide for yourself. Some people that are moving from Canada to USA like to donate the stuff they do not need to those who’d need them more. However, it’s not always easy to find someone who’d take your donation. That’s why it can be a viable solution to either sell your items or simply throw them away. Naturally, this is not an exclusive ordeal. You can sell some, donate others and throw away the rest. The goal is to downsize, so don’t stress yourself over how to do it. Just start doing it, since you should not waste too much time.

    Selling your items might be a good solution to your downsizing problem

    A lot of people like to sell their items when they are moving. Moving usually costs a lot of money, so this is a good way to earn a couple of bucks right before that. Put your things online, on websites such as Craiglist and etc. Alternatively, you could post it in your local neighborhood group chats and so on. It all depends on you personally, so just be creative about it. Ask any friends or family whether they’d like to buy some of the stuff you own. The more you earn this way, the more you can spend on your Canadian moving services and save the difference.

    Finding a good option to donate to

    Try looking up some charities online in your area, and contact them to see whether they’d want your items. Also, try donating to other local organizations or churches and ask around. Chances are, there’s someone who will be able to use your items. Spend some time doing this, and sooner than later you’ll stumble upon a good solution. However, if you really want to donate your items, but just can’t seem to do it, there’s an alternative. You could always actually sell your stuff, and then donate the money. While you could certainly use the money for your relocation, it can be a good way to donate to those in need.

    A woman using ultimate downsizing guide to pack her moving boxes.

    Put the items you want to donate into boxes and look for good charities in the area.

    The ultimate downsizing guide suggestions for your other items

    If you can’t seem to either donate or sell your items, you can try some storage solutions Canada movers offer. Or, it might be the time to gift them to your friends and family. The real difference between this and just donating them is that you’d give them to people you know. Ask any of your friends or family whether they’d like some of your items. Explain that you no longer need them, and would be more than happy if they took them. If you can get rid of some of the stuff this way, this can be a great move forward. By now, you should have a lot of your items left, so this should be the last thing you try. However, you can always for example try to donate your items, then give them to friends and family and only then sell the rest. You choose what kind of combination you want.

    What to do with the items that you couldn’t get rid of

    Try finding a storage space for your items. A lot of people regret throwing something away at a later date. That’s why it can be a good idea to decide what you want to keep but store somewhere else. For example, you could store your items in a local storage unit. An alternative would be to store your items in the location where you are moving to. This would require transporting all of them, so choose whatever works best for you in your case. It’s definitely something you should not do just because, especially if hiring long distance movers. It can actually become the contrary thing of downsizing, as you’d still have to take those items with you. Consider this as an option only for the stuff you don’t really have a use for but are dear to you.

    A woman carrying things

    If you don’t have room for your items left after downsizing, you can consider getting a storage unit after relocating.

    How to approach your move after using the ultimate downsizing guide

    Right now, you should be in a much better position to move, now that you have fewer items. This is great news because it means you are in a great starting spot! You will have less to pack, and much more time to spend with your friends and family. Perhaps it’d be a good thing if you used this extra time to spend some time with your loved ones. After all, it’s important to think about mental health when moving far away. You are going to certainly miss your family and friends back home. Now that you have some time available, spend it with them. It can mean a lot once you relocate later on and can only video chat with them.

    Now is also the right time to begin looking for moving companies. The good thing about downsizing beforehand is that you’ll have an easier time finding someone now. Focus on finding a reliable moving company that has good reviews and is in good standing in the industry. They should be able to help you relocate, short or long distance, no matter where you want to go. Moreover, now that you got extra free time, you can focus on things such as organizing your car shipping Canada companies offer, other than just lots of packing with the old items you downsized. This is just one of the clear perks of what this ultimate downsizing guide can mean to your relocating experience.

    A woman talking to a man from a moving company

    After using the ultimate downsizing guide, you will have a lot less to pack when moving across Canada.

    The ultimate downsizing guide on how not to downsize in the future

    As you can see, this can be quite a lot of work! That’s why it can be a good idea that you to make some changes in your life so you won’t have to downsize again. After all, you are probably going to be moving again so you might even need to downsize/ declutter yet again. But you can do some things to avoid this scenario. For example, don’t buy things you don’t actually need. Also, downsize on the go! As soon as you don’t have a use for something, make it disappear. Doing a bit of such work every day can save you the trouble of spending days later on in life. It’s also a good habit to have in order to keep your house more tidy and organized.

    This can be more or less useful based on how much available space you got in your new house. The less you have, the more you’ll have to downsize. This is a common problem for people who relocate to a smaller home. They’re used to having much more space, so when they have less of it they start piling items. That’s why using this ultimate downsizing guide is a good solution. But this is not something only useful when you are moving! It’s actually a good habit to have anyways. You could even say it’s minimalism. After all, moving should bring on some positive change, and this can be just one of many in your new life in Canada.

     

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