Hasta La Ideas

Preparing for a move can be one of the most stressful experiences in life. This is especially true when you are selling and purchasing at the same time. Can a move to a smaller home make the experience less stressful? When preparing to move to a smaller home, Alison and Bill McCulloch of Bonnyrigg, Scotland, made a stress-free move by paring down their possessions to the extreme.

From the Daily Record article:

Deciding to sell the family home and downsize, the pair snapped up a two bedroom home in Bonnyrigg early last year.

But instead of waiting for their move in day to arrive, the canny couple set about making their first move in over 30 years as stress-free as possible.

They chucked out anything they didn’t need – including old furniture and toys.

And when the big day arrived, Alison and Bill moved in with just a bed, a washing machine and a microwave.

Although their circumstances are different than the one my wife and I faced a year ago, their preparation for the downsizing process was very similar. Getting rid of things you don’t need before you move is preferable to moving loads of things you won’t ever use. You likely will want to keep more than three belongings — like we did — but this story does sound very liberating.

Donating, selling, or recycling items that you do not need anymore can make the moving process much more manageable. We opted for a yard sale while relying on Craigslist to sell off larger pieces of furniture.

If you have recently downsized or plan on downsizing, please share your experience with us in the comments.