What to Save, Donate, or Toss When Downsizing

Downsizing from a larger home to a smaller residence is a great decision for a variety of reasons, from cheaper housing costs to less time spent cleaning the entire house, but it also means having less space to store all of the belongings you’ve accumulated over the years. Sometimes, there is so much stuff that it seems like an insurmountable task to go through and determine what should be saved, donated, or discarded, much less where to begin.

Breaking down the project into smaller parts and starting with the easiest items, can help you gain the momentum and energy needed to tackle larger projects, like clothing. For example, the junk drawer in the kitchen or living room is a great place to start.

To help you successfully downsize your home, here is a general guide on which items should be saved and which should go.

What to Save.

The good news is that not everything you own should be tossed out the window when it comes to downsizing: there are many items that should be kept not just because they’re useful or a necessity in your life, but because they add joy and brighten your day. If an item falls into one (or more) of the following categories, then you should probably save it:

In case you’re still unsure about what to keep, the following is a general list of which items are a good idea to save when downsizing:

What to Donate or Ditch.

Before trashing an item, take a look at it and consider if it can be donated, sold, or recycled. By selling unwanted items, you can make some extra cash to help with the rest of the downsizing process. If your neighborhood has a massive yearly garage sale, try timing your downsizing so you have the opportunity to sell items then. Otherwise, websites such as Craigslist are a great and convenient way to sell old and used items. You can also consider local consignment shops or donate to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. If you donate a sufficient amount, you can write it off on your taxes.

And if none of these avenues appeal to you, but you still want to get rid of the item without throwing it away, consider giving it to a family member or friend so that it can be cherished properly. (As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!”)

The following is a general list of which items are good (and relatively easy) to get rid of when downsizing:

Not Sure? Think On It.

In the end, what to keep and what to toss or discard depends entirely on what you know is most important to you and what you feel you can live without. If you’re not sure whether you should keep something or toss it out, set it aside and think on it for a few days.

In some cases, sharing with others the story of how you acquired the item, or how it came to be in your family, its history, and its current meaning to you can help you figure out where the item belongs in life—with you, or with a family member or friend. Take it one drawer at a time, and soon you’ll have the whole house downsized!