Page 13 - AAA Every Day – AAA Hudson Valley – March/April 2021

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Moving from one home to another for any reason is a challenge, but going from a large home to a smaller space is always the hardest. Downsizing isn’t always easy,
especially when the decision is because of circumstances outside your control. To ease the transition, here are a few tips from storage provider SpareFoot.com that will help you get through the next steps.
Consider Your Space
If you plan to move from a larger home to a smaller house or apartment, evaluating your space needs is a necessary first step. You likely won’t be able to fit everything from your current residence into your new one. Decide early on what household goods you can’t live without to determine the minimum amount of space you’ll need from a new place.
Minimize Your Possessions
Once you have an idea of how big of a place you will
be moving into, you can start going through all of your possessions and decide what to do with all of the things you can’t take with you. Sort items in your home according to what you plan to keep, sell, donate or throw away.
Use Temporary Storage
What about the antique grandfather clock you inherited from Aunt Agnes? Or maybe the custom-built dining room set you just bought? Many people will have some stuff that won’t fit in their new home but that they just
aren’t willing to get rid of. If you think your downsizing arrangement is only temporary, it may make sense to keep some items in a self-storage unit for now.
Speaking of Storage
Keep in mind that on a per-square-foot basis self-storage is almost always cheaper than apartment rates. That means you can save money by renting a small storage unit for storing some items, as opposed to paying for a larger apartment because you need the storage space. For example, in 2019 self-storage space on SpareFoot. com rented for about $0.96 per square foot nationwide. Compare that to the average cost per square foot of an apartment among the top 50 U.S. metro areas of $1.81 per square foot and you can see how much you could save by storing seldom-used items off-site at a facility.
Embrace a More Minimal Lifestyle
After spending so much time at home last year, many Americans are starting to rethink their relationship with their stuff. Use downsizing as an opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint by lessening your consumption. By adopting a minimalist mindset, you may find downsizing isn’t so bad after all!
If you need self-storage for your move or anything else, AAA members receive one-month free and a $20 Amazon gift card when reserving a storage unit from a participating facility on SpareFoot.com.
Alexander Harris is a Web editor at SpareFoot.com.
MAR/APR 2021 I 13
MOVER’S HANDBOOK
Downsizing?
Here’s How to Make it Easier