Why The New Year Is The Best Time To Downsize
Are you considering moving into a new place to start 2021? The beginning of a fresh year is the ideal time to downsize.
Why is this time of year so perfect? The energy of fresh starts floats in the air like a hundred hope balloons — harness some of that power. Here’s why the New Year is the best time to downsize and how you can get started.
1. Out With the Old
Perception is critical to change. If you think that you can’t possibly do something, guess what? You’ve defeated yourself before your task even begins.
In the new year, the energy of change abounds — harness it. Is it impossible to live without your collection of Hummel figurines? If you were saving them to pass on to a beloved grandchild, is there any reason why you can’t do so now? Their parents can store your gift safely until younger children mature enough to be careful with valuables.
2. Start With Charity
Do you want to start the new year with positive energy? If so, one of the best ways to do so is by giving back to the community. If you are short on cash to give, why not do so via donations of your unneeded items?
While they may be closed to the public, many local thrift stores and consignment shops will still accept your donations of gently used items. As many folks are heading into the holidays this year with fewer work hours or even the threat of eviction hanging over their heads, there’s no telling who your gifts will help.
3. Exorcise Old Ghosts
You got divorced over five years ago. Why are you still holding on to your old wedding dress? Even if you are still happily married, your generous donation can make another bride very happy on her big day.
For maximum results, seek out a nationwide organization that specializes in bridal gowns. While you can always go the Goodwill route, there’s no guarantee that your pride and joy won’t get turned into decorative throw pillows at the hands of a savvy seamstress.
4. Ease Clutter’s Mental Stress
If your home overflows with knickknacks and clutter, you could damage your mental health or exacerbate existing problems. Researchers from Syracuse and Cornell Universities discovered that cluttered environments trigger coping and avoidance strategies such as compulsive overeating.
Researchers put 101 participants in either standard kitchen conditions or a chaotic, cluttered one. They asked the group to write about when they felt particularly in control or out of it while given cookies and carrots to taste and rate. People in the chaotic kitchen consumed considerably more calories than those in the standard version.
5. Rediscover Yourself
How long has it been since you went through all those boxes in your attic or basement? If you can’t recall the last time, get ready to step inside the time machine. Sorting your belongings is a fabulous way to rediscover yourself and your past values.
You might snicker when you whip out those 80s Hawaiian shirts, complete with huge shoulder pads — you were convinced you looked like a member of the “Miami Vice” squad. However, pulling out an old journal and reading about that novel you hoped to finish can reunite you with your muse and encourage you to get started anew.
6. Embrace a More Active Lifestyle
Let’s face it — owning more stuff means spending more of your precious time maintaining it all. Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day — is it really worth spending two hours of it dusting various collections if you don’t run a museum?
Downsizing might help supercharge your new year’s resolutions to get in better shape. After all, when you aren’t spending hours taking care of material things, you have more time to exercise your body. Find a new fitness app that you adore and spend part of your evening dancing or pumping iron instead of dusting.
7. Cultivate a Cozy Ambiance
Who said minimalist couldn’t also mean cozy AF? It’s a lot easier to bundle up in all your sherpa gear on chilly mornings if you know where all your socks are.
You’ll feel cozier when you surround yourself only with those things that bring you joy. Every item in your home becomes something that gives you pleasure in some way, from the potted plants purifying your air to the cookbook you inherited from your grandmother. You can display the latter on your countertop proudly when it isn’t full of unused kitchen gadgets.
8. Get More Money for What You Love
What do you hope to do this year besides downsizing? Maybe you want to start a business — could you generate some of the capital to do so from selling your unwanted items?
Once you downsize, you tend to adopt a more minimalist mindset. Before you buy anything new, you ask yourself what purpose it serves and what you are willing to get rid of to add it to your collection. Practicing one-in, one-out purchasing means you spend less, giving you more cash to spend on experiences, like a much-needed vacation.
The New Year Is the Best Time to Downsize for These 8 Reasons
The new year is the best time to downsize for the eight reasons above. Spend some of your time off this coming holiday going through the old ring and in the new.