Whether or not you’re brief on house or just seeking to declutter your private home, organizing and downsizing toys and video games is a good place to begin. That’s what we did after we moved from one small house to a different. Right here’s how we did it (and the way you are able to do it too!)
The best way to Downsize Video games, Toys, and Motion pictures
We lived in a small farmhouse. And earlier than we lived in a small farmhouse, we lived in a fair smaller camper. Over time of “small home residing,” we’ve discovered a lot about what we actually want and what we don’t. And with 4 folks residing in about 800 sq ft (which we nonetheless felt was enormous in comparison with the camper!), we needed to profit from the house we had.
I’ve performed just a few issues to downsize which may appear slightly loopy at first look, however I’ve by no means appeared again or regretted any of it. Even now, a few years after I initially printed this put up, I’m nonetheless proud of the modifications we made. At present, I’m going to share just a few of the issues that we’ve performed to arrange and downsize our possessions in order that they match comfortably into a comparatively small house.
One of many huge causes we needed to downsize our stuff was the shortage of house total and cupboard space particularly. Transferring right into a home with no closets takes lots of forethought. The place do you retailer issues?
Nicely, for probably the most half, you don’t. You retain what you employ, and if it’s one thing you really want, you discover the house for it. Listed below are 3 areas of the home that we’ve labored on and downsized significantly.
The best way to Downsize Toys
If you happen to’re restricted on house (and even for those who’re not and simply making an attempt to declutter), it’s so necessary to often undergo your youngsters’ toys and do away with any that they’ve outgrown or don’t play with.
If you happen to’re not cautious, these toys all the time appear to creep from one room into one other till quickly they’ve taken over your complete home! Downsizing and decluttering toys as soon as each few months may also help guarantee they by no means get fully uncontrolled.
We nonetheless appeared to have fairly just a few toys within the camper, and now and again, I might put just a few away in a field for some time. However I shortly realized that our little man didn’t even miss them. So slowly however certainly, we began to do away with the toys.
We now have one toy field for all of our youngsters. All of their toys, besides the prepare set and the constructing blocks, slot in right here.
We additionally made a promise that any extra toys introduced into our home would solely be allowed to come back in in the event that they had been one thing worthy. For us, which means one thing that can final a very long time and one thing they will play with for a very long time.
Only a few plastic toys match this description for us, and we choose wood toys. We’ve talked to our friends and family about gift giving and like that the youngsters get an “expertise” reward or one thing for crafts as a substitute.
By doing this stuff, we’ve observed the youngsters have much less anxiousness over toys and truly play higher than once they had extra toys to select from. In fact, we additionally prefer to play exterior typically, and for them, that’s higher than toys any day!
The best way to Downsize Motion pictures
We do love to look at a very good household film, particularly within the winter, to go a number of the lengthy, chilly days. I truly moved all of our motion pictures into the camper and realized how a lot house the packing containers had been taking over. So I purchased just a few of those dvd cases, took all the DVDs out of the plastic circumstances, and put them in these.
I cleaned out at the least two massive black rubbish luggage stuffed with DVD circumstances simply because they take up a lot house! Now all of our motion pictures might be simply discovered, and we don’t miss the circumstances in any respect.
Other than merely reorganizing DVDs into one massive DVD case, take the time to undergo and do away with any motion pictures you realize you’ll in all probability by no means watch once more. Generally, we purchase motion pictures after we ought to actually simply lease them, perhaps as a result of they’re on sale for a very good value or as a result of we expect we’ll like them greater than we do. There’s no level hanging onto these motion pictures and having them take up helpful house, particularly in a small residence.
These days, with on-demand film companies like Netflix and Amazon Prime, you hardly must have any bodily copies of flicks mendacity round anymore. But it surely’s all the time good to have your favorites readily available., simply as long as they’re effectively organized and never taking over helpful sq. footage!
I made the change to albums for my dvds over 5yrs in the past and have by no means regretted it! They take up so little room! I truly discovered ones that sit like a guide on our shelf with a spot for a lable so the boys have one and we’ve got one. Works nice!
Danielle, Little Home Dwelling reader
Downsizing Video games
This was the one largest “space-taker-upper” that we nonetheless had! We love board video games and have a fairly good assortment (we obtained many as wedding ceremony items!). However these packing containers are enormous and take up a lot house! Now bear with me right here…that is the one which my hubby thought I used to be loopy for eager to downsize. (Though now he’s glad I did it.)
I took every sport out of its field, positioned the enjoying items in a big gallon-size freezer bag, and labeled it with the sport identify. Then, I took all the sport boards and made a stack. We cleaned out all the packing containers and unneeded plastic components and put all the sport boards and items in a big trunk that we had in the lounge.
I child you not; I took away at the least 10 massive black rubbish luggage of sport packing containers and plastic fillers. A lot pointless house is being taken up! And identical to with the DVD circumstances, we don’t miss the packing containers for the video games in any respect.
I not hate our dvd assortment and video games now that we’ve performed this. Just a few of our video games we nonetheless maintain within the packing containers (normally those who journey to buddies homes for sport nights. However apart from that, out with the packing containers. I’m steadily downsizing in each space I can consider, or stand. It get simpler the older I get, and the extra we’ve moved. Once we are transferred, OUT goes every thing we don’t NEED or LOVE. It simply isn’t definitely worth the hassel. We additionally proceed to attempt to buy smaller properties, I hope to go smaller with our subsequent residence.
Patricia, Little Home Dwelling reader
Replace…..after a few years of retaining our sport items in zippered luggage, we’ve lastly upgraded! I’m now utilizing these easy storage packing containers to place the bigger sport items in. The boards are stacked inside our chest, after which items and playing cards are positioned into the packing containers proven above. I LOVE these a lot greater than the baggage or the unique packing containers as a result of:
- They’re all the identical measurement.
- They’re heavy-duty (don’t break or bend just like the packing containers).
- They match properly inside our storage chest and maintain all of the items collectively.
- They don’t pop open like the baggage.
- You’ll be able to arrange the items and playing cards contained in the packing containers, in contrast to the baggage.
Downsizing simply these three issues cleared out an enormous quantity of additional house for us, and I wager simply beginning with these three areas can do the identical for you. Then you’ll be able to transfer on to different areas like kitchen devices, toiletries, books, and knick-knacks.
In our greater home I might have by no means thought of doing this stuff, however out of necessity we’ve performed them now and I’m so joyful that we did.
Extra On Decluttering
Which areas of your own home might you’re employed on to create extra space? What are another “excessive downsizing” concepts that you’ve got for making extra space? Let me know within the feedback!
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been running a blog about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally printed 2 books on the subject. You’ll be able to examine Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You’ll be able to ship her a message any time from the Contact Page.
This weblog put up on The best way to Set up Downsize Toys and Video games was initially printed on Little Home Dwelling in January 2015. It has been up to date as of January 2024.
