Whenever anyone is moving out of their home, you’re bound to hear the phrase “We just want more space”. It’s our number one complaint. We have too little of it and are too quick to fill it. But the housing market isn’t kind to buyers right now, so we’re looking for ways we can create space in the home we have right now. Read on to see how we’re creating more space in our homes.
Have a clear out
The first step to more space in your home is to throw out anything you don’t need. A clear out can almost be therapeutic. It can feel like starting over, creating a blank space for new possibilities, or even simply creating more space in your mind. A cluttered space can get overwhelming for your mind, which, in turn, means less motivation to look after your environment.
Take it slow if you are feeling overwhelmed. That drawer with almost nothing in it? Those saved can taps can go in the bin. The sock drawer? Just separate intact socks from holey ones. Before you know it, you’ll have a piece of furniture that is organised and hopefully a bin bag full of stuff for the charity shop or the dump.
Store what you don’t need
If you simply cannot part permanently with some things, they can instead go into a storage unit. That crib or wedding dress you’re saving for your children, the winter clothes when it’s June, the six other guitars while you practice on the one you always loved, it can all go into storage.
In a Safestore unit, these things will be well protected from the elements or grubby fingers, and you can access them whenever you like. Put any furniture, clothes or other items that are taking up space, into a storage unit and only pull out what you need in the moment.
It might even do you some good in the long run. If, the next time you open your unit, you’re realising that you didn’t really miss most of what’s in there, it’s time for another, stricter clear out.
Use vertical space
There is a lot of wall space that we could be using that we’re not. Yes, that artsy poster you bought is beautiful, but can you put a set of shelves there? Or a tall bookcase? A set of wall shelves will allow you to put a desk under them for a little office corner. Useful for the working from home tenant.
Along the same lines, loft beds have gone drastically up in quality over the past few years. We’re no longer talking about a child’s bunk bed with a ladder, but a bed you can comfortably step into, with the support for two adult bodies on a double or king-sized mattress. Go for something with storage underneath or use the space to add a sofa or gaming nook.
Don’t fill it all up again
This is the hardest part. We keep spotting nice things in the shops, we’re buying more books, films, games, and music, not to mention clothes. In a time of scrimping every penny, it’s important for a few reasons to limit our spending.
Start keeping lists of things you want at payday. When payday comes and you realise you don’t care about any of those things anymore, you’ll know not to buy them. Plus, if you go out with a list, even a non-food shopping list, the same rules apply – you’ll buy what you are looking for and ignore the rest.