Downsizing to a smaller home can be tough on the whole family as some valuable space will be lost and some belongings will have to be parted with. Some adjustments to come are bound to be inconvenient or uncomfortable, but there are a few things you can do to make downsizing a little easier on everyone involved. Consider implementing one or more of the following ideas:

Make Purging Profitable

An effective way to make everyone feel good about getting rid of some of their belongings is to make the process profitable for everyone involved. Instead of holding an overall household garage sale with everything mingled together, allow everyone to st up and sell their own stuff at the event and keep the profits. Of course, family members can help one another with each others' garage sales, but the idea is to give the person giving away some of their belongings some power when it comes to when they'll be sold, how much they're sold for, and the format in which they are sold.

Invest in a Storage Facility

Chances are that your family won't want to get rid of everything that won't fit into the scope of your new home's design right away. Renting a storage facility is an effective way to enable your household to hold on to some of the belongings they love without cluttering up your new home. Place a few utility shelves in the storage unit and give each family member a shelf to store their stuff on.

You can then plan a trip or two to the unit each month so those who want to store something or get something of storage can do so on a regular basis. Choose a climate-controlled storage unit for optimal protection from exterior elements, such as rain and dust. These units are good at keeping moisture and mold buildup to a minimum, and they're typically built above flood levels to ensure that your belongings won't get damaged by water even in a storm.

For more information, talk to a company like Glenbrook Self Storage. 

Designate Some Personal Space

It's important to make sure that everyone in the household has their own personal space to rely on, so they don't feel too cramped or end up pressuring others out of spaces. If the new home isn't already set up with enough space indoors, consider revamping the garage or the yard to make enough room for everyone. The garage can be used as a playroom for young kids or a study room for teenagers. The back porch can be screened in and used as a home office or workout area. The idea is to work with what you have and expand on the extra space you find to make it useful for someone within your household.

Focus on Outside Activities

Focusing on various outside activities is a helpful way to make the adjustment of moving into a smaller home more comfortable and easy for everyone. Before even moving to the new place, sign your kids up for after-school activities that will keep them busy outside of the house a few times a week. Join a bowling league with your spouse, or participate in yoga classes when everyone else is at home as often as you can. By allowing everyone to sprawl out and spend time away from home, they'll likely better appreciate the space that they do have when spending time indoors. When everyone is at home, you can take advantage of the yard by having a picnic, playing a lawn game, or camping out for the night.

With the help of these tips and tricks, you and your family should find the process of downsizing to a smaller house less stressful and more pleasurable overall.