Small spaces look best with minimal furniture and organized storage.

Living downtown gives you easy access to cultural events, great food and public transit, but higher property prices mean you'll likely end up with a relatively small space to come home to. With some organization, however, you can survive (and even thrive) with meager square footage.

Conquer Clutter

There's nothing that makes a small space feel cramped more than having too much stuff. Curbing your clutter before you move in will keep you from getting overwhelmed on moving day.

How do you choose what to keep and what to pitch? Don Aslett, author of Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time to De-Junk Your Life, says to give each item the same test.

"How long you've had it, who gave it to you, how much it cost -- all that's irrelevant," says Aslett. "Just ask yourself 'Does this enhance my life right now?'"

If you haven't touched it in two years, it goes. Ditch anything you have in duplicate. If you have children who live elsewhere, tell them to pick up their stuff or it'll get sent to the curb. Leave behind notorious clutter items like unfinished projects, unread books and paint and cleaning products that are more than half empty.

Once you've sorted out the keepers, have a yard sale. Remember, the more you sell the less you have to pack and pay to move. Be willing to accept lower offers for those hard-to-sell items, especially if it is something that will end up collecting dust in your new home. Consider donating unsold items to your favorite charity.

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