When conducting a move, any one item being out of place or not accounted for is enough to send you over the edge with stress and throw you completely off of your rhythm. A big issue in this is knowing what to pack and what do get rid of before the move itself. Letting go of things can be really difficult, especially if you haven’t moved in a while and have acquired a lot of sentimental items during your time at your current home. However, by consciously going through all of your things well ahead of time and really considering what is going to hinder your move in the long run, your relocation process can be made a lot easier.
How to Declutter Before a Move
Organize your items into ‘keep’, ‘donate’, ‘sell’, and ‘throw away’ sections. For items you want to sell, hold a garage sale, list them on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or sell them online. Bring your donations to a local drop off or to Goodwill – coats, blankets, electronics, appliances, and office equipment are the things these places really look for.
What Not to Pack When Moving
A good strategy to use when considering what to get rid of during a move is to make a list of how much you use each item, how much it’s worth, and how easy it is to replace. If you don’t use an expensive item that’s also easy to replace, get rid of it. The following are some things to cut down on:
- Clothing: It’s easy to end up with too many clothes in any situation, but when moving, over packing clothing can turn into a nightmare. Get rid of anything you don’t regularly use, and keep your favorites.
- Bulky/Heavy Items: Books, electronics, records and record players, and those sorts of household items are easy to load up on, but are really annoying to move. The golden rule is to get rid of it if you’ve already read it, or if it just collects dust in your corner. Don’t make your move harder than it has to be!
- Garage Items: Your garage can be a black hole of sorts for just throwing unused junk to the wayside. Clear out your garage first – it’s bound to be full of unwanted and forgotten about stuff that you can otherwise sell or get rid of.
- Appliances: Especially in the kitchen, it’s easy to acquire a lot of appliances that you don’t really use. Don’t weight yourself down during your move with that milkshake maker you’ve never touched – sell or get rid of it!
- Old Furniture: Don’t take more than you have to, especially if the furniture is really heavy. Plus, moving to a new place could be an opportunity to get some new furnishings and revamp your style furniture-wise!
When decluttering or organizing your items before a big move, it’s important to prioritize and simplify before the actual day of moving. It might be tempting to oversimplify and just get rid of everything, but that’s not a solution either. As long as you prioritize and take inventory of all of your things and get rid of anything that isn’t needed, you’ll be good to go.
