Moving home can be an eye-opener in terms of realizing just how much stuff you’ve accumulated over the years. Decluttering is an essential aspect of an efficient home move, but it’s not always as easy as it seems. Figuring out what to keep and what to get rid of is tricky, especially when some items have sentimental value. Follow this short guide and get rid of the things you don’t need a little more easily.
Sort Your Items Into Categories
Once you’ve realized that you own too many things, it’s time to start categorizing. Try and keep things simple with for main categories:
- Essential — this may include furniture, clothes, cookware, and family heirlooms.
- Valuables — you may put jewelry and appliances in this category.
- Nice to have — these items aren’t necessary, but you may still want to keep a few of them.
- Unnecessary — items you no longer use or that have become too worn or broken to keep.
Don’t agonize over this step, as you can always move items from one category to another later. Make sure the whole household gets involved so you don’t accidentally throw away someone’s precious memories.
Sell Items Where Possible
If you have high-quality goods that simply won’t have a place in your new home, consider selling them. While this can take time, you can save the money to help buy new stuff for your next place. Or you could save the money you make towards your next big purchase.
Donate Anything Leftover
Reusable items that aren’t worth selling can always be donated to friends or family. If they really don’t want them, find out if there’s a charity or thrift store taking donations in your local area.
For the items you really can’t shift, consider recycling them where possible to minimize the environmental impact of your move.
Key Takeaways:
- Sort your belongings into four groups: must-take, valuable, unwanted/unneeded, and useless.
- Selling unwanted items online takes time, but you can also have a moving sale at your home.
- You can also give items away to friends, donate them to charity, or recycle them.
“And naturally, things are perfectly fine until the moment comes when circumstances force you to move to another home, often in another city or a different state.”
Read more: https://www.themovingblog.com/get-rid-of-stuff-when-moving/