Declutter Before You Make The Move
Have you ever stopped for a moment and really thought of how many things that you own in your home you actually need and use? Most probably the answer to this question is no. People naturally find it difficult to let go of their personal belongings. Over the years your home will accumulate all sorts of interesting items. It could be the sentimental value of these things that draws people to them or simply the fact I may need it again and I have space in the house, so why would I throw it away? So the accumulation of old objects like TV’s, appliances, clothes, documents begins. Eventually the shelves and closets become full and the items you no longer use begin to migrate over to the attic, the basement and other dark and dusty corners of your house.
Moving to a new home will normally open up your eyes to this and make you understand how many things you own that you don’t actually need or use at all. Of course those of us who are a little bit lazy will turn a blind eye and just pack everything anyway, but you should really stop and think about it, as moving to a new home is an ideal chance to de-clutter. Moving is a new start and a new blank page in your life, which starts of clean. So why not free yourself from all the unnecessary junk instead of carrying it with you? Trust me if you do this you are going to feel fresher and more energized than ever!
There are many ways that you can approach this, but let’s look at the following method:
STEP 1 – MAKE THE DECISION & STICK WITH IT
Things are often more easily said than done, we all know this saying. If you make the decision to de-clutter stick with it no matter how hard it will be to let go when it comes to that moment. Your mind will browse through multiple reasons to keep something instead as you will naturally be drawn to these items by memories. Well, new memories are there to be created so don’t give in!
STEP 2 – DE-CLUTTER CHECKLIST
To help you go through and organize the belongings that will be left behind on this trip, you can put together a quick checklist. A common list of items will include:
Duplicate Item’s
You may be surprised but you might come across two or three or more identical items. Keep only one unless you really need it. The rest goes into the de-clutter pile.
Clothes
Take your time to go through your wardrobe as there is lot you can get rid of in there. Take out the clothes that you haven’t worn in the last year, those that are too small or faded as well as the ones that are no longer in fashion can hit the de-clutter pile.
Forgotten Items
Once you start digging into every corner of your old home you will begin to discover all sorts of things that you probably forgot even existed. Use the 1 year rule in this case. If it’s something that you haven’t used during the last 12 months you are probably not going to use at all. Add these to the de-clutter pile.
Unused Furniture
You may also have various items of furniture that have been stranded around your house gathering dust over the years. Get rid of these too.
Redundant Paperwork
Normally there’s plenty of that around the house. It could be old documents, newspapers, magazines, invoices etc. This kind of stuff will most definitely take up unnecessary space in your new home so it is probably a good time to part with them. Be careful though not to throw away any important documents.
DVDs CD’s & Tapes
Everything is becoming digital these days including music and movies and you might have some old DVDs and CDs stashed away in the attic or the basement. Not only that you don’t really listen to them anymore your probably won’t have something to play them on within a couple of years. This is a good chance to get rid of them.
Anything Broken
We all have items in our house that break from time to time. Some that are important get fixed or replaced. Some on the other hand get left behind because despite telling yourself that you will fix them on the weekend, you simply forget about it. It’s now time to identify these items and add them to the de-clutter category. If you haven’t fixed it by now, it’s probably not that important.
Once you have gone through all the things and identified those that you will saying goodbye to, don’t rush with simply throwing them away. There are many people who are in a difficult situation in life and may have some use for these. Speak to a local second hand shop or charities and see if any of your unwanted things could be passed on to the needy families or individuals. You can also sell some of these items if you have the time. Check out some local newspapers and online classifieds as you may be able to earn a buck or two and use it to cover some of the moving expenses. If you live in the right neighborhood you can also hold a quick garage sale. There are many people around that could use something you have and want to get rid of.
Remember that de-cluttering is a great experience when making a new, clean start, so don’t hesitate to let go!