De-Cluttering before The Big Move

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Decluttering for a move is different than just decluttering for general purposes. Many people use a storage unit for excess furniture and sentimental items they want to keep but temporarily need a place to store them. Here is a list of helpful tips that we found online at artofhappymoving dot com.

  1. Think about how much money is at stake – It’s a costly decision to wait to declutter until after your move. For one thing you are moving things that you don’t need or want anymore. It’s a waste of time, energy, and ultimately money. When you declutter, you can make money by selling items, or donating them to charity. You will save money by using less packing supplies and maybe even renting a smaller truck . Your budget and your wallet will thank you for decluttering before moving.
  1. Start with the heavy stuff and the easiest to pack – Books are a great place to start. Even if you are drowning in books, it’s a fairly easy category to get through. You don’t need to try them on and your not getting sucked into a project you have been putting off like scrap-booking or organizing your pictures from 30 years ago. Now is not the time to be taking a trip down memory lane.
  1. Tackle by category – not by room. This means if you are starting with books, gather every single book you own from all corners of the house before moving on. Go to the attic, basement, office, closet and find them all. Then lay out each book and decide which one you want to keep. There are many places to donate locally. Find one you like and bless someone else.
  1. Set up five piles – Pack (keep), display, sell, donate, and trash. Keeping garbage bags handy for your trash and donate piles is essential to a smooth project. The boy scouts have different color trash bags to help differentiate donate vs trash. If you are donating, write each item down for tax purposes. If you are selling, go ahead and take a picture right away so you can list it online later. There will be some “keep” items you can store for now, and some that you will want to use to stage your house for sale. Get with your local real estate agent for staging tips and tricks.

5.Rephrase the question in your head – Don’t ask yourself “Should I get rid of this?” Instead ask “Do I want to pack, move, and then unpack this in my new home?” You need to decide if these items in question bring you joy. Is it worth the money and hassle to move it? Will it make you happy? If the answer is Yes, then by all means, place it in your keep pile for saving.

  1. If you are a “Keeper” ask for help – Invite a friend, your mom, or an expert organizer (yes that really is a thing). Sometimes having another set of eyes to help you through the process and motivate you to declutter things that you won’t really want in your new place.

Good luck with your move and happy decluttering – You will feel so much better once it’s all over and you are unpacked in your new space. For more tips and tricks on organizing your home, check out other blogs on abudgetselfstorage.com/blog