Whether you are doing it for the first or you have done this many times, moving from your current home to a new one is no easy task. From finding a new school for your kids to familiarizing yourself with your new neighborhood, you will be confronted with a series of challenges.
But if there are one major stumbling block families almost always succumb to, it would be packing their belongings. And it’s not just packing belongings into boxes and bins. More than that, it’s knowing which items to bring to the new home and which ones to throw away, sell, or donate.
Why decluttering before a movie makes perfect sense
The old rocking chair Dad has been promising to repair. The diecast cars collection Junior barely remembers owning. The clothes that you have outgrown (or that have fallen out of fashion). Do you plan on bringing those along with you to your new abode?
According to trusted Sydney removalists, moving stuff you no longer need can cost you more than money. For one, you’ll need to exert more effort packing things that will essentially stay in the boxes you packed them into. And most likely, they’ll take up space that you might want to use for other important things, like a nursery or a home office.
Taking inventory of the things to keep, throw, sell, or donate prior to a move makes perfect sense for a few reasons.
- For starters, you are in the process of going over your things. It will be easier for you to declutter before a move, compared to going through your belongings on any other day.
- Second, you are saying goodbye to your emotional attachment to your home. In a sense, that process of detachment makes it easier for you to part with the things that are no longer essential to you and your family.
- Finally, at this stage, you probably have a mental idea of the layout you like for your new home. Decluttering will help you better decide how to utilize available space in your new home.
Choosing items to sell, throw, or donate
By no means is decluttering a simple process. Sometimes, your emotional attachment can get in the way. Often, the sheer number of items you have to wade through can be exhausting.
Here are a few simple steps that will help streamline the process for you.
Sell
If you are planning on selling some of your belongings, there are two crucial things to ask yourself: Do you have the resources (time, effort) to handle the sale of your things? Will your projected profit be greater than the cost of organizing the sale?
If you are planning to earn some money from your unwanted items, it is worthwhile to answer both questions, specifically the last one. On the other hand, if you simply want to dispose of your belongings, you may want to consider other options like donating these.
Donate
One of the worst things that you can do when donating items is to think that your intended recipients will be grateful to you, no matter what the state of those items is.
Before considering items for donation, there are three important criteria to consider:
- Is the item in working condition?
- How does it look?
- Is it worth anything to the recipients?
Unless the items meet these criteria, you are better off throwing these away. Otherwise, you are only giving the charity organization more work to do.
Throw
Throwing away items, especially those that you have possessed for a long time, can be a difficult task.
The general rule to follow here is if you do not need it and you can’t donate or sell it, it is better to throw it away. Don’t let your attachment hold you back from decluttering.
Get help
Whether you are sorting your things or packing these, a little help can go a long way.
During the decluttering stage, call in your friends and loved ones to help you sort your items. And for your move, entrust your precious items in the hands of reliable interstate removalists.