Moving house is a major step in your life, whether you are going somewhere smaller or larger than your current property. A lot of planning goes into the move, and you often have to prepare weeks in advance, making sure that everything is properly arranged.
However, many people forget to actually downsize before they start packing. If you are moving house – especially to a much smaller property – then you may not have as much space to keep all of your accumulated trinkets. The more you keep, the harder the move becomes.
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Downsizing and cutting down the number of items that you bring with you can be important and might help you get rid of some items that you are keeping for no good reason. But how do you do it?
Check What You Own
Always start by looking at what you actually own. Ideally, you want a full inventory of everything that you own, then you want to cull out the things that you have not been using. Keeping something small with sentimental value is fine, but an old bike eats up a lot of space for no good reason.
This also helps you track down things that you did not even remember buying – items that you should probably just get rid of. These are often larger things that you have stored somewhere and forgotten about, and you usually will not want to take them anyway.
Remember that you do not have to throw away everything. There might be old appliances or possessions that you would rather give to somebody else, or even some old art that might be worth selling. The important part is minimizing how much you are taking with you.
Go From Room To Room
Each room in your home will have a different purpose, and there is usually going to be a similar space in your new home. However, it is important to make sure that you are cutting down on how much you bring, and that means looking at each room individually.
For example, your kitchen will likely have some duplicate appliances or tools, things that you only really need one of. Getting rid of these duplicates helps, especially if you know that there are similar appliances at your new home anyway.
This can also make it much easier to deal with specific spaces. Instead of getting distracted by other parts of the house, choosing to focus on only one room at a time can ensure that you have completely cleared it out. Sometimes following a strict schedule can help with this, too.
Throw Away Unwanted Items
A lot of people will find unwanted things, put them to one side, and then leave them there. Try to motivate yourself to throw them away – it often only takes a few extra minutes of your day to get things tossed out or bagged up for donation somewhere, and the extra space will be worth it.
Renting a dumpster from a company like Eagle Dumpster Rental is a good option since this allows you to toss large amounts of unwanted items or other assorted trash with minimal effort. If you time it correctly, you can even keep this dumpster until the day before you move to handle last-minute discoveries.
Use whatever methods you like to get rid of old items, but remember to actually get rid of them. Moving them into bags and leaving them in the corner still takes up room in your house, and you want them to be completely gone before you move.
It might also be a good opportunity to build good waste-disposal habits before you move. If you have always struggled with staying motivated enough to throw things away regularly, then use your move as a chance to ‘train’ yourself into a more consistent cleaning routine.
Don’t Underestimate Storage
Storage is both a blessing and a curse. It is great to be able to store things that you no longer need, but it also means that you will lose track of smaller items. If you are not using something, then it is taking up room for no reason and will contribute to the moving problem.
Look through your current storage and make sure that you identify anything that you no longer need. You might be storing a load of old possessions that have no use and no real sentimental value, so getting rid of them can take a lot of weight off your shoulders and make moving much simpler.
On the other hand, storage is also a great tool for keeping smaller things together. Do not hesitate to put things in boxes and bags, even if you normally would not –it can help you make the most of your limited vehicle space and simplify the unpacking process once you arrive.
Build A Relaxed Schedule
The less time you give yourself, the harder it becomes to properly downsize and clean out your home before you move. If you are rushing everything, then you might make irrational decisions or get rid of things that actually have value to you.
This is also a good reason why you should ask for help if you need it. Get friends or family involved, and do not be afraid to offer unwanted items to others, especially things like appliances that you do not want to take with you. The more time you have, the better the results will be.
If you are already close to the moving date, then do not stress too much. As long as the clean-up is done before you leave, then you will be fine. It is better to slow down and assess things properly, even if that means taking a whole afternoon to casually sort through your home.
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