Using a moving company to move can be expensive. This is just one reason why you should take advantage of this busy time to declutter your space. This will help you not only pay less when moving, but it can also help you finally get rid of those items that you don’t need anymore. Simply the Best Movers offers many services to help make your move a breeze, especially if you need hot tub movers in Calgary or other big items moved. You can worry about decluttering, and we can handle getting your items to where they need to go. Here are some of the best tips for decluttering before your move.
Give Yourself Time to Declutter
This isn’t a task that you want to take until the last minute to complete. This should be done long before the movers show up to pack what you want. You should plan for decluttering at least two weeks prior to your move. Ideally, you should give yourself more time, depending on how much stuff you have. Schedule just a few hours every day to go through your items, separating them by what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of. Work in small chunks, like only rooms or parts of rooms every day.
Don’t Buy. Reuse
Do you tend to stockpile items? If so, this is the time to start using up that stockpile before leaving. If you still have a lot, consider donating or selling any unopened items that you have to make money and save money on your move. If you do run out before you move, only buy small bottles or packages of those items as needed. You only need just enough to get to your move-out date.
Start with the Easy Items
It’s easy to get overwhelmed about getting rid of items that meant so much to you. This is why you should save those special items for last. Marie Kondo has the perfect approach when it comes to getting rid of items and living a minimalist life. She says that you should only keep items that “spark joy”, and anything else you can just get rid of. Do you really need 5 sets of sheets? Only keep the ones that spark joy. Separating items that truly spark joy can be a lot easier when you’re not working with those sentimental items.
When you get to sentimental items, you may have decluttered enough without having to get rid of items that mean something special to you. If you still need to get rid of items, continue with the Marie Kondo approach. But you may find that you’re happier following the minimalist movement rather than having a bunch of stuff.
Have Three Boxes for Each Room
It can be helpful if you use 3 boxes in every room. One box should be for the items that you’re going to keep. Another box for items that you want to donate or sell. The final box should be for items that you’re going to throw away. As you start to go through the space, organize items in that way. This can make the process a little less overwhelming for you.
Don’t Let Emotions In
Earlier, it was suggested to use the Marie Kondo approach of determining if an item sparked joy. That is a more emotional approach to determining which items you should get rid of, but it can be especially helpful with your sentimental items. With everything else, you want to make the practical choice. When going through items, first think about how long it’s been since you used the item. How often do you use that item? Do you really need it? These are all practical questions that you should be asking when you are decluttering.
Check Items Expiration Dates
Chances are, as you go through things, you’ll notice that things are expired in the bathroom and kitchen. Before packing items in these spaces, take a careful look at the expiration dates, especially on medications, makeup, or spices. This can easily help you free up a lot of space and you should be replacing these items anyways with non-expired ones.
Think About Moving and Decluttering Cost
The first thing that you should consider is how much money it will cost to move with all of your items, even items that you don’t really need. This can make your move even more expensive when you could just get rid of the items that you don’t need.
There’s also the money that you could potentially get from selling the items that you don’t need. If they are in good condition, you may be able to sell them for a decent amount of money. This means instead of spending the extra money to move; you can pocket some extra money to pay for the move or to get new items for your new place.
If you decide to dispose of the items, read our “How to Dispose of Unwanted Items” guide.
Digitalize as Much as Possible
There are digital options that can easily take place of a lot of your physical stuff. For instance, you can digitize your CDs, DVDs, and photographs, which allows you to keep these items without having to have the physical items take up precious space. You can also scan copies of certain types of paperwork that you may want to keep, but you don’t necessarily need the hard copies of them such as old tax documents or any bills that you are saving for whatever reason.
Conclusion
Decluttering can be a difficult thing to do. After you search “movers near me”, start the decluttering process. It’s less overwhelming when you can take your time with it, rather than rushing at the last minute to get rid of items that you no longer need.