Moving Long Distance? 4 Categories Of Stuff To Painlessly Purge
Most people want to downsize their belongings before long distance moving. This is a smart choice because you save time, energy, space, and money on the move itself. These things really add up when transporting everything you own from city to city or from state to state.
But if you are finding it hard to downsize your stuff, there are a few easy ways to go about it. To get you started, consider ridding yourself of these categories of items that can often be removed without much fuss.
1. Duplicates. Most households accumulate duplicates — even two, three, or four versions of the same item with the same or equal function. You can generally get rid of things with duplicated functions without losing that functionality. Check around in particular areas that suffer from duplicate buildup — the kitchen, garage, kids' rooms, and bathrooms — and choose the most functional or best condition version to keep.
2. Items That Won't Fit. Do you know the dimensions and layout of your new place? Then use this to weed out items that simply won't fit in your new home. This could be anything from a sectional sofa or oversize master bed to unnecessary tools or kitchen appliances. Make the decision to get rid of anything that won't fit so you don't have to do the work at your new home.
3. Outdated Goods. The modern age moves rapidly, but many homes still have belongings from earlier periods. Keep an eye out for stored decor from prior home makeovers or themes, tools you don't use, kids' gear that has been outgrown, outdated technology, or paraphernalia from prior pets. You can purge these items without losing anything you currently want.
4. Kids' Stuff. Getting rid of your kids' belongings is a hard call for most parents. But what if you simply transferred their stuff to them instead of keeping it all yourself? If your adult children are in a position to have their own homes, give them the responsibility and right to hold on to their own childhood belongings — including stuffed animals, clothing, furnishings, and school paraphernalia. Keep a few mementos, but give those of lesser importance to the kids.
If you focus on purging your home of just these four categories of items, you're sure to see a big difference in no time. And then you can pack up and move with confidence, knowing that you were able to downsize but aren't losing anything that you really value or need.