Just take a look around you. What do you see? Are you literally surrounded by a great deal of material things? Of course you are. For better or worse, we have reached the point in our existence where materialism has taken over our lives and is defining, to some extent, who we are. Although not (yet!) a rule set in stone, the more expensive things a person owns, and the greater their number, the richer he or she is considered by his or her peers.
Nowadays, the accumulation of material things over time is inevitable, and if you have lived under one roof for years and years, then that storage of personal items may have even become somewhat out of control. To make things even more interesting, if you’re about to move to another home, then the topical question of what things to get rid of when moving takes central stage.
Because get rid of unwanted items in your home you must.
Why you should get rid of your stuff when moving
Needless to say, the idea here is not to discard all of your possessions and move to your new residence only with the clothes on your back. The tough task ahead of you is to actually reduce the number of your earthly belongings to their absolute minimum prior to Moving day. And believe it or not, there are several excellent reasons why you should do just that:
- Money saving. It’s all about the money, right? Well, no matter what they say, when you find yourself in the middle of a house move, it surely is. Which is why you should know that having fewer items to transport can help you save big simply because the total weight of your shipment affects in direct proportion the final moving price.
- Money making. Speaking of money, to slim down the number of your stuff by selling unwanted items can contribute greatly towards your moving budget. As a result, the fresh dollar bills you pocket will cover part of the inescapable move related expenses. Not bad, eh?
- Time saving. This is a bit tricky yet perfectly valid reason to want to move with as few possessions as you possibly can. Tricky, for while you’re making up your mind what to keep and what to get rid of when moving, you will actually lose time. Yes, the process of inventorying your things and then sorting them out does require time, but those hours can never be compared to the days you will need to prepare, pack and transport all of the stuff you own.
- Space saving. Just think for a second whether all of your current household items will fit into your new home and match its interior design at the same time, and you might be unpleasantly surprised. Taking advantage of the best way to get rid of stuff when moving will save you precious space in your new residence.
How to decide what to get rid of when moving?
Without a doubt, you will be faced with some challenging decisions while inventorying and sorting through your possessions. Now, while the phrase “absolute minimum” can mean different things to different people, time tends to turn wanted items into unwanted ones, as well as valuable things into fairly valueless ones. Taste and preferences change, as do people’s needs, so it’s only normal that some household items will lose their value and meaning over time.
Be mindful that while deciding what to get rid of when moving, the best approach is the individual one. Go through each item and decide its fate by assigning one of the 4 possible labels to it: 1) vital, 2) valuable, 3) still usable, and 4) no longer needed or usable. To help you out while burdened with tough decisions, remember the famous rule of thumb which says that if you haven’t used a particular item in more than 12 months, then you can easily live without it.
GOOD TO KNOW: How to make a moving inventory
How to get rid of things when moving
Hopefully you will have done the right thing and will have set aside a big pile of household goods that you’re simply not taking with you for one of the reasons discussed above.
So far, so good. Now comes another set of tough decisions to make – what is the best way to get rid of unwanted things when moving?
- Sell stuff online. This is an excellent way to get rid of things when moving – that is, all the things that you won’t need but still have a good market value. Why not profit from your unwanted things? There isn’t a single reason why you shouldn’t. If you have the time and know what you’re doing, use proven e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay or Craigslist to pocket much needed cash from your no longer needed stuff. READ MORE: How to sell stuff online when moving
- Sell your items at a yard sale. A moving sale is a classic example of how to get rid of stuff when you are moving. Again, time is a key factor here, so if you happen to have plenty of time before your scheduled moving date, organize a profitable garage sale to become a double winner. SEE ALSO: How to have a garage sale before moving?
- Give away to friends. Now, selling unwanted items will earn you money, but if you’d rather earn appreciation from your friends or enjoy the look of happiness on the faces of your family members, you’re given a great opportunity to do that – just gift them all or some of the items you’ve decided to leave behind. Who cares about money anyway!
- Donate to charity. If you’re willing to go a step further, then this is the opportune time to show that you care for other less fortunate people than you, and that you’re a valuable member of your community. Donate various items to selected charitable organizations and prove that there’s still goodness in this cruel and unforgiving world.
- Recycle. Finally, if none of the options above seem like a good choice, and a number of the items you’re not moving to your new home are not worth keeping anyway, then they are good for one thing only – recycling. Find a suitable recycling center near your home and do what you thought you’d never do when you were purchasing those same articles.
