Decluttering before moving house is great for many reasons:
- it means you move less stuff, which saves time and money,
- you have less to unpack at the other end, which means less boxes sitting around the house for months on end, and
- you can start fresh at your new place without the weight of a lot of junk on you.
In the months leading up to your move, give considerable thought to what you take with you, consider how you want your new home to look when packing and ask yourself – do you really want to take those items that are never used or take up space?
Not sure if you can do it? Try these tips enable you to successfully let go of items you no longer need:
Acquired, not deliberately chosen
Let go of items you have acquired over the years and didn’t deliberately chose. For example, it may have been something you inherited from a friend or family member, as they no longer wanted it but didn’t want throw it away either!
Joy or misery?
We surround ourselves with things that make us happy or remind us of a happy time. But some items no longer bring the same joy and actually give us feelings of sadness or even misery. Stand back and think, without any bias, do I really need this? Let go of the item and the negative feelings that go with it.
No longer seen
If you are at the point where you don’t notice that statue, painting or arm chair, it’s an indicator you may not need it anymore. Try and think if others could get better use out of it than you have and donate the item to a local charity.
Outgrown
Our needs change over time; our children grow up, we change jobs and technology changes too. Which items have you outgrown that you don’t need to take to the next stage of your life?
No space for it
Consider the size of your new home and only keep what will comfortably fit instead of trying to cram everything in. Draw up a floor plan to scale and allocate space for each item before you make the effort to take it with you and realise there’s no room
I hope this blog helps you feel you are no longer obligated to hang onto stuff you don’t like, has no use any longer or has served its purpose. I ask you, what’s the first item you are going to let go?
Guest post provided by Julie Cliff, Founder and Professional Organiser at Space and Time
Space and Time offers decluttering coaching, online programs, tools and templates to get you started on your own decluttering journey (or one-on-one hands-on help if it’s all too much). Visit spaceandtime.com.au for all the resources.