Moving? 25 Things To Get Rid Of Now
By Pamela Wong
Pamela is a Trained Professional Organizer based in Oakville, Ontario and is the owner of Zen N Organized. She helps homeowners and small business owners transform their homes and home offices into organized spaces. She has a practical, non-judgemental approach to organizing. Her objective is to create functional and harmonious spaces for her clients.
If you are planning to move next month or within the next year, you will want to spend a couple of minutes to read this.
Whether you are moving into a new home or relocating your office, many of us get overwhelmed with everything that’s involved with the whole process. From the stress that goes hand in hand with packing, to the amount of money needed to be spent, moving can be overwhelming.
Why you should declutter before moving
But I am here to remind you that if you do a little prep work, you can save more than just time and money and after decluttering, you will have less to pack.
- Supplies – now that there are less items to pack, you will also need less packing supplies.
- Time – with less to pack, you will finish packing faster.
- Costs – with less needed supplies and subsequent lower moving and transportation costs, you will save more money.
- Space – Less stuff means more space in your new home;
- Worry – Instead of saying, “That’s one less thing to worry about.”, now you can say that you have quite a few less things to worry about.
Now that we’ve talked about the why, let’s talk about the how.
How do you decide whether you need the item or not?
Having to decide on whether you should keep an item is about asking yourself the right questions. When you are unsure of an answer or if you feel that you need to make an unbiased judgement, then try asking yourself these questions:
- Do you need the item?
- Does it serve it’s purpose based on your current lifestyle?
- Do you love it?
- Is it in good condition?
- How often do you use it?
- What happens if you don’t have it?
- What is the replacement cost?
- Is it worth the prime real estate in your new home?
- Does it have a sentimental value?
25 things to get rid of now
Other than going through the process and determining whether you need to keep it and pack it, here’s a list of 25 things that you can get rid of now:
- Trendy things – you might have purchased them on an impulse or may be they were “in” at the time, but you now realize that you’ve only used them a couple of times. Now is the time to say goodbye to them
- Gadgets – outdated electronics (VHS and VHS players, CDs and for some people DVDs are also outdated), old laptops, old TVs
- Torn/ripped clothing and shoes
- Clothes that no longer fit your current lifestyle or just don’t fit (be honest)
- Accessories – get rid of the old and broken; donate any that are still in good condition.
- Broken/chipped items – jewellery, mugs/plates
- Expired stuff – food, medicine, vitamins etc. Also old spices and sauces from your pantry and fridge – add link to other blogpost
- Old products and samples – makeup or perfume samples, old makeup brushes, hairbrushes, old toiletries
- Electronics and tools that no longer work
- Décor pieces and trinkets that are outdated/worn/ripped
- Outdated furniture or those that won’t fit into the new home
- Old/broken appliances – In my past clients’ homes, I have come across broken freezers, old fridge from the 70s all in the basement
- Empty bottles – beer/wine bottles, empty bottles of cleaning supplies, bottles/jars/containers from the kitchen pantry and fridge
- Old/dirty rags, brooms, sponges
- Old linens – bedsheets and towels…stained, faded, ripped
- Plastic/reusable bags and containers – Tupperware with missing lids,
- Old documents that are no longer needed (insert some pictures from the 70s and 80s from jobs)
- Junk Drawer – if you have one of these at home, now is the time to go through it and get rid of all the stuff that you no longer need.
- Dusty old books
- Clutter in the garage or basement – boxes you have not opened in years
- Old paint, paintbrushes
- Stationery – pens and markers that are dried out, donate the freebies that are still in good condition.
- Arts and Crafts Supplies or other items for your hobbies that you haven’t used
- Toys – if broken or if you children have now outgrown them
- Old gym/exercise equipment – step master, ripped yoga mats or the old treadmill or exercise bikes that you have been using them to hang your clothes
Get Packing
Ready to spend a little time now to save some time down the road?
Want to save some money without having to pack stuff that you are never going to use?
Then let’s make some space by editing what you have, one item at a time!
