Moving into a new home certainly has its complications, but it also comes with a whole host of potentially wonderful opportunities. One of these is the chance it provides you to get rid of some of your clutter, and start your life at your new house on a fresh leaf.
Decluttering is always easier said than done, and you need to make sure that you take the right approach. From starting early to selling items rather than throwing them away, here’s how to develop an effective strategy for your next move.
Ask Yourself: When Did You Last Use This?
One effective way of decluttering is to ask yourself honestly when you last used something, whether it’s a bike or an item of clothing. Set yourself a time limit — say 6 months or a year — and if you haven’t used the item within that time frame, get rid of it.
Some things, like art and really sentimental items, won’t fall under this philosophy of course. That being said, it’s important that you’re open and honest about whether an item is legitimately sentimental in a positive way, or if you’re just holding onto it because it’s easier than letting it go.
Start early
Many people really struggle to get rid of things in a hurry. Decluttering is already a stressful process for a lot of people, and when you combine that with the stress of moving house, it can become overwhelming.
By starting the packing and decluttering process a few weeks before the actual move, you can give yourself the time and space to declutter in a calm, collected manner.
Starting early, combined with hiring other stress-reducing services such as Kiwi Movers, will likely enable you to get rid of a lot more ‘stuff’ than if you’d been forced to rush everything and take care of the move on your own.
Sell or give away
One of the hardest things about decluttering for a lot of people is the thought that the item is going to waste. If this is relevant to you, then try to think if you could give it to a friend who would appreciate it, donate it to charity, or sell it on a site like eBay.
Of course, not everything can be sold or even given away – a lot of your clutter will likely just be junk. Where you can donate or sell items, however, it can help to transform the experience into something that’s at least partially positive, whether you get to see the item appreciated and used by a friend or you receive a bit of cash for it.
Adopting these simple yet effective strategies should enable you to move into your new home with minimal clutter. It’s important to recognise how emotionally draining sorting through all of your stuff can be, and to give yourself the space and time to do so in a stress-free manner. In taking that space, you can visit past memories in a way that’s positive, rather than distressing and ultimately just too much.