There are a myriad of reasons why decluttering before a move makes sense. Some of these are:
- You will save time when you need to unpack at your new place
- You can get rid of old, useless items and replace them with newer, more efficient ones
- You reduce the stress that normally comes with moving, especially if you have a family. When you take time to declutter before the move, you don’t have to worry that you are leaving anything behind. Plus, clutter in your home is stress-inducing. Not only does it make the home less relaxing, it is difficult to find things when you need them.
- Remember that you pay by the size for the moving truck you rent. Why pay to move items that you will not need?
- You can make some money by selling the stuff you will not be taking with you by having a garage sale. Who doesn’t want a little extra cash?
You may even find that your moving company also offers long and short term storage options. This way, you can store some of the items you are not taking to your new home until you can properly cull them. This means less ‘junk’ is taken to your new space. This also gives you enough time to decide if you truly need the items you have in storage.
Since moving house can be a stressful situation in itself, you need to do everything possible to make it easier. Letting go of a lifetime of memories is difficult, but look at it as a brand new start elsewhere – an adventure. We didn’t say it would be easy, but taking it slowly by starting early will give you time to enjoy handling some items one last time. It also gives you an opportunity to pass on a beloved piece of furniture to a special family member who will get as much pleasure out of it as you did.