The sooner you start packing, the easier a move will be, says Georgetown Moving & Storage. Six to eight weeks ahead, start cleaning out the so-called storage areas — closets, attic, garage, and basement — using the keep/donate/trash sorting method. Once anything you want to donate is culled out (four to six weeks ahead), contact ClothingDonations.org for a pickup and procure packing supplies for the stuff you want to keep. Two to four weeks ahead, pack up all of your inessentials, labeling everything so you can integrate it into the new home quickly. A week out, pack up anything you’ll want to have at your fingertips the minute you land in your new home.
Tag: Moving Tips
Moving? Don’t Forget to Declutter
The average American will move 11.4 times in his or her lifetime, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And the Organizing Blog thinks that summer 2019 may be more mobile than most — those orange box trucks seem to be everywhere this season, taking people and their stuff across town and across the country.
One thing is certain: Moving is not easy, and it gets harder as you accumulate more stuff. Everything you keep has to go into boxes and onto that truck, and the more you have, the longer it takes and the more it costs. There is a solution, however; and that’s to keep less stuff. #Declutter before you move, and the process will be (somewhat) less of a burden.
A pre-relocation #decluttering differs from an everyday decluttering (although if you’ve followed the Organizing Blog’s advice consistently, you’ll already have limited your possessions to only the essentials). For one thing, says The Art of Happy Moving, you’ll want to declutter by category rather than room so that you pack like items together.
Begin with the heavy stuff — books, records, etc. Even if you’re an avid collector, the less of these weighty items you keep, the better your friends/movers will manage. Have extra boxes and bags available as you pack; seal up the things you want to “Keep,” sort out what you want to “Donate,” and “Trash” anything that too broken, outdated or dilapidated to use immediately.
Set the donation bags and boxes aside and contact ClothingDonations.org for a pickup. Once some of the trashed and donated items are out of the way, you’ll have more room to carefully pack up the things you want — and likely be ready to #declutter more of the things you don’t want more aggressively.
Pack three or four boxes of keepers per day, Nourishing Minimalism suggests, and start well ahead of the move so that you have plenty of time to get the place cleaned when the zero hour finally arrives. It’s toward the end of the packing phase when things can get frantic; random objects will wind up in boxes together — some essential, most not.
While it’s an incredible chore that brings lots of stress, moving is the perfect opportunity to edit nonessential stuff out of your life for good. When you unpack only the things you need and cherish in your new home, you’ll be glad you decluttered before the move.
Home is Where the Heart (and the Stuff) Is!
Summer represents different things for all of us. For some of us, it means spending hours sitting beside a pool or lying on a beach soaking in the sun. For others, it’s a time for summer camps, fun summer school classes, and taking family vacations.
For some of us, though, summer is a great time to move. The weather is great, and the temperature is warm, which makes this a favorable time to move. That being said, moving is often a task that people do not enjoy. Depending on how many items you own, packing can take forever, and trying to stay organized in your packing endeavors can be stressful. Then, on top all the packing, you have to make sure your old home is spotlessly clean.
All of this combines to create an emotional experience. It’s not easy to move all of your possessions from your old home that was filled with memories to a place that is brand new and feels more like a house than a home.
Fortunately, Michelle Sandlin recently wrote an article, “On the move: Be prepared for physical move when relocating, ” and she has some good ideas for making the moving process go as smoothly as possible.
Sandlin suggests scheduling a pre-move consultation with your moving company. Meeting them beforehand, as well as developing a strategy for moving your possessions, will make the process less stressful for you. Sandlin also suggests moving important items yourself, such as expensive jewelry, passports, social security cards, etc.
Another idea is to be as organized as possible. Consider taking inventory of each room in your house, and make a list of all the items that need to move to your new place. Then, if you come across items that you no longer want or need, make a list of items you’d like to donate. Place these items in a donation box, and fill out a donation pickup request form on our website. ClothingDonations.org will be more than happy to help you move by donating your items to someone who needs them!
Happy moving!