Quick clarification for these moving ideas before we get started: I realize it is possible to move in one day. I just happened to start our moving process 5 weeks before we move to make the process as painless for us as possible because, like most of you out there, we are busy people and we would rather not spend a lot of time stressing out about packing and breaking stuff. I have moved houses and dorm rooms, and once we moved halfway across the country without breaking or losing a single item. The move coming up with be my 12th move. Feel free to leave comments with suggestions and your experiences, but also remember you don't have to listen to anything I have to say. These posts are strictly about how I am approaching this particular move. And I'm choosing to be as OCD as possible for small bursts of time because I feel that's easier than throwing things in boxes willy-nilly, and we have the luxury of time on our side. So, without further adieu...
Week 4: Get Rid of Your Junk...Seriously
I study in the school of "throwin' out your crap when you don't know what to do with it anymore." I am all about purging our household of unnecessary items, and about twice a year we will go through closets and find items to donate. I find that sometimes people are offended by my lack of emotional attachment to physical objects. BUT I do save things that are meaningful to me. I still have the teddy bear from before I was born, pictures from my childhood, my preschool graduation robe, and toys my grandfather made for me. And they are well-preserved in labeled storage containers. I just choose what objects mean the most to me physically (most of the aforementioned items are being saved for my children) and keep those around. The rest get tossed unless they serve some useful purpose. For example: I loved my Barbies growing up. I had BOXES of Barbie crap. I remember the great times playing Barbies with my mom and my friends, and how jealous they all were of my awesome stuff. However, I have none of those Barbies left because the memories are more important than the physical objects. Books, on the other hand, are always useful. Unless they are turning to dust I will hold on to those suckers for as long as I can (thanks for the new bookshelf, Dad!).
This week Steve and I are tossing out the junk and replacing some of it with new junk. In case you have problems with this step, here are some of the guidelines I like to follow:
- For clothes: If you haven't worn it in the past season (for example, if you didn't wear a sweater this past winter) you probably won't wear it next season (unless you're pregnant, then ignore this). If it doesn't fit you anymore, get rid of it. If you're keeping something because it was a gift but you actually hate it, get rid of it. Clothes are some of the best items to donate, but they're useless if they've been sitting in closets forever getting nasty. Give them to someone in need instead of making your closet look more full.
- For kitchen supplies: If you've never used it and have had it for more than a year, you'll probably never use it because you probably forgot about it. If something is melted or rusted, it's probably time to replace it. Some kitchen gadgets are totally useless. Alton Brown says that a flour sifter is the most pointless kitchen tool because a fine mesh strainer can be used with the same results, and it's useful for other things (like straining). If you are missing enough of a set of something for it to be embarrassing, replace it. Steve and I only had four glasses left after busting the rest of them in the dishwasher. So we bought some beautiful new ones to replace the old! This is also a great way to make your new home feel really new without spending a bunch of money (Bed, Bath, and Beyond 20% coupons are THE. BEST. EVER.).
- For books, movies, CDs, electronics, etc.: Use the same rules as above. If you forgot you had it, it's time to go. Amazon.com pays pretty good money with their trade-in program and it's free to ship items. Powell's Books is my go-to place for selling books, and they pay more if you get virtual credit to their store instead of real money (which I'm all about). Most public libraries take donations of books, DVDs, and CDs for their book sales. Electronics can also be recycled at Best Buy if they are no longer in working order.
Last week you should have gotten a pretty good idea of what you have. You may even already know what you want to get rid of. This week is the week that everything you won't be packing up and moving needs to get out of the house. Start going through your items again, this time with boxes in hand. If it needs to be trashed, throw it away. Separate items that you are planning to donate and sell. Go through one room at a time, one section at a time. Steve and I are doing one room a night to make it less stressful. At the end of the week we will take everything that needs to be donated to Salvation Army and ship out everything that will be sold. Plan a garage sale for the weekend if you have a lot to sell. This is also a good time to figure out if it's time to put certain things in the attic or in storage. Steve and I will have an attic for the first time in our new place, so we've also been determining what will be stored and packing those items in (labeled!) plastic storage bins. When all of your unnecessary and unwanted items are out of your house it will be so much easier to pack the rest of your belongings.
Goals for Week 5:
- Rid your house of all unwanted belongings (sell, donate, or throw away said belongings)
- Continue to prepare for packing by collecting packing materials and supplies
Next week: Pack, pack, pack!
Steve and I will be moving to a new, bigger, shinier place in about a month (hooray!) and I've decided it's about time to start packing. As I may have mentioned in one or two (or all) of my previous posts, I have a little thing for Pinterest. Some of the posts that fascinate me the most are about organization, and genius ideas people grab out of thin air on how to pack, move, and store just about anything. I tend to be just a smidge crazy when it comes to organization, and moving is my favorite time of the year because I finally have a reason to go through all of our belongings and throw things out! I believe it's better to get rid of the old and bring in...well, nothing, really. (Unless it's more books! I'll always say yes to more books!) Steve has more of a hard time getting rid of things but is getting used to my incessant need to clean out the closets. Moving halfway across the country two years ago helped us to purge most of our...dorm crap. And gave us a great reason to go to IKEA!
Anyhoo, I started checking out some organization blogs to see if they had any useful tips. And while most had some pretty great ideas for how to store paper towels and canned goods, I only found a couple on how to organize before a move. Disappointed, I thought I would take a whack at writing down my own ideas for our move. So...here is my 5-week plan for moving our stuff.
Week 5: Plan of Attack
This week is a great time to go over everything you own and plan your pack-attack (ha ha). I'm going to call this the "mental inventory" phase. Making lists at this point can be handy, but I don't think it's really necessary unless you're going to be buying or getting rid of a lot of things. This week, go through each room and get an idea of what exactly you have. Dig through drawers and cabinets, go through storage boxes and bags, and check out what's hanging in closets. If you notice something that you don't want or need anymore, set it aside. If you notice something you need to replace, make a note. If you find something broken, rusted, or rotting, throw it away. If you're planning on packing it and taking it with you, leave it alone. It's not necessary this week to make decisions about things you may want to sell or give away unless they jump out at you right away. This week, you should just get an idea of what you have so you can figure out how you're going to move it.
By this point, you probably have some idea of what your new place looks like and where you'll be placing people and furniture. If not, try to make some sort of plan so you'll know what you might need to buy or get rid of. For instance, if your new place has room for an office or a second bedroom, you'll probably need to prepare to buy furniture and decor for this space. If you're moving to a smaller space, you'll probably need to get rid of furniture. When you have a good idea of what you'll be taking with you, it's time to start gathering moving boxes and supplies and planning for the moving day. I've been hoarding moving boxes for a few months in preparation so we won't have to go out and buy any, but there are plenty of places to get boxes. Craigslist often lists them under their "Free" section from other people's moves. Just remember that cardboard boxes can carry insect eggs, (including roaches, yuck!) so be careful about where you get them or you might be inviting some nasty creatures into your new place. This is also the week to check into places to take donations around your area. If you do pull items that you plan on donating, get a plastic or cardboard box to be used specifically for these donations. The attack does not have to be planned all at once, so if you prefer take the whole week and do a small section at a time (master closet, bathroom cabinets, bookshelves, etc.). When you find something you don't want, toss it in the donation box or the trash.
Goals for Week 5:
- Create mental inventory of belongings
- Begin gathering moving boxes and supplies
- Create plan for where things will go in the new house/apartment
- Create lists for things you will need to buy/sell when you move
Next week: Getting serious about cleaning out belongings & preparing your old place for the move
