Make Moving House Easier. Leave These 4 Things Behind
If we can lead with one tip to help you prepare for your house move, it’s this.
Give yourself enough time.
Seriously, more than you think you’ll need. Everyone knows they’ll need to allow time to physically pack up their items, but there’s one part of moving that most people don’t plan for – the time you’ll need to emotionally process the move. Because before you can let go of items that you don’t need, you need to first deal with the emotional part of the process.
It’s natural to want to hold onto things we don’t even use, because they’re often linked to special memories. By throwing away that old T-shirt you never wear, it can feel like you’re discarding the person who it reminds you of, or the memories of what you were doing once when you wore it. One way to hold onto these memories is to create a scrapbook. Take pictures of special items and include a little note about their significance, then get rid of the item. You’ll save yourself a lot of space, but your memories will be preserved!
If you think it’s going to take you four weeks to pack your house, give yourself six. You need time to process the move and go through, emotionally detach and sort each of your items so you don’t end up moving everything to your new house (which can make things especially difficult if you’re downsizing).
So, what are the things you should get rid of? Let’s find out.
- All those old papers
You know those papers that you keep, just in case? Like copies of your old car service records or receipts from items purchased years ago. These papers add up over time and soon enough, you’ve got all sorts of old documents cluttering your office. Go through all your papers and throw out anything that’s more than a year old (unless you need to keep it for warranties, tax purposes etc). If you’re comfortable going paperless, take a photo of receipts etc, then store them safely on your computer/hard drive/cloud.
- Large dust-collecting electronics
Okay, maybe not the Nintendo 64, but you probably have old electronics that you no longer use (but have a hard time throwing out). Now is the time to do it. The same goes for old cables, chargers etc.
- Books (some of them, at least)
Do you have a bookcase/room for a bookcase in your new house? If not, it could be time to give away some of your book collection. Keep your favourites and donate the rest. There’s something beautiful about a book exchange.
- Clothing
Use the six-month rule when determining which clothes you should pack. If you haven’t worn it in that time, let it go. Ladies, take your time with this. It can be emotional and tough to cull. Enlist the help of a friend to give you advice and make that pile smaller.
For more moving hacks, give us a call to help plan for your relocation. We understand it’s a busy, emotional time and we’d love to make it easier for you.
Let our removalists know what you need.
