Moving house almost always leaves you with a mountain of stuff you’re not quite sure what to do with. They might look intimidating at first, but a little planning and patience can help you figure out a way to organise and declutter your belongings. Take this opportunity to start fresh, as you move out of your old home into a new one.
To keep your decluttering process organised and stress-free, it’s best to separate your stuff into three categories: Keep, Sell/Donate, and Throw Away.
Decide what you want to keep
Take a good long look at your belongings and think about what you want to bring with you to your new home. Your limited edition memorabilia and sentimental gifts might be no-brainers, but what about your furniture, appliances, and pirated VCD collection? Do you still need all of them? Will they fit into your new home?
If you’re moving to a furnished or semi-furnished place, you might want to reconsider bringing your larger household appliances with you. Be honest with yourself so that you don’t bring with you what you no longer want or need. Take a tape measure to your new home and figure out if there is space for all your stuff. See if your old furniture fits the style of your new home, or if you want to get new ones.
Once you’ve determined what you want to keep, you can move your stuff to your new home by renting a lorry at thelorry.com.
If you’re not yet able to move into your new home, you will have to figure out a temporary storage solution. Ask friends and family if they have some room to spare, or look up self storage units in your area to rent for a short time.
Sell or donate what you no longer need
After you’ve decided what you want to keep with you, it’s time to figure out what to do with the rest of your stuff. Start by making a list of items that are still in good condition. Take pictures and check if you still have the instruction manuals and warranty information for your electronics and appliances.
You can sell your items online by listing them on online marketplaces and on social media groups for preloved items. Putting up accurate descriptions and detailed photos will help make things more convenient and less confusing for you and the buyer. If you don’t want to do it online, you can also hold a garage sale. Get the word out via friends and family, social media, and a good old-fashioned signboard in front of your home. On the day of your garage sale, put everything for sale in one place and check that you have priced and labeled everything clearly.
If you don’t really need the money, you might want to consider donating your stuff. Check with your local charities, shelters, churches, and community outreach programs to see if there is anything they need that you can help them with. Instead of just throwing away perfectly functional items, give them to people who can put them to good use.
Throw away your trash responsibly
Even after you’ve sorted through everything you want to keep and give away, you will still have plenty of stuff left to dispose. Sure, you can just dump everything outside for the garbage truck, but there are more responsible ways for you to deal with your trash. Start by contacting your local garbage and recycling center to work out how best to get your trash to them.
If you have a lot of trash, you might want to rent a dumpster to make storing and transporting them much easier. Separate your recyclables and set aside broken appliances, outdated electronics, and worn-out clothing, as these typically have their own collection centers. Be responsible with your stuff, even when you’re just throwing them away.
In the end, we should be responsible for the things we own, to be kind to garbage dumps. After all, material things don’t make a home. People do.
Image sourced from afrovan
Diane Foo Eu Lynn, Senior Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email diane@propertyguru.com.my
