It takes one removal to experience to understand how busy and expensive this process can be.
Moving out is not only about positive emotions, hopes, and a crying river in the name of all your memories kept from your current home. It’s also about packing for hours and spending lots of cash for boxes, transportation, man and van fuel, etc.
What about if you can make some savings? Let us save you time and money by deducting your current personal baggage.
If you give up on things you don’t want and need, you will pack and buy fewer storage supplies.
The Marie Kondo Method Tells You What to Get Rid Off
Everybody’s heard about the tidying expert Marie Kondo. Many of you have already read her book and made it eliminate many unnecessary things.
Those of you, who haven’t, should know one essential thing about Kondo’s philosophy of simple and happy life: too many things lead to too much stress, which gets extremely obvious from the aspect of your removal.
While Marie Kondo tries to minimise your storage space at home, you can do so in your baggage by her elimination approach. The key to success is to downsize things by categories, not by rooms.
We are about to use the same approach in our guide through which you can remove up to 7 groups of items from your inventory luggage checklist. Let’s meet these heaps of items below.
You Don’t Need All The Old and Unused Items and Clothes
Honesty is the critical element in the downsizing process. You should be honest with yourself and determine the things you won’t use anymore because they are too old or you have never used.
Whether they are out of fashion (clothes, shoes, accessories, home decoration, etc.) or non-functional anymore (broken electric gadgets you haven’t repaired up to now, toys that your kids are too big to play with, and books you won’t re-read), they should be gone.
Here are some other unused and old items you might want to get rid of:
- Old bills and documents with an old date;
- Musical instruments you don’t even touch anymore;
- DVDs or music cassettes (do you even still possess a suitable device for them?);
- Pet supplies that don’t work for you anymore.
Things You Have Too Much Of Can Be Out Of Your Inventory
Overstocking is another human’s bad habit that leads to overconsumption and a considerable volume of baggage when moving out.
In trying to make some savings, many people buy everyday items on sale in large amounts. As a result of this, you have lots of the same things. Now is the time to eliminate the copies that will exceed your removal bill and make your new home as crowded as your current one.
Here are some examples to consider:
- Cookware, kitchen utensils, glasses, and plates;
- All types of containers and storage supplies;
- Too many decors like vases, paintings, aromatherapy items, framed pictures, and you name it;
- Towels;
- Office Supplies;
- Makeup and cosmetic supplies (check their expiry dates and remove the odd items);
- Old plush toys.
Items That Don’t Fit Your New Lifestyle
During the inventory process, you might find new, intact, and still beautiful items that you don’t feel like old, broken, or unwanted. Yet, among them, we are sure there are things with no room for your new lifestyle. It depends on why, where and with whom you move out.
Here’s one great example to get this idea clearer for you: if you go to a place with a warmer climate and you are expecting a baby, you probably won’t need your big ski equipment anymore (at least not for the next 3 years while the kid gets ready to go skiing with you).
Expired Food Leftovers Must Be Eliminated
Apart from cosmetic items, food that doesn’t fit for consumption should be immediately removed. Don’t forget that many of these products will spoil during the trip. You put your health at risk to carry them all in your own home.
While getting rid of the food, please, consider eliminating your storage supplies and all the old spices that have split and scattered alongside your kitchen cabinets.
Old Papers and Paperwork (Do You Really Need Them?)
There’s something sentimental in our student items stored and kept in the basement or the garage, isn’t there? It’s curious that many people carry them from home to home without wishing to give up on these old papers and paperwork. But if you try to be honest with yourself, you will understand that you no longer need them. Do you really think that when your 5-year daughter grows up and becomes a student will have to learn from the same books? And are you sure she’s going to study the same classes at all?
Cleaning Supplies – Use, Reuse, and Throw Away Before Moving Out
Before you throw away all the cleaning supplies, consider whether you can use them for one last time. If you move out from a rented property, you can lose your tenancy deposit if you depart without any sanitising.
One of the most critical decluttering tips for the tenants before removal is doing the deep and thorough end-of-tenancy cleaning. Once you finish it the right way, you can get rid of all your cleaning supplies.
Of course, we mean items like sponges, dirty microfiber cloths, half-full cleansing detergents, etc. Don’t throw the vacuum cleaner; have a small cardboard box with cleaning essentials to disinfect your new home if needed.
Old Paint and Building Supplies
Before the moving company team arrives, you should be ready with the purge. All unwanted and unnecessary things should be eliminated. And since the removers are professionals, they will not forget to check out your basement and the attic.
Anything they see will be stored in the vehicle and carried to your new home, including the paint packs, accessories, and building and repair supplies. We are sure that most of these items are too old to be re-used or needed.
How to Dispose of Items Before Moving
You don’t have to fill the neighbour’s trash bin with your odds and ends. Instead, you can have them for something helpful for one last chance. There are many options for all the items you won’t take. For instance:
- Throw a garage sale and get real cash from unwanted things;
- Make presents to the beloved people you should say goodbye to;
- Donate; doing good before such a big step in your life will make you feel more peaceful;
- Leave them to the following tenants in case the landlord is ok with that.
Conclusion
At the beginning of this pre-removal purge, you might feel nostalgic or unconfident in getting rid of things that bring you memories.
But we remind you that memories lie in your head, not in items that smell, look, and work differently than before. Simplify the removal. Simplify your life. Downsizing is the best option you’ve got!
