Moving is not as easy as saying the word itself. The whole process is actually lengthy and demanding in many ways. Before you get to enjoy your new home, first of all, you have to conclude your former house with a wise moving plan, preparation and execution.
One of the most stressful segments of moving into a new house is packing up your bags and moving boxes before you go. Unpacking is another thing, but the first issue at hand is gathering them all together in several moving boxes and sealed containers.
Well, of course, before you bundle up and fasten together all your belongings, there’s a dilemma that comes from thinking of what things to carry with you and what to discard. It’s always a head-aching task because you surely have important items which you are hesitant to cast aside because you need and/or want them. This proves how moving is time-consuming, and you really have to allot one or more specific days to systematize all these stuff.
To lend you a helping hand, here are 7 tips in classifying what stuff to bring and to leave behind before moving to a new house.
1 – GO FOR A GENERAL CLOSET CLEAN-UP BEFORE PACKING.
So you won’t waste money paying a moving company just to move unwanted items and unuseful furniture to your new residence, make sure to go for a general closet clean-up before packing.
Clear the decks to check what’s essential and what’s just going to make your moving boxes pointlessly jammed.
Ask yourself if you are still using those clothes or if they are just displayed in your closets. More or less, if they are not worn anymore, you won’t wear them in your new place, too, so better set them outside your bag. For household items like utensils and hygiene pieces, if there are duplicates or too many of them, you won’t need to bring all with you.
2 – GIVE AWAY USEFUL STUFF TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
After cataloguing your belongings from your closets and drawers, you already have a separate pack of items you are ready to desert.
Now, you don’t want to throw them away because they are still pleasant and usable. If you know friends, neighbors and relatives who might want or need them, don’t hesitate to give them away. Clothes that don’t fit you anymore but are still stored in your room are to be inherited by your nieces and nephews this time. Nobody will say no to functional kitchen apparatus and living room appliances you’re willing to hand away as well.
You will not only lighten your moving boxes but also leave a remembrance to your loved ones when you do this.
3 – FINISH UP REMAINING TOILETRIES BEFORE BUYING NEW ONES.
When you will soon move to a new place, you don’t make further renovations because you won’t be living there anymore, right? The same with buying more stuff at home.
As much as possible, finish up remaining toiletries instead of buying more and bigger packs and sizes to restock. These household goods can be bought anywhere, obviously from your new city too, so you won’t really need to bring them from your former house. Buy just a few when needed, and select small sizes when possible. Doing these will surely help lessen your things to pack and bring.
4 – DONATE TO CHARITIES.
It would be very heartwarming to share what you have to other people who might need them too. Besides your closest loved ones who will smile because of your giveaways, several charities are waiting out there for kind hearts and willing hands to share what they can to them.
Look for charities that might need what you have such as furniture, tools, curtains and clothes. Contact them immediately because you will have to agree on a pick-up schedule that won’t overlap with your own moving operations. That is to avoid stressful and confusing lists of appointments.
Through donating to charities, you don’t just minimize the moving hassle for you, but you get the chance to help those in need as well.
5 – IMMEDIATELY PACK ITEMS YOU WANT TO KEEP.
Trust that your house is going to be a mess when it’s packing time and moving week. Besides moving boxes scattered all over the place, unrecognizable clutter composed of fabric, boards, woods and stuff you didn’t know you have will be present by that time.
So you won’t waste your closet clean-up efforts, immediately pack items you want to keep. This will prevent to-be-discarded stuff and important items from getting mixed up, thus, it keeps further chaos away from the already puzzling moving responsibilities you have.
6 – RENT STORAGE UNITS.
In case you have to keep your belongings out of the house already, but the truth is that you have not arranged all of them yet, renting a self storage unit will help. This can be rented for a short time until you are ready to assess where these stuff will be heading to.
7 – THROW AWAY EXPIRED HOUSEHOLD GOODS.
Take a look at the best-before dates of your consumable household goods, so you can disregard the expired stuff. This is the golden opportunity to finally have the courage to dispose of the pretty but expired items you have been hiding in your drawers and cabinets.
_____________
CLASSIFY, PACK, MOVE.
It’s best if you yourself scrutinize and arrange all your things to know which ones you are keeping and which ones you are leaving. Hired movers don’t completely know the significance of your items, especially your personal belongings, so don’t entrust this responsibility to them; if you recklessly do, don’t blame anyone when some things you still need get left behind.
Moving is not a piece of cake. You need to be always mindful and prepared, so you can do it with alleviated distress and prevented troubles. Pay attention to categorizing all your items, so you will know what to pack and what to wrap up before moving. In that way, you will have all the things you need with you and will eliminate unnecessary loads. Moving will not become unhandy!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She is a daytime writer for Hitchens, a top-rate removals, storage and moving company in Australia. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.
