The Moving Purge

There’s possibly no greater feeling than the purge that comes right before a big move. You are able to declutter your home and get rid of all the extraneous things you’ve collected over the years. Clutter? Unnecessary extras? Outgrown items? They all get tossed, donated, or sold. It’s the best! But what happens when you chase that high a little too close and you end up getting rid of something you really wanted to keep? It happens. Here’s a handy little guide for the best way to declutter before a move. 

First, start as early as possible. As soon as you find out you’re moving (or have decided to), it’s time to start the cleanse. Getting a head start on this process will create a stress-free environment in which you can take your time selling. If you start too late you may feel stressed and desperate, willing to take any offer made on the items you’re selling. Giving yourself a buffer of time!

Next, since you started so early, you can actually go closet by closet or drawer by drawer, methodically, so that nothing is missed. Nothing is worse than the movers arriving only to find that they’re packing things you never intended to take. Plus, when your move is priced by weight, you really don’t want to pay to move things you didn’t want to keep.

Pro tip: create piles for toss, donate, and sell. When you pick up an item, be decisive about which pile it belongs in and then move on. Never handle items more than once. 

As you’re decluttering to move, this becomes a great time to organize items for future you. Trust us, when you’re moving boxes into your new home office or pantry, an organized life will make this so much easier. Consider organizing office supplies, junk drawers, utensils, or other small items in clear containers so that they are easily identifiable. This will make for a seamless transition into your new space!

Lastly, don’t forget to consider your new square footage when decision making. Moving into a bigger home doesn’t necessarily mean you keep everything. But moving into a smaller space will surely require clear and quick decision making skills. You’ve got this!