How to Declutter & Get Rid of Stuff Before Moving
5th November 2024
Moving home is a great time to clear away clutter.
Moving can be stressful. Yet, it’s also an opportunity to sift through your belongings and part ways with things you no longer need. Simplifying your move not only reduces stress but also cuts down on packing and moving costs. To start, you’ll want to decide what stays and what goes.
Benefits of decluttering before a move
Here are some great reasons to declutter before your move:
- Lighten your load: Getting rid of stuff reduces the weight and volume of your belongings, saving you time and money during the move.
- Help others: Donating your unwanted items can make a real difference to those in need.
- Declutter: Moving to a new home means starting with a clean slate. Without the extra stuff, you can prevent clutter from the start. It also means your home will have more space, and will be cleaner and more organised.
- Teaching moment: If you have children, this is a great time to teach them the value of their possessions. If they have toys and games they don’t play with, they can donate them to children who are less fortunate.
- Make space for new: Clearing out old items creates room for new things and new experiences in your new home.
How to get rid of stuff
If you’ve lived in the same house for a while, chances are that you have accumulated quite a bit of stuff. To streamline your move and lighten your load:
Create three piles:
- Keep pile: Take a critical look at what you use regularly versus what has been sitting untouched for over a year. Keep only the essentials and items you truly cherish.
- Throw away pile: This pile is for items that are damaged, broken, or beyond repair. Be ruthless in discarding things that no longer serve their purpose.
- Sell/donate/give away pile: Items that are still in good condition but no longer needed can be sold for some extra cash, donated to charities, or gifted to friends and family who might benefit from them.
Once you’ve sorted everything into piles, revisit your keep pile. Consider whether each item is worth the effort of packing and moving to your new home.
So what do you do with all of the things you have chosen to get rid of? You can:
- Recycle or upcycle: Explore creative ways to repurpose old items or recycle materials.
- Gift to friends and family: Share items with sentimental value or practical use with loved ones.
- Sell: Organise a garage sale or list items online to earn money and clear space simultaneously.
- Donate: Contribute usable items to local charities or organisations that can distribute them to those in need.
- Dispose responsibly: Properly discard items that cannot be reused or donated to minimise environmental impact.
Not a customer? Join Red Energy today.
Additional tips for decluttering before moving:
- Start early: Begin the decluttering process well in advance of your moving date to avoid last-minute stress. Starting early allows you to pace yourself and make thoughtful decisions about your belongings.
- Use the “one-year rule”: If you haven’t used or needed an item in the past year, consider letting it go. This rule helps streamline the decision-making process and reduces the likelihood of keeping unnecessary items.
- Create a digital inventory: Take photos or create a digital inventory of sentimental items or documents that you want to remember but don’t necessarily need to keep physically. This reduces clutter while preserving memories.
- Consider storage solutions: For items you’re unsure about but don’t want to discard immediately, consider temporary storage solutions. This buys you time to revisit their necessity later without cluttering your new space.
- Seek professional help: If you’re overwhelmed or unsure where to start, consider hiring a professional organiser or decluttering service. They can provide expert guidance and help you make tough decisions more efficiently.
The final word
When you’re moving to a new house, the first step should be decluttering and getting rid of unwanted, unneeded, and unused items. While this process takes time and effort, it makes packing, loading, and unpacking a lot easier and faster. Ultimately, it saves money on moving expenses such as hiring movers or renting a moving truck. By following the above guide, you’ll simplify your move and ensure a smoother transition to your new home.
Join Red today
We’ve been powering what matters to Australians since 2004. Switch or move with Red today.
References
-
About Red Energy
Red Energy is 100% owned by Snowy Hydro Limited, who own, manage, and maintain the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme in New South Wales. Our Customer Solutions team is 100% based in Australia.