It’s only common sense that less stuff makes everything go much more smoothly. Spending some time purging items that haven’t been used in the past year will lead to a much easiest move. A minimalist move will make your move a breeze!
Minimalism is the notion that you can live well with less. While you may have an image in your mind of a bare, stark white room, minimalism doesn’t have to mean living without color and personality. It’s about only holding on to the things that bring noticeable value to your life and letting go of everything that doesn’t.
The very act of moving requires that you take an inventory of all of your belongings, handling each item for at least as long as it takes to pack it in a box. So why not take this time to edit down what you own and get rid of the things that no longer serve a purpose for you? Here’s how to embrace the minimalist move and make your entire moving process easier.
Come up with a plan of attack
The minimalist move is all about decluttering, which, if you’ve done it before, you already know can be a pretty time-intensive endeavor. You’ll want to get the ball rolling prior to when you start packing so you can focus on the task, though chances are you’ll find additional items to get rid of while you’re loading up boxes.
Your decluttering plan should incorporate a couple of things: one, what types of things you’re going to be getting rid of, and two, what you’re going to do with them. Some items—for instance, furniture—require a bit more planning if you intend to donate them, so you’ll want to wrap your head around what sorts of items you’ll be disposing of and start looking into your options for how to do so. Categories of stuff you’ll want to consider paring down include:
Furniture
Clothing
Papers
Books
Toys
Kitchen items
Décor
Holiday decorations
Outdoor gear
Gadgets
The amount of time this initial decluttering process will take depends on the size of your home, how much stuff you own, and how long it’s been since you’ve sorted through all of these things. Planning ahead will help you wrap your head around what needs to be done and tackle your minimalist move in the most efficient way possible.
Start sorting
It doesn’t matter where you start—pick a room, a drawer, or a category of items and get to work. For each item that you decide not to keep, you’ll want to sort it into one of three piles:
Donation pile. For new or gently used items that someone else could get use out of. Get creative with how and what you donate—places like schools, libraries, community centers, animal shelters, and non-profit organizations often have a use for the things you don’t want. Goodwill or The Salvation Army are always dependable options, and here’s a site that will find a local charity that will pick up your items for free!
Recycle pile. Papers, glass, and plastics are the obvious choices for this pile, but things like batteries and electronics, appliances, and even crayons can be recycled provided you get them to the right place (your normal recycling bin won’t cut it). Head to Earth911 for tips on how to recycle hundreds of different materials.
Trash pile. If you can’t repurpose it or recycle it and you no longer have a need for it, trash it. It’s not ideal, but as long as you do your best to donate and recycle what you can you shouldn’t end up with too much going to the landfill.
Sort as you go, making additional piles as needed if you have various sites you’re planning on donating to and/or recycling at.
A minimalist move doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If it’s too overwhelming to think about completely decluttering your life before a move (or if you just don’t have time to go through your items so extensively), you can do just a little bit and still make a difference. There are so many benefits to simply having less stuff, and easier, less stressful moves are a big one. So get on board the minimalist move trend and find out just how much you can gain when you lose your stuff.
Watch for our September blog where we’ll cover the general rules of decluttering!
Purge Before you Pack for a Lighter Move!
It’s only common sense that less stuff makes everything go much more smoothly. Spending some time purging items that haven’t been used in the past year will lead to a much easiest move. A minimalist move will make your move a breeze!
Minimalism is the notion that you can live well with less. While you may have an image in your mind of a bare, stark white room, minimalism doesn’t have to mean living without color and personality. It’s about only holding on to the things that bring noticeable value to your life and letting go of everything that doesn’t.
The very act of moving requires that you take an inventory of all of your belongings, handling each item for at least as long as it takes to pack it in a box. So why not take this time to edit down what you own and get rid of the things that no longer serve a purpose for you? Here’s how to embrace the minimalist move and make your entire moving process easier.
Come up with a plan of attack
The minimalist move is all about decluttering, which, if you’ve done it before, you already know can be a pretty time-intensive endeavor. You’ll want to get the ball rolling prior to when you start packing so you can focus on the task, though chances are you’ll find additional items to get rid of while you’re loading up boxes.
Your decluttering plan should incorporate a couple of things: one, what types of things you’re going to be getting rid of, and two, what you’re going to do with them. Some items—for instance, furniture—require a bit more planning if you intend to donate them, so you’ll want to wrap your head around what sorts of items you’ll be disposing of and start looking into your options for how to do so. Categories of stuff you’ll want to consider paring down include:
The amount of time this initial decluttering process will take depends on the size of your home, how much stuff you own, and how long it’s been since you’ve sorted through all of these things. Planning ahead will help you wrap your head around what needs to be done and tackle your minimalist move in the most efficient way possible.
Start sorting
It doesn’t matter where you start—pick a room, a drawer, or a category of items and get to work. For each item that you decide not to keep, you’ll want to sort it into one of three piles:
Donation pile. For new or gently used items that someone else could get use out of. Get creative with how and what you donate—places like schools, libraries, community centers, animal shelters, and non-profit organizations often have a use for the things you don’t want. Goodwill or The Salvation Army are always dependable options, and here’s a site that will find a local charity that will pick up your items for free!
Recycle pile. Papers, glass, and plastics are the obvious choices for this pile, but things like batteries and electronics, appliances, and even crayons can be recycled provided you get them to the right place (your normal recycling bin won’t cut it). Head to Earth911 for tips on how to recycle hundreds of different materials.
Trash pile. If you can’t repurpose it or recycle it and you no longer have a need for it, trash it. It’s not ideal, but as long as you do your best to donate and recycle what you can you shouldn’t end up with too much going to the landfill.
Sort as you go, making additional piles as needed if you have various sites you’re planning on donating to and/or recycling at.
A minimalist move doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If it’s too overwhelming to think about completely decluttering your life before a move (or if you just don’t have time to go through your items so extensively), you can do just a little bit and still make a difference. There are so many benefits to simply having less stuff, and easier, less stressful moves are a big one. So get on board the minimalist move trend and find out just how much you can gain when you lose your stuff.
Watch for our September blog where we’ll cover the general rules of decluttering!