Downsizing your home: 10 things to dispose of before moving

Moving is always seen as ‘a fresh start’ and awesome experience. Your moving day is fast approaching and you are putting everything in place, consider decluttering as one of the ‘must do’ things. It is the only way to guarantee you a stress-free moving experience. Not only does downsizing your home cut on your moving budget, it helps create space in your new home.

Speaking from my own experience, decluttering has worked wonders for me in the times I’ve moved house. I was once posted abroad and had to temporarily store my belongings in my sister’s house (garage to be more precise), downsizing became a must rather than an option. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I saved on the cost of moving as well.

So what’s the secret to successful downsizing?

Nothing out of the ordinary really, I’ve found that doing the following 10 things really helps actually.

1. Old memorabilia

Belongings of a sentimental nature can at times be difficult to dispose of. What you really need to do is ask yourself ‘do I really need them?’ Your old musical instruments, photos or that first bed you owned stored in the garage are some of the things that will complicate your moving. If you consider an item to be priceless, like memorable moments captured in a photo, then scan them and save them in your device.

2. Old clothing

There are clothes that you probably don’t remember having in your closet. My guess is you may never need them again. Why would you move with that old battered coat when chances are you’ll never wear it again? Why not just toss it into the bin. Torn socks should also not be given a second thought; with a couple of dollars you can get yourself other pairs of socks. I’ve done this every time I’ve moved.

3. Outdated technology

Do you really need that old 14 inch computer monitor? Devices that have become obsolete with changes in technology will only cost you in terms of hired space on the track and creating congestion in your new digs. Since its illegal to dispose electronics the same way as other things, check with your local council and they will have information on who to dispose of them correctly.

4. Fluids

Moving with fluids is a mess in waiting. Try to imagine a situation where liquids spill and spread to other belongings in the moving track. Decide how to dispose of liquids to avoid such a nightmare. I remember when our neighbour was moving he invited treated us to some juice, wines and ice cream; we did not realise at the time that it was a downsizing technique and a successful one as well.

5. Avoid the stress of packing spices when moving

The usability of spices is often not dependent on the expiry date, but on the amount of time they’re exposed to the air. Avoid the stress of packing spices when moving, they cost you time an effort packing and will probably have gone flat by the time you use them to prepare your favourite dish.

6. Old furniture

When I was at university, our family moved to a new space. During the move my sweet mum insisted on carrying her old furniture. On arriving at our new space we discovered most of the furniture had actually broken due to its old age. We learnt to get rid of old rickety furniture in our subsequent moves.

7. An incomplete set of kitchenware

Walking into your new space with faded and chipped utensils that don’t match defeats the purpose of moving, which is to have a new fresh start. It also takes up space in your new kitchen you may need for something else. You can never go wrong donating old kitchen utensils to someone who needs them more than you.

8. Magazines and newspapers

All those old magazines do is to occupy space and make your house stuffy. You can dispose of them and always look for the information they contain in the internet. Think of how uncomfortable and crummy old newspapers make a living space feel especially when you have visitors over. There’s really no good reason to put yourself through this.

9. Toys

At one time when my son was 3 years old, we made a move with three full moving boxes of toys we had held on to, on arrival at our new house we quickly realised that he had outgrown and lost interest in most of them. I regretted the trouble we went through transporting the boxes. I realised that the love for toys changes with age and environment. I wished that I never had moved with them.

10. Medicines

Unless medicines are for ongoing treatment, you really should throw them away. Not only will this save you space, it can remove potential health hazards related to keeping old or expired medicine. Many pharmacies will take your old medicines and ensure they are disposed of properly.