Moving is a great time to clean out your home and arrive to your new residence with only the essentials that you need. It can be easy to stockpile items, especially if you’ve lived in your home for many years and haven’t had time to clean out your closets. If you’re struggled as to where to start and may need some ideas, read on. In this blog, we’ll talk about eight items you should make sure to leave behind when packing up your moving truck. Don’t hesitate to contact Great Home Buyer if you need to sell your home fast. We’ll purchase your home in whatever condition that it’s in and can close on the sale in as little as a week. Contact our team today to get started!
Mismatched Coffee Mugs
Do you have a growing collection of mugs that you’ve received over the years? Picking up a funny mug on vacation or a thrift store is a great way to remember an experience, but a cabinet full of old or chipped coffee mugs may need to be reduced. Sort through these mugs and keep a few favorites, then donate the others back to the thrift store. While it may be hard to get rid of the mug you got when you went to Cancun 12 years ago, you’ll be thankful when you get to your new home and aren’t trying to stuff them in your cabinets.
Old Clothes
In the same vein as too many coffee mugs, getting rid of old clothes that haven’t been used in years is a great idea. This can be a difficult process, especially if you’ve been holding onto these clothes in hopes that you’ll be able to fit into them again, but too many clothes will only add to the amount of boxes that you have to pack and move. Gently purge your closet and get rid of anything that you haven’t worn in at least six months. This includes shoes, purses, and accessories. Once you’ve decided on what you’re keeping and what you’re getting rid of, take the clothes that didn’t make the cut to a local shelter, resale, or thrift store so your items can continue to be loved by someone else who needs them.
Old Decor
The items that you’ve used in your home to decorate for years may need to find a new home during your packing process. If you have oodles of decorative pillows, plant stands, picture frames, trinkets, and knick-knacks, sort through them and decide to take a few of your favorites to the new residence and give what’s left over today. This is especially important if you’re downsizing to a smaller home or apartment.
DVDs and CDs
In this day and age, nearly everything is available online via TV and movie subscription services. The same goes for iTunes and other music listening services. Gone are the days where the only way to watch your favorite movie was by popping in a DVD and you had to purchase your band’s newest album at a local electronics store. If you have cabinets full of DVDs and CDs, it may be time to give them away before you hop in the moving truck and drive to your new home.
Books
Always wonderful to have but can seriously weigh you down, books are one of the heaviest items to transport. If you’re packing boxes, try to sort through the stacks of books that you own and choose a few to take along. You can donate the ones that you choose to leave behind to a local library, school, or book drive project.
Expired Toiletries, Food, and Medications
Cleaning out your pantry and bathroom cabinets will show you just how much you’re holding onto and need to reduce. Carefully read expiration dates on the backs of everything that you’re planning to take along, and dispose of the expired or no longer needed items. If you have expired medications, it’s important to dispose of these correctly. Check to see if you can take the medications to a local pharmacy or a community “drug take-back” program.
Unused or Broken Toys
Minimizing and packing toys is a whole different ballgame. It can be hard for children to part with their toys, even if they haven’t played with them in a long time. Go through all the toys in your children’s rooms with your kids and work together to keep what they want to take and give away. You can place an ad on Craigslist for a free toy pickup, or contact local schools, after-school programs, shelters, and halfway houses to check if they would like a donation of toys.
Old Electronics
With how quickly technology changes, old cell phones, computers, gaming consoles, and tablets can end up in the backs of closets or thrown in a junk drawer. If you have old electronics that you don’t want to bring with you to your new home but are still in good working order and have a few more years of life, you can donate them to a non-profit or Habitat for Humanity. If they’re broken or outdated, take the electronics to a local recycling center to be properly taken apart and broken down.
Moving can be a great time to downsize your belongings and enjoy your new home with less. Whether or not you’ve planned to move to a new home, Great Home Buyer can purchase your old one for cash. Contact our experienced team for more information today!
