Using a move to help declutter our lives

[puglogic]

We'll be moving into a different house in a couple of weeks, and my husband and I are both trying to use this event as an opportunity to shed some clutter from our lives.

So far, we have both been examining everything that gets put into boxes, asking each other, "Do we love this?" and letting it go if not. We've had freecyclers out to our house many times already :)

But we often run into problems with "Do we/Might we need this?"

If you were moving -- or if you have moved -- what decluttering rules would you try to follow in order to get a fresh, lighter start in a new home?

[treehugger]

I think the opportunity to declutter is the best thing about moving! :) It's so much work, but worth it (over and above any obvious benefits if you move to a better location).

I don't know about any rules I have followed in the past, but I definitely consider each item as it gets packed. The grey areas (might we need this) are tougher, but every circumstance is different. Only you can answer that. However, you might employ the question, "Have we needed this in the past [number] of years?" And set yourself a time limit.

I do know that, realistically, one starts to run out of time as moving day approaches, and things get less careful consideration (about whether they should get packed or tossed). So, I would recommend that you start with your more cluttered spaces and work towards the spaces that need less thought.

Oh, and finally, I would recommend continuing the decluttering conversatio when unpacking. You might find a few more things you can live without.

Good luck!

Kara

[peggy]

Been there done that! I've moved 15 times. The thing about moving is, you need to touch/handle/pack everything you own. Every book, pencil, glass, knick knack, everything. I hate clutter and I think this frequent moving may have helped me develop that. My usual guide was, do I want to pack/unpack, store, dust, find a place for this thing? Lots of stuff I thought i really wanted, I didn't. And plenty of things I felt were worth keeping. We have been living here awhile now, and don't plan to ever move again (my husband says he won't leave until they take him out feet first!) so I've begun to do the clearing from habit, or personal need. There really isn't that much, but I noticed a few weeks ago how a few more books have crept in, and the closets seem to be more full than usual.
Good luck with your move. it's liberating!

[Selah]

No rules from me, either, but you're right, moving IS a great opportunity to re-examine every object you have. We eliminated literally multiple truckloads of stuff before we made our last move, and there are only a handful of things I regret leaving behind. I can always replace those if I want to, as well. Things I WOULD suggest bringing with you are cleaning supplies and equipment, your baking and glassware pans/casseroles, and your spices. Having learned this the hard way, these are more expensive to replace than you'd think, and decent cookware, in good condition and in the right sizes, are not always available at thrift stores. Good luck!

Do pack your car with a suitcase for each family member to live out of for a week or so, and some kind of basic food/toiletries box that will get you through the first morning (i.e. keep the coffee maker in the car, where you can get to it immediately!), while you tackle the boxes. Have some camp chairs to sit on while you wait for the furniture to arrive...just having a couple of chairs to rest in when everything else is chaos can really help. Good luck!

[jania]

Of course I'd be looking at what I have actually been using in the old house, getting rid of un-used and broken items.

But I think I'd take the time to consider who I want to be in the new house, maybe how I want my life to change along with the new house and location. That would mean considering home decor and furnishings and deciding if they really reflect who I am now (which may be different than when I first purchased the items), in the same way we may look at our wardrobe (do our clothes reflect who we are and what we do?).

Best wishes as you move and re-create your life. I want to move too and am so envious!

[fidgiegirl]

Pug, what's your move status? What have you learned throughout the process?

We are soon to move as well, we are pretty sure. In an ideal world I'd like to get reallllly organized before moving, but not sure that will happen. Good thing we have kept working on decluttering over the years.

We do plan to eat down the freezer. DH is funny. He says, you know, we aren't moving immediately (maybe December or the new year). But I pointed out that we lived without the freezer for many years before buying it. It can take a while to eat all that stuff! We're starting now. Executive decision made.

[Tradd]

As I'm clearing things out for the temporary move due to repairs needing to be made (inside and out) due to my sinking building, I'm coming across tons of stuff. I've got a plain glass sugar bowl and creamer from Target that I bought maybe a year ago. Don't use them. I just spoon sugar into my tea or cereal directly out of the Rubbermaid container on my counter. I don't have people over very often. I'm just going to give them away.

[dado potato]

We are just a couple days away from the loading of a moving van.

I had about 10 lbs of pecans, left over from the fall of 2010. I prepared a plate (roasted with garlic salt), but Mama Gnocchi said she could not eat them, because she thought they might be rancid. So I held an "Easter Egg Hunt" with the neighborhood squirrels.

I tossed the pecans unshelled in among the fallen leaves and grass in the back yard. A few minutes later it was like a Clearance Sale. The squirrels were the picture of pride as they scurried to their hiding places, each one carrying a pecan sticking out of its mouth... "making out like a bandit." I believe the Easter Egg Hunt continued all night long. Now that all my pecans have been carted away, sharp-eyed squrrels still frequent the area.

Some good people had a gathering last night to wish us farewell. Evidently somebody had passed the hat and went to the Christmas Store and bought a ceramic angel, inscribed with the motto: "Friends are a Lifelong Treasure". It is a beautiful knickknack. Today Mama will not let it out of her sight. She is talking about digging out her other angel-figurines and ornaments when we unpack, and sending me to a furniture store for a curio cabinet in which she can display four shelves of angels ... in a Little Girl's room we are going to furnish for our grand-daughter. Mama assures me that if one or two shelves have no angels on them at first, I should not worry: she will go to garage sales and find more! This is all so that our Little Treasure can look at salubrious angel figurines, while she listens to bedtime stories and cuddles.

So much for decluttering. "One door closes, another door opens."

[reader99]

if I ask if I might need it, the next question is, are there more at the store? Do they cost a lot? Would I rather let the retailer store it for me until a future need arises?

[maribeth]

This week I have the task of moving a laboratory. You would not believe the outdated equipment and random nuts, bolts, pipe fittings, optics, and spare parts squirreled away into every last corner. Nothing had been thrown out in at least 30 years. Some of that stuff may have been useful at one time but there was no way to know what we had. The piles were so deep it was impossible to even sort through them to find what you needed.

The very last box had been hiding under a bench so long it was waxed to the floor. We finally got it out to discover a treasure trove of brand new Zip disks. For anyone who doesn't remember Zip disks, the last time those were useful was circa 1998.

My hope for the new space is that the new group of people who are working in the lab will have room to store the things that are important and used NOW, rather than having to fit them in and around the stuff that was important 30 years ago. (This will likely require another round of pitching junk as it is unpacked!) I would follow the same guidelines with your home.

[Lainey]

We are just a couple days away from the loading of a moving van.

Some good people had a gathering last night to wish us farewell. . "One door closes, another door opens."

Good to hear from you, dado potato. I forget, are you moving far? Central PA always seemed like such a nice place - I think of it like Amish country farmland, but maybe I'm wrong..

[dado potato]

We moved to the Northern Highlands of Wisconsin. I look forward to ice fishing starting around Dec 1... targeting panfish with mealworms I will raise in the basement. I have a selection of 8 lakes nearby, with surface area ranging from 84 to 1,006 acres.

November 26 Penn State plays Wisconsin. May the better team win! (I have become a fan of both football teams.)

In Central PA one does see Amish farms and buggies. But then there's also Harrisburg...