Downsize Before You Move
Moving is hard. Weeks spent packing and trying to organize your life can leave the most relaxed person feeling frazzled. Many people wait until moving time to throw away unwanted items, only adding to the total amount of time and energy spent on the moving process. For that reason, it is a good idea to start downsizing before you move. The stress saved will make life a little easier when it comes time to actually pack up your things and go. Here are just a few advantages:
Letting go saves you money!
When you are hoarding all your possessions from the last 20 years, you can actually end up buying more than what you need of the same thing. By going through all your stuff at least once a year, you reduce the risk of having multiples of any given items. Who knows what you'll find in your closets and basement!
Enjoy increased health and safety
When a house is filled up, floor space decreases. This does not seem like a big deal, but can be a major fire hazard, increasing the amount of things that can act as kindling. Narrower walkways also make escape a little trickier. These are especially important to note if you have children in the house.
Mold can be another major factor. Your basement only needs to be damp once for mold to spread. The more items you store in your basement, the higher chance that something will get damp and start spreading bacteria into your home.
You control the process
If you wait until you move to downsize, the stress of it all can cloud your mind and make you more likely to make mistakes in the process. You might hand off decluttering tasks to other friends or family members that are even more likely to make the mistake of throwing out the wrong thing or packing poorly. If you downsize on a somewhat regular basis, you remain in total control.
Make your family happy
Life gets busy, fast. You accumulate items quickly and if you're moving to a senior living facility, it can put a strain on the other family members to sort through your stuff. Have a lot of mementos? Consider giving them to brothers or sisters, or even nephews and nieces. If that isn't an option, getting some kind of long-term storage option can help minimize the clutter in your home, making moving day easier because everything will be packed up and ready to go.