Decluttering Before You Move:
What to Keep and What to Throw Away

Everything in your home takes up space and time. Sometimes, it can get overwhelming to decide what needs to go and what you should keep. Decluttering will help you because even the best moving companies will encourage you to think about what you're taking with you, so they can give you accurate quotes. To help you figure out what stays and what gets tossed, here are some questions to ask yourself as you begin to declutter before you move.

Do You Always Use It?

This is one of the most straightforward benchmarks to follow. If you always use it, then it goes. Do you use your French press every day? If yes, then into the box it goes. What about that Instant Pot? You haven't used it in over a year? If that's the case, then that's something that you can get rid of and likely won't miss

Apply the same methodology to your closet. You'll want to keep your favorite jeans or favorite tops, but those jeans that have been hanging in your wardrobe for the past five years because you were so sure they would fit you again someday - those need to go.

Did You Even Want It?

People like to give gifts because it shows that you're being thought of, and that makes others happy. The problem is that while gifts can be thoughtful, there are probably several that you didn't really want.

Look at that candle holder your mother-in-law gave you because she thought it was so pretty. Let's say your tastes and her tastes don't exactly mesh, but you felt bad getting rid of it. The reality is that you didn't want it anyway, so out it goes. No one says you have to keep a gift given to you, so give yourself the freedom to let it go.

Could Someone Else Use It More?

This one is a tricky question to answer because it applies to something you don't want to give up but don't want to toss either. Clothes in good shape with lots of life left are prime candidates for donating or giving away in a local Buy Nothing group.

Sometimes, you have things you'd swear someone else could use, so finding someone who wants what you're giving away is your goal. In that same vein, keep in mind that if you offer it out to the world for free and no one wants it, it's probably not worth keeping after all.

How Many of It Do You Have?

It could be blankets, coffee mugs, sets of dinnerware, or anything else you have many duplicates of. The chances are that you don't need the extra mugs, so if they're just taking up space in your kitchen, they need to go.

Blankets also tend to multiply, especially since many of them are fabulously soft and warm. Now, you're seeing you have 15 blankets for every one person in your house. Look at them with a critical eye and pick the ones you love. Donate the rest to a homeless shelter or an animal shelter. They'll be used and appreciated.

Deciding What Stays and What Goes

Decluttering can be challenging for anyone and even more for the sentimental types. If you assign sentimental value to everything, you'll feel like you're letting someone down or losing a memory when you get rid of things. Try to separate the memory from the physical item, and remember to ask yourself if it's worth keeping. If it is, then keep it. If the truth is that it's not, then out it goes.