A Handy List of Things to Give Away, Throw or Store When Moving Overseas
Moving anywhere is always a chore and incredibly stressful. Even if you're moving for a happy occasion - a new job, to be closer to family, exploring a new city - it's still rotten work. But as the saying goes, someone has to do it. The issue becomes even more complicated when you consider moving overseas. Not just to a new town or state, but pack up and go to another country entirely. Sure, it's exciting, but you also need to prepare for the headaches involved in moving all your things so far away. This brief guide will help outline the things you should consider giving away, toss all together, or plan for long-term storage as you gear up for the next big adventure in your life.
Give Away
There are lots of charities and local religious organizations that will accept donations of pretty much anything - old exercise equipment, kitchen supplies, gently used clothing, etc. If you have a sweater or dress you haven't worn in ages, then consider donating to a worthy charity. Anything you haven't used in more than four months should go under this list and be donated. By doing this, you will not only lend a helping hand to a worthy cause but also lighten the load and make the process of moving much easier.
If you have a collectible piece of clothing or an Instagram-worthy exercise machine that you spent loads of money on, but you don't think you will use it, then you can consider selling these items. It's super easy to sell unwanted - yet excellent quality! - items online, and if you organize and plan well in advance, you can take care of them long before you officially move.
Storage
There are quite a few things you may not be able to take with you, or it wouldn't be intuitive to do so. Especially if you're not settling for more than a year, or your plans for living abroad aren't entirely clear yet. While there are a few convenient options to consider when moving out of Virginia, you may also want to be careful about taking every single item with you. There are options for Alexandria Virginia storage that can be helpful, especially if you have lots of sentimental objects or things like artwork that may be unnecessary to take. It's also helpful to consider storage or different types of moving vans, in case you have many important documents you need to take, etc.
Things to Toss
If you're a hoarder or have trouble throwing out things like old newspapers, torn and worn-out clothes, you should use this as an opportunity to rid yourself of things that neither you nor anyone else will use. Take them to the recycling bin and discard them, and definitely don't bother paying extra trying to take them with you.
Moving is hard, let alone moving abroad. You should keep things minimal, and try not to travel with anything and everything. Hoarding and paying extra money for the stuff which you won't be using anytime in the future is not a practical decision. Be conservative, and only take essentials with you. Anything else should be donated, sold, or placed in long-term storage, depending on your situation and how long you plan to be away.