Many emotions come with moving. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed, scared, stressed and unsure about what’s to come, but everyone moves at least once in their lifetime so why not embrace it? Is moving really that stressful, or do we just tell ourselves it is? If we have a pre-conceived idea that moving is going to be the most stressful thing ever – then that’s exactly what it’s going to be. Let’s break this pre-conceived idea and reduce the stress we tend to associate with moving.
The first way to simplify moving is by minimizing what you have. Try to get rid of anything you don’t need and the stress will slowly start to ease.
Be methodical
The best way to declutter is to do it in a careful and organized way. Start with one room, one closet, or even one small dresser drawer and go through your belongings one at a time. Staying focused on one area at a time will help you avoid feeling too overwhelmed and best of all; you can stop and take a break at any time with your house or apartment still mostly intact.
Clear out clothes
This is always harder than it sounds. Once you make your way into your closet, be firm and stick to your gut. We often tell ourselves that we are going to wear that one shirt that has been hanging in the closet for two years and then end up forgetting about it and never wearing it. To break this ineffective cycle, turn around all of your hangers, as you wear clothes flip the hangers so they are hanging properly again. By doing this, you’ll be able to easily see that there are a lot of unused items taking up space in your closet. If you don’t prefer this tip, ask yourself these eight questions to help you declutter from Pinterest.
Sell first
One of the reasons it’s so hard to declutter is because we tend to look at something that we don’t necessarily need and remember how much time, energy or cash it took us to obtain. Now that you have separated the clothes you don’t wear and have sorted through your drawers, it’s time to sell and make extra cash for the big move.
Platforms such as Poshmark, Letgo, OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are all good to resort to, just try not to be too firm on your price. If someone makes a reasonable offer, happily accept because after all, you’re trying to minimize, declutter and prepare for your upcoming move.
Then donate
No luck selling your items? Try donating them and helping out your community. Goodwill, The Salvation Army, local shelters, crisis centers and churches are all great places to start. Your clothing could be worn by someone else or repurposed, so try and make the effort and donate!
Recycle what you can’t donate
Are your clothing items too damaged to donate? Try cutting them up and using them as cleaning rags. If you already have enough cleaning rags lying around, salvage what fabric you can for craft projects, see if local schools need rags for art or shop classes or see if your local animal shelter will accept old t-shirts which could then be turned into rope toys for dogs. Try to be creative and recycle the material. There are plenty of ways to give your old clothing a second life if they are too worn for wearing, selling or donating.
Start ASAP
The key to not getting stressed while preparing to move is to organize and declutter at a slow and steady pace before you begin packing, so you don’t have as much to cram into your boxes. If you can, try to give yourself enough time and start your new lease a few days before your old one ends. Doing so can ease the stress of an all-at-once, under-the-gun move.
Ask for help
One of the main reasons moving has been considered so stressful is because people never really used moving companies as much as they do today. Moving services are designed to take the stress away from you. Doing everything yourself isn’t beneficial to anyone nor is it advisable. Whether you are planning a local or long distance move, Dowell’s Moving, located in Victoria, Vancouver Island, is here to help you every step of the way to help make your move stress-free and simple.