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Declutter Before Your Move

By Amy Patterson

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Buying a new home in a new neighborhood is fun – but moving is not so fun. I know few individuals who revel in the joys of strategically packing everything they own into gazillions of boxes and spending days unpacking them all over again. No one really loves it, but chances are, we’ll all have to do it at least a few times in our lives.

But wouldn’t moving be easier if you had less stuff to move. Of course, it would. You don’t need to throw out everything you own (or even close), but decluttering your abode before you even begin packing is a great way to save you time, money and added frustration.

Get rid of trash – I’m not referring to the pizza box from last night, I’m talking about random trash that’s lurking in every room. Check out your bathroom…do you really need 4 half empty bottles of shampoo? Consolidate and throw the rest out. What about your kitchen? Do you have 17 partially stale boxes of cereal in your pantry? Get rid of them! (Also, start using air tight containers – your cereal will last longer). Trash lurks around every corner, and chances are, if you haven’t used it recently, you won’t use it soon.

If you don’t have time to go through every room before you start packing, make sure you hit your kitchen and your bathroom. Why? Because there’s less likely to be an attachment to things you find…meaning you’ll be more apt to toss things you don’t need.

Ready for your next step? Download our moving checklist.

Tags: First Time Home Buyers, Home, Homeowners, Real Estate, Home Buyer, Packing, Moving