How to Pare Down Your Possessions for House Relocation

Take it from extreme minimalism guru, Fumio Sasaki — fewer possessions make moving to a new home a breeze. The man is done with packing and out of the house in 30 minutes for every home relocation! He doesn’t own a lot of multiples of things, so it’s no wonder his moving process is just a matter of putting a few things in one suitcase, cleaning up, and getting in a rental car to take him to his new home.

Sadly, the rest of the world, even lifetime nomads, cannot manage the same quick-moving process. The sheer number of possessions most people own can take up so much time to prepare for the move. This is why it always helps to pare down your belongings before launching into packing and hiring pro packing services.

Taking an editor’s approach may seem simple in preparation for a relocation, but it’s actually not. It’s imperative to be judicious and practical. This way, you will not only get packing done fast, but you can save money as well. So, how do you go about this? Here are six tips:

1. Throw out anything that no longer has any use.

Anything that is broken or does not work anymore, as well as items with missing pieces, and rubbish must be disposed of. In exercising this, you will be surprised by how much of such stuff you have crowding your home. 

Gather all of them together, and throw them in the trash because other people will no longer find any use for them as well.

2. Collect items you do not use to be given away.

Items in your belongings that no longer fit, or ones you have replaced with something better, or you simply do not like anymore belong to this category. In your closet, you will find pieces of clothing and footwear that are out of style, or which you have already outgrown. 

In your kitchen, you may find duplicates or multiplicates of dinnerware, devices, and pots and pans, so it would be best to bid them goodbye already. Give them away.

Here’s a little tip — if the items are dusty and have not been used in the last six months, you really do not need them. Avid minimalists say the most important things you own are those you use and prefer to use regularly.

3. Go digital.

This may be difficult to do for avid book collectors and sentimental folks, but if you’re not either, it should be easy to take the digital route for building a library or storing essential memories and subtract several more physical items from your possessions.

Why don’t you just purchase the digital versions of your favorite tomes? Now, when it comes to other keepsakes such as pictures, perhaps have them scanned for a digital album that you can save using a cloud-based application, which will allow you to check them out on different Internet-connecting devices, wherever in the world you may be. 

4. Keep just a part or piece of your sentimental possessions.

You don’t need an entire collection to be reminded of the person who got you started on collecting. Most of the time, you just need the most special or meaningful piece. 

If the idea of parting with your prized collection is proving to be more challenging to do than expected, think about the best people to pass on the rest of your collection to. You may have friends and family members who could be good guardians, and once you visit them in the future, you still would be able to see some of your mementos.

5. Put items you are undecided about in storage.

Look for storage services in your area where you can keep those items you have no idea what to do about yet. Keep them there for the long term and just go through them again in the future. 

Perhaps, without the pressure to get organized for the move, you will be able to think and decide better about what should be done to these things. Quite often, these are big-ticket items such as old furniture, musical instruments, and sporting equipment that are currently not in use but you simply aren’t ready to part ways with.

6. Get rid of old items that need to be replaced with something new.

If you have long been considering getting a new TV or dishwasher, it may be better just to leave your old one behind, give it away or sell it, and buy a new one when you settle into your new place. You’re going to invest in a replacement anyway, so why not make your move the reason to let go of an ‘oldie and moldy’ unit, finally.

Having fewer things to bring can make the entire moving process less stressful. Hopefully, these tips will help you edit your possessions efficiently so you can stay sane the whole time, as well as spend less on packing and moving overall.

AUTHOR BIO

Hafiz Zafar is the owner of Professional Movers. The company offers reliable, cost-effective and stress-free packing, storage and relocation services across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and other parts of the UAE region.

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