The Ultimate Family Moving Guide | Purging

Purging is arguably my favorite part of moving. Actually, purging is one of my favorite past times in general. If there is an opposite of a hoarder, I really think that’s what I am! I get legitimately giddy from throwing/giving things away. I have always liked to have what I need and not much more. Once clutter starts to build, I get anxious. I love the feeling of cleaning out and getting organized. Moving is one of the best opportunities to do it! I have read a few popular books on purging and followed some minimalism bloggers. Overall, I have come up with some things that work for me. Here are my best tips.

ORGANIZE

My advice is to put everything in one space that you want to get rid of. For me, that’s my dining room. Take a look at all the inventory and decide what to sell, what to donate, and what to trash. For me, that’s pretty easy. I don’t have garage sales, but I do sell things virtually. To sell something, it needs to be worth the time and effort of posting it and making the transaction. I don’t usually sell something unless I’m going to make at least $10 from it easily and quickly. Anything that doesn’t sell (or wouldn’t sell easily), plus anything that isn’t broken or dirty or damaged is donated. I am always happy to donate, because I have been helped so much along the way that donating to someone in need really brings me joy. Another thing to consider donating (especially if moving a long distance) is food in your pantry. Any unperishable items would be welcomed at your local food bank or shelter. Things I trash are broken or unusable things, cheap kid’s meal toys, or old undergarments (no one wants those). Great places to sell online are through your local Facebook garage sale groups, the LetGo app, Poshmark (clothes), and lots of Buy/Sell/Trade groups on Facebook for particular clothing brands and styles. For donations, if you have a sizable amount of things to give away, it’s worth exploring local charities that will send a truck to your house. In my area, we have the American Kidney Services and The Salvation Army. Either will schedule an appropriately sized truck and send them to you. For trash, we used a Junk Truck. My husband is a mechanic by hobby and had lots of random car parts and tires etc. in the garage. That, added to old broken yard toys and other random things, we decided a Junk Truck would be best. They came over, put our pile in their truck, and charged us based on weight.

VALUE IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

When deciding what to sell or give away or throw away, just keep in mind that no one will value most of your things like we do. We attach sentiment, memories, and emotions to our things. We may think a family heirloom coffee table is worth $1000, but to someone shopping at a garage sale will never buy it unless it’s priced right. Price your things to get rid of them, after all, that’s the goal!

GO THROUGH YOUR HOME TWICE

I don’t know why this makes a difference, but it really does. After a few days, I do a second run through and I ALWAYS come up with more to get rid of. Just trust me.

SET SMALL GOALS

Purging is overwhelming, both mentally and physically. Any time I have tried to purge my whole house in a day or even a weekend, I end up quitting and feeling like I failed. Make a plan to do one small category or room per day (whichever you prefer). Below, I will show you the schedule I created. Committing to just a little bit every day will leave you with a purged house in no time!

If you haven’t seen it yet, the documentary called Minimalism is really amazing. Watch with an open mind and stay focused on the main principle, which is that anything that you don’t need or that doesn’t bring you joy, needs to go. Have you ever done a big purge? Do you struggle to let things go? I hope to talk more about minimizing and purging in the future!

More move guide: Planning | Packing