Helpful hints for Moving:

Lighten load before moving, so new dreams can fit  

 

We've put together a five-step plan to help make the move more manageable:

1) Start with furniture. Ask yourself, will it fit? If the entertainment console won't fit in the new home, either by style or size, sell it or give it away.

Measure furniture and use the new location's blueprint or measurements to decide what goes. Do you have enough room for the bed and both nightstands in the new place? A favorite piece of furniture that won't work in one room may be able to be reinvented in another. Accent tables can become nightstands, a buffet can become a TV stand, a table for six can become cozy seating for four when the leaves are removed. Deciding what pieces will fit or can be reinvented will make it easier to decide what to let go of.

2) Take it room by room:Start with the least-used room. It's easier to purge a room that has become storage or garners the least emotional attachment.

Deciding room by room what goes to the new home and which items must find a home elsewhere prevents an all-out mess. Moving can be an energy drain. Keeping the boxes, tape and piles confined to one space will keep moving from taking over your life.

3)Make piles: Now it's time to decide what goes and what stays. Begin by asking yourself these questions about non-furniture items: When was the last time I used this? Is this something I love and can't live without? Will it serve a purpose in my new home? Kitchens and bathrooms often hold the biggest collection of overstock items such as decorative soaps, bubble baths, sponges, potholders, and towels.

Based on the answers to those questions, make the following piles:

• Stay.
• Go.
• Question mark.

4) Enlist help: A tough-love friend can help speed clutter and closet elimination. For example, a friend might suggest donating the pants that you love, but haven’t been able to fit into in 2 years.