Tips for Organizing a Move
My husband and I recently moved out of the house I had lived in since before we met. I was 6 months pregnant at the time and we had to move quickly. I wish I could say we did a great job decluttering before we moved, but reality is we did not. We moved into a rental while our house is under construction and I’m determined to do a better job before this next move. That being said, here are my recommendations for staying organized while moving. This will make your life so much easier on the back end and minimize the crazy on the front end.
As soon as you know you are moving - START.
Even if you’re not 100% sure you’re moving it’s never a bad time to begin the refining process. We’re at least 9 months out from moving and I’m already starting to declutter and go through things we don’t need (and never should have moved)
2. Create zones.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when thinking of decluttering your whole house. Start small and divide your home into zones that you can tackle over time. I started with my closet and drawers because it felt the most doable. Plus, opening drawers that are too full is a daily pain point. Create small wins for yourself. The zones I’m working on are
Closet/bedroom - If you’re like me, you should probably go through your t-shirts every year. I don’t know how, but I always have so many t-shirts and I wear less than half of them.
Books - do I still have books from college? Yes, yes I do. When I think about our new season (we just had a baby) I realize there are things I need to get rid of that no longer serve a purpose.
Entertaining supplies (I mayyyy have moved multiple boxes of glass vases I haven’t used since our wedding - those will definitely not make a 2nd move)
Cleaning supplies - Over the years, I’ve collected many bottles of supplies I don’t use and are just taking up space. Shout out to GoCleanCo for teaching me about the power of hot water, bleach, and tide.
Garage - broken shovel handles, leftover project supplies, random items that got put in the garage because we didn’t have a place to store them elsewhere.
Glassware/Coffee Mugs - We have an entire hutch of glassware/coffee mugs in addition to our cabinets. I know in our new house the hutch will need to serve a different purpose and I’m ready to refine our collection to the cups and mugs we really use and let the rest go.
3. Tackle one space at a time
Do NOT. I repeat, do NOT try to do everything at once. You will get overwhelmed and quit part way through. If you’re trying to do this on your own, create a realistic time frame to get this done. I’m starting months ahead of time to make sure I can actually finish the work. This is the point where I shamelessly plug hiring a professional organizer if you are crunched for time or if this process is totally overwhelming.
4. Donate or trash materials after each zone.
We’ve all had the donate/trash pile that sits in our garage/car/house for months. Before you move onto a new zone take all items to donate/trash. Especially if you have kids or family members who are easily attached to items - it’s best to get the items out before anyone notices.
As you can see, even the organizer must stay on top of things to stay organized - especially before a move. Stay tuned for more tips on staying organized while packing.