Thursday, January 22, 2009

Dont Pack It, Attack It!

By The Affordable Storage Guy

Lets face it: stashed away in your house are things you dont want, dont need, and dont know what to do with. Just thinking about them makes you feel tired. Well, moving day is fast approaching, and its time to conquer the clutter monster once and for all. Sorting through everything you own prior to packing may seem like a daunting task, but doing it will improve your life so much youll wish youd done it long ago.

The benefits of eliminating clutter go far beyond simply having fewer boxes to move. Youll save money by being able to rent or hire a smaller moving van, youll reduce the amount of time you spend unpacking in the new house, and youll also free yourself from emotional baggage that you may not even have realized was weighing you down.

Like most people, you probably have a file cabinet, closet, or even an entire room filled with stacks of old papers. Set aside important documents (use online resources or your local library to determine what you should keep) and shred the rest. Devote one portable file box to whats left, and get in the habit of weeding it out regularly.

Start the decluttering process early. This not only gives you time to do a thorough job, but you can also post items for sale online and hold a garage sale. You may not be moving again for a long time, so take the opportunity to really pare things down to the essentials, and pick up some pocket change in the process.

Ridding your home of clutter can benefit others as much as it benefits you. Donate clothing, bedding, cookware and other items in good condition to a local charity. Get the kids involved in the process too; help them understand that there are children less fortunate than they are who would derive a lot of joy from those toys they no longer play with and theyll part with them gladly.

Im willing to bet there are still some recipes, magazine clippings, etc., that survived the paper purging round. Use some of the proceeds from your yard sale to purchase a small scanner to scan them onto your computer. Rent an online locker if you dont have enough space on your hard drive, then take all those papers straight to your recycling container.

Knowing that items you no longer use will be supporting a good cause and/or contributing to the family finances helps make it easier to let go of those items, and to approach the project with a positive attitude. It may take a bit of work, but it will be well worth the effort.

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