You’ve signed a contract on your house and you’re ready to move into your new one. The biggest financial decision of your life is in process and now it’s time to think about the practical part… moving your stuff.
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome when moving is the dreaded event of packing and sorting your belongings.
Sometimes you just end up picking up boxes in your closets that were never unpacked from the previous move and you haul them, unopened, to Goodwill never to be seen again.
I’ve done it.
It feels like unburdening your soul from another thing on your long checklist of “to dos”.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a process to make it more simple?
Well I want to give you three quick tips to help you streamline your packing so that you can unclutter your mind, and closet, and think about more important things!
1.Start with the items that aren’t necessities.
When I packed my house last summer I packed everything that we used the least and went room by room. The kids’ toys were the first to go. I packed 90% of the things in their closet that I knew they wouldn’t play with before the big move to Dripping Springs. What was left was a sports balls, pokemon cards and a handful of books.
The next place I tackled was the kitchen. All of those fancy glasses and unused lemon juice squeezers and vases were the first to be boxed away. It really is amazing how few belongings we actually need to live! I left the bare minimum out and waited to pack the more essential things until a few days before the Uhual arrived.
That brings me to my next suggestion…
2. Go room by room.
Here is the order that I packed my house of all non-essential items and pushed the boxes into the closets to remain uncluttered. Kids’ rooms, kitchen, office, bathrooms, master bedroom, and finally the garage. I set a goal for packing 1 room very other day.
3. Make a donate pile and don’t look back.
There are so many things that we continue to haul around from house to house and never use them. That signals that it should be considered for the donate pile! I loved reading Marie Kondo’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In her book she has four questions that she asks when deciding what to keep or what to donate. They are such a good reference to go on.
- What purpose did the item fill and did I use it?
- Do I have a home for this item?
- Am I showing enough gratitude for this item?
- Does it spark joy?
I hope these steps help you navigate the packing process so that you can get to what’s more important- building your new, beautiful life in the Texas Hill Country!
And remember, how do you eat an elephant? (ew) One bite at a time!
