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How To Decide What To Keep When Moving

Moving to a new home is both an exciting and daunting task. Whether you’re Downsizing, upsizing, or simply starting fresh, the process inevitably includes the big question: how do you decide what to keep when moving? As someone who’s been through the joys and challenges of moving quite a few times in the last 10 years, I was asked this question by a reader and decided to give my two cents.

Quote of the day: “Your biological age is the number of days you’ve lived.
Your psychological age is the number of thoughts you’ve entertained.
Your sociological age is the number of contributions you’ve made.” James Clear

The idea of how to decide what to keep when moving is obviously a very personal decision with a ton of different variables.

But it comes down to lots of decluttering and a lot of decisions. While I discussed unusual ways to detox your wardrobe, the way we think about our home items may not be very different.

For many people, when they move, they decide they are going to start fresh and buy everything new to fit the new space. While that can seem like a good decision, it can also be a tad wasteful if you’re trying to save Money.
It can also lead to regrets about getting rid of things that would have been perfect for the new home.

Insider tip: On some of our moves, we thought we didn’t want to pay for the movers to move a certain item, but in reality, it’s usually cheaper to have it moved than to buy something new…even if you buy it secondhand.

We all have a lot of “stuff,” so it’s nice to get an unbiased opinion when deciding what to keep when moving. This unbiased opinion can come from friends or professionals who help people with this process.

Insider tip: There is a company that concentrates on simplifying your home transitions, or just hire a professional organizer who has experience with moving houses.

The Emotional Side of Decluttering

One of the first things to acknowledge when moving is the emotional weight of your belongings. Many items hold sentimental value, and it can feel overwhelming to part with them.
The essential idea is that you want your new place to feel like home. Sometimes that means keeping the sentimental items and other times it means buying something fresh.

Insider tip: Decision fatigue is a real thing. Break up the day by making decisions for a while and then packing those items up (a non-decision-making chore). Don’t try to do all of the decision-making at once.

Start with a Plan

Before diving headfirst into sorting, it helps to have a game plan. Here’s what worked for me:

Room-by-Room Approach

Tackling one area at a time prevents you from feeling overwhelmed. Start with the least sentimental spaces, like the kitchen, guest bedroom, or bathroom, before moving on to bedrooms and living areas.

Donate or Sell

Make sure to have a designated area where you store the items you don’t want to keep.

It’s important to remember which items are not easy to donate:

  • Hazardous materials like paint or batteries
  • Mattresses
  • Damaged items
  • Old electronics

That doesn’t mean you have to keep these items but have a plan on what you can do with them.

Insider tip: To take an old mattress, for example, you may need to call and pay for a junk removal service.

Mindset

It’s important to remember that moving is just as taxing on our brains as it is on our physical bodies. Here’s how to keep a positive mindset while deciding what to keep during a move:

  • Take breaks often: Moving can be draining, so give yourself permission to pause and recharge. Even a quick walk or a cup of tea can do wonders for your energy. Alternate the chores between naps or something more normal or fun.
  • Ask for help: Invite a friend or family member to join you. They can offer a fresh perspective and make the process more enjoyable. Besides you will be socializing at the same time and it can be a great way to relive your memories.
  • Play your favorite music: Create a playlist of upbeat songs to turn the task into a mini dance party. It’s amazing how music can lighten the mood.
  • Celebrate your progress: It’s a wonderful idea to reward yourself for doing the hard things. Once a week, take the time to watch your favorite show or fix a favorite food.
  • Stay hydrated and nourished: Don’t forget to fuel your body—it’s hard to stay positive when you’re hungry or thirsty. Remember to get enough protein and consider hydration drops for added minerals.
  • Stretch: Your body isn’t used to moving this way, so make sure to stretch and use muscle creams for sore areas.

By keeping a positive mindset, you’ll turn what feels like a daunting task into an empowering experience.

How to decide what to keep when moving

Let’s break it down by category to simplify the process:

1. Clothing

Don’t automatically assume you should purge older clothes. Clothing is one of the least expensive things to move and until you’ve lived in a place for a year, you won’t have experienced all of the different seasonalities.

Insider tip: What I would suggest purging for clothing are the things you have multiple pieces of. For instance, if you have 20 white blouses or black pants, give away half of them.

2. Furniture

Furniture can be bulky and expensive to move, yet it’s also expensive to buy new items.

Here are some ideas about how to decide what to keep when moving:

  • Measure your new space: Yes, it’s good to know the dimensions of what you are moving. And that huge overstuffed sectional may not fit into your living room if you are downsizing. But also keep in mind that many items can be used in different rooms. (See many of my photo examples)
  • Consider condition: When you are thinking about how to decide what to keep when moving, it’s good to remember something will get damaged or broken. It’s not an “if” but “what”. So if something is already damaged and not in good condition, it might not be usable when it arrives at the new place.
  • Sentimentality: Keep meaningful heirlooms, even if you aren’t sure they will “fit” in the new place. You’ll be surprised at how you can use them in different ways. If you can’t keep it, then make sure to take a photo of it to remind you of the memories.

Insider tip: The quality of most older furniture is far superior to the newer stuff. Even if you don’t want to keep it, consignment stores might buy it.

3. Decor, Kitchen & Books

We all have a lot of “stuff” and in the long run, it’s good to remember that it is just stuff. You won’t die without it, but there are certain items that are nice to take to the new house.

Not everything is replaceable. That’s an important factor to consider when purging. Other thoughts include:

  • Donate or sell: Libraries, schools, and secondhand stores will gladly accept gently used books and decor.
  • Digitize: For photos, kids’ artwork, or old letters, scan them into digital formats to preserve the memory without the bulk.
  • Gifts: Have you kept things you don’t love because someone special gave them to you? This is the time to pass them on.
  • Recipes: While most of us can get “normal” recipes online, if you have a specific family recipe, make sure to gather those together and take them with you. This was one thing I did wrong in our move across the country.

Tips for Sentimental Items

It’s natural to struggle with letting go of sentimental items, but there are ways to honor their significance without keeping everything:

  • Take photos: Snap pictures of items you love but can’t take with you.
  • Create a memory box: Limit yourself to one or two small boxes for your most cherished items.
  • Reuse: Turn old t-shirts into a quilt or transform other items into functional decor.
  • Repurpose: Many furniture items can be repurposed to function in a different room. Heck, I’ve even transferred tables from inside decor into outdoor patio decor. Another example: our baker’s rack was taken apart at one home and each piece was used individually.
  • Recycle: Don’t forget that many items can be either painted or changed into something entirely different. I repainted a clothing dresser that used to be my mother’s and used it for kitchen appliance storage.

Selling vs. Donating

When deciding what to do with items you’re not keeping, consider:

  • Selling: Use apps like Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, or eBay to make some extra cash. This can end up being a lot of work (when you don’t have the extra time) so consider paying someone to sell things for you.
  • Donating: Most areas have a Buy Nothing FB group where you can give away items for free. Many charities will have pickups for furniture that is being donated. For example: Habitat ReStore has a list of what they are accepting for pickup on their site. Each state is different, so Google it.
  • Recycling: For items that can’t be sold or donated, we have had luck putting the items on the street corner with a “Free” sign on it.

Insider tip: If your street corner doesn’t have much traffic, you might ask your church or a friend to use their corner.

As much as I love my site, Jodie’s Touch of Style, I really enjoy putting together my daily emails. I consider my emails an extension of my blog that is chocked full of positive inspiration that one friend calls a “Variety Show.”
I include articles, videos, and posts that strike my fancy and since I have no siblings to share with, I share with you.

Final Thoughts on How to Decide What to Keep When Moving

Deciding what to keep when moving doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. By approaching it with a plan and a positive mindset, you’ll not only lighten your load but also set yourself up for a smoother transition into your new home.
There are many things to consider for how to decide what to keep when moving, and I’ve shared tips about moving to a new state in the past. My favorite sentences are “These are just THINGS! When it comes down to it, our stuff is not the deciding factor of what should make us happy and whole. Even if they aren’t replaceable, it is only a material possession.”

Don’t forget to take care of your pets with your transition. Dogs tend to be easier, but we know that most cats don’t love a car ride. That’s why I shared our experience with our 2 kitties and their cat condos.

Ideas Of How To Decide What To Keep When Moving

Thank You

I hope I thank you enough because your support allows me to continue this journey which I LOVE!!!
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Layering Lace Under Bulky Sweater

Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.

The post How To Decide What To Keep When Moving appeared first on Jodie’s Touch of Style.

Jodie's Touch of Style showcases how it's never too late to look great including other older women and myself talking about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle issues.

As a retired dentist, Jodie takes her love of clothing and shopping and has come to find her superpowers in styling the same item in many ways. She is also a huge advocate for embracing our age and bodies. Getting old is a wonderful thing and learning to love ourselves while it happens is very freeing.

Looking great can happen no matter what age, shape or budget, as we show on Jodie's Touch of Style.

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