Ever moved home? There’s a reason why it’s deemed one of the most stressful things you will ever do in your life. As someone who has moved 14 times now, I speak from experience when I say, it’s not fun and it’s even less fun the more moves you make.
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The last move was undoubtedly the most stressful as I wasn’t only moving my things but those of my two year old daughter and my husband. A family of three comes with a lot of stuff it turns out, even when one of them is a minimalist.
In truth, about half way through the day when we were faced with all the things from our loft (which filled an entire van by the way), I was ready to give up. So my advice? Pare down now before it’s too late or you will want to bail on your stuff too.
Moving home will make you wish you were a minimalist, so be one now while you still can and save yourself the angst. Here’s why...
You will always be surprised at how much stuff you own: Even when you think you live a relatively modest existence, when it’s all gathered in one place, you will be shocked at how much you have to your name. If you’re moving or even if you aren’t, imagine how much space your possessions will occupy when pulled together and then add some. Would you want to move that? Are you prepared to move that if a house change is imminent? Do you want someone else to be saddled with moving it when you eventually depart this earth? If the answer to any or all of these is ‘no’ it’ time to do something about it.
Moving is stressful enough without the stuff: Between calls to your estate agents, to the solicitor, coming up with the money for the stamp duty and the removal vans as well as your legal fees, there is a lot to think about without having to concern yourself with masses of stuff too. Give yourself some leniency where you can and make sure you only take what you actually need.
The energy expended is a waste: If you’re not bothered about the things you’re moving you are wasting precious time and energy by moving it from one location to another. Get rid of the things that aren’t serving you NOW so you can use your time and energy on moving valuable items and finding homes for the things you love at your new place.
The exercise is pointless: If you are going to take something from one dark space (like your attic) and place it into another dark hole in your new home, what is the point of it all? Answer? There isn’t one. You are making unnecessary work for yourself. Your attic is meant for seasonal decorations and holiday related items such as suitcases and camping gear. It is not a catch all for your delayed decisions. Make your move full of purpose.
MORE: Top tips for minimising when you are moving house
Any good intentions will go out of the window: If you save things you’re not sure about to deal with at the other end- let me tell you now- you won’t. You will be so fed up of moving stuff that your plans of sorting through boxes, reading through documents or decluttering drawers will go to the bottom of your to-do list because moving makes you want to turn your back on stuff. If you have good intentions, act upon them before you start boxing up your life or those little jobs will never get done.
Boxes of junk encourage negative emotions: If you don’t deal with your things before you pack them, every box that you know you don’t really want makes you feel some sort of negative emotion. Even more so if it’s see-through. Your indecision is staring you right back in the face. You will start an internal monologue that goes something like...‘I should have done that’ or ‘I should have ditched that’ or ‘that reminds me of the thing I never finished’. Noone needs that in their life, especially when they are tackling something as big as moving home.
It makes you look to the past not the future: Surely, moving house should be about the future you are going to carve in your new surroundings and the memories you are going to make in your shiny new digs. Carting a load of boxes from our old house that mean nothing to you proves you are stuck in the past and unable to fully enjoy the change because you are weighed down by the things that dragged you down in the old house too.
New houses come with junk too: Unless you are buying a brand new home or renting, you are bound to find things that need to be decluttered in your new space. Outdated light fixtures, battered old garden furniture, bits of old carpet are just a few of the treasures previous owners leave. Some people use moving as a lazy way to get rid of stuff... by leaving it. So, if you know you are walking into someone else’s old clutter, you don’t need your own to add to the mix.
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