If you are planning to move anytime soon, it can be overwhelming to think of packing up everything in your house. The good news is that moving can be good motivation to get rid of anything you don’t want to take to your new house. It takes too much time and energy to pack boxes and move them only to decide you don’t need it when you pull it back out. Here are my best tips for decluttering to get ready for a move—how to decide what to keep, what to donate, and what to toss.

Decluttering to Get Ready for a Move

Get two boxes and a trash bag

To get ready to attack the clutter, grab two boxes and a trash bag. One box is for items to donate (this should be a big box), one box is for items to keep, the trash bag is for things that need to be thrown away. When you start to go through items you need to have somewhere to put them, so before you start to sort things, grab your tools.

Tackle one room at a time

The longer you live in your house, the more stuff you accumulate. It can be completely overwhelming to think about everything in all of the rooms, attic, garage, etc. To start, focus on one room at a time. When you take it one step at a time you can break it down into manageable pieces. It can also be helpful to set a timer for 15 minutes. You can do anything for 15 minutes, so set your timer and get started.

Go through it all again

Once you finish a room, grab the box of things you plan to keep. Now go through that box again. Anything you don’t love or find useful needs to be moved to the donate box. Show no mercy.

Be ruthless with your clothing

If you haven’t worn it in a year, you will probably never wear it again. Anything you haven’t worn or that doesn’t fit, go ahead and donate it. Don’t spend time second guessing whether overalls really are coming back in style this year; just let them go.

In terms of kids’ clothing, if you know another child in your household will wear it, keep it. I have five girls, so unless the newborn has outgrown it, we’re keeping it. You may want to check for stains or rips that will make it unwearable, but around here, we just make those items play clothes. My girls are big fans of bugs and dirt.

Make decisions about home decor

I always find home decor tricky. I am never sure exactly what I am going to want to use in the new house. For this reason, if I wouldn’t buy it that day at the store, I don’t pack it. This way, when you get to your new home, you’ll be able to decorate with all of your favorite things. If you are truly on the fence about something you can try to re-purpose it. A fresh coat of paint can bring new life to many items.

Check your stockpile

If you have been couponing to build a stockpile, the thought of moving it all can be overwhelming. In my opinion, it is worth it to move it. Sort through it beforehand to donate anything you won’t use and throw away anything expired. Don’t forget to check dates on condiments and sauces that are in your fridge (two year old mayo is a no-go).

Sort through sentimental items

Sentimental items can be one of the hardest things to sort through. All of those paintings, macaroni necklaces, and first spelling tests can get a little crazy, though. It just isn’t practical to keep everything, so sort through to find your child’s and/or your favorite things. I like to keep a container for each child. I put my favorite things in that container and let the rest go. If you want to keep more items than you have space, take pictures of them or scan the artwork. You can then make a scrapbook or photo book of the photos. This helps you to remember the items without requiring the space to store them.

If you can’t handle throwing their artwork away, you can send it to family members or use it for other craft projects (like really fun greeting cards).

When you get to your new house, you will be so thankful that you’ve taken the time to go through your things and get rid of stuff. And if you start unpacking and find more things you don’t want to keep, you can just go through the same process again and reduce clutter even more!

How do you decide to what to keep, what to toss, and what to donate? Let us know in the comments!