4 Easy Ways to Declutter Your Home Before Moving Day

Moving is notoriously difficult for homeowners of all ages. In addition to dealing with the stress of saying goodbye to neighbors, finding a new school for your kids, and getting your new place ready to go, you might also be left wondering how you accumulated so much stuff.

Fortunately, you can streamline your move by getting rid of a few things beforehand. Here are four easy ways to declutter your home before moving day and why you won’t regret the decision down the road.

1. GET A FRESH PERSPECTIVE
After living in a home for years, some of your belongings might fade into the background, which is why getting a little perspective is so important. To make it easier to find things that you might be able to live without, invite over a friend who isn’t afraid to tell you the truth.

Go through every room of your home, and ask your friend what they think you should keep and leave behind. As you work, make sure your friend understands the history of important pieces in your home, such as that antique piano your grandmother left you or that hutch that you built with your father.

On the other hand, don’t be offended if a friend points out furniture you never use or clothing that has passed its fashion prime. Instead, take the advice as an opportunity to get rid of a few extra things, and let your friend know they are welcome to the items if they want to haul them away.

2. HOLD A GARAGE SALE
Since one person’s trash might be another person’s treasure, consider holding a garage sale to earn a few extra dollars before the big day. As you go through and price your belongings, keep in mind that the average sale price for goods at a garage sale is about 85 cents an item.

However, don’t feel silly about asking for more money for nice pieces of furniture, high-end clothing and accessories, or electronics. Be willing to negotiate if people ask, and always help load larger items into your customer’s cars. You never know — you might be able to earn enough to add a few new things to your new place.

3. DONATE TO CHARITY
If you don’t feel comfortable piling your front lawn high with old belongings, consider carting it to Goodwill instead. Charitable donation centers like Goodwill, Savers and Deseret Industries accept things like old clothing, furniture, books, baby accessories and shoes, and they will even offer a tax slip that you can use to show your donation.

Because you can only write off the estimated value of the item, consider using a free online tool Its Deductible to make calculating those deductions easy. These tools allow users to indicate what they plan to donate and what kind of condition it is in to calculate the estimated value.

Some of these programs even allow you to print out a summary of your donations, making tax time a little easier. If you plan to donate to charity, keep in mind that some centers don’t accept damaged or potentially dangerous items, such as kitchen knives or weapons of any kind.

4. SELL THINGS ONLINE
Another great way to declutter your home is selling things online. In addition to listing your old stuff on websites like eBay, many people earn extra money by listing items on Craigslist or their local classifieds. If you sell items online, make sure you take great pictures so that sellers have an accurate idea of the item’s condition.

If you want to make your move even easier, work with a team of professionals such as Bos Moving & Service Inc. In addition to handling everything from packing and moving your belongings, these moving contractors also offer free online estimates, piano moving and pod relocation.