House Move, the Lean Way

Moving house is one of the most stressful things that comes up in life, but unfortunately unless you want to stay in your college dorm room, it comes up every so often. There are ways to make the process a bit neater and save money in the process.

Organization is key in the entire process of moving.  You need to plan ahead as much as possible, try to give yourself a good few months if you have been living in a place for a considerable amount of time.  Here is a time line guideline –

Two months from moving

Take stock –

Start to go through your clothes and donate anything that you are never going to wear again.  The same goes for old linens.  Set aside old towels that are going to be thrown out to use to wrap breakables in; less need for expensive bubble wrap and you can dispose of the towels when you unpack.

Donate your unwanted to clothes to your local charity shop or if you have a bulk of something such a kid’s clothes you can put an ad on Freecycle and help someone out.  Freecycle is a great resource if you need to get rid of any large items as long as they are still in usable condition. Most councils charge to take away large items so Freecycle is a great way to get rid of stuff without having to pay to have it carted away.

If  you have items that are in good condition and want to make some money at this point you will have enough time to put them on eBay, Gumtree or Craigs List.  It is a bit laborious to list things on eBay but it is great to earn money from your old junk. Also with the money you earn, you can buy new junk for your new abode.

Eat yourself out of home –

Try to eat from your cupboards and freezer and shop less.  There is no need to cart kilos of pasta and rice into your new home. While you are pillaging your kitchen have a look at your spice rack and get rid of anything that has lost its flavour. I also use this time to get rid of any chipped plates or bowls.

Clear out the library –

Books take up a lot of room and how many times do you re-read novels? Now is the time to get rid of all that chick lit you have hidden in the back of your closet.  Donate to charity shops or reading groups.  My local hospital has donated books for sale so you are doing something good for the community.

At the end of this month, which let’s face might actually be six weeks depending on how much you have to get rid of, you will be feeling lighter.  The goal is not to move anything you really don’t want.  If you are hiring a mover ,the less you move the cheaper the bill or if you are doing it yourself, your back will thank you for the lighter load.

Tune in next Wednesday for Lean House Move, One Month to Go.