As a top Cape Town moving company, we’re often asked advice on various aspects of moving. In our post Top Moving Tips: #1 Start Early, we suggested thinking about what items you should keep and what you should get rid of. Moving companies charge based on how much stuff you have. Given this, you can save money by only moving the things you really use and want to keep.
It can be a challenge trying to decide what to keep and what to throw away. Here we offer two rules for deciding whether to keep something or get rid of it.
The 1 year rule:
If you haven’t used it over the last 12 months, you should get rid of it.
The emotional rule:
Pick up or touch the item and notice your immediate emotional response. If you feel a strong positive response such as happiness, joy, or excitement, you should keep it. If you have no emotional reaction (or a negative reaction!), you should probably get rid of it.
Everything you want to get rid of should be put into a pile. Next, it’s time to separate this pile into 3 smaller piles:
1) Items to sell:
There are people out there who value the items you no longer need and are willing to buy them from you. It’s easy to sell items on websites like Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace. In addition, there are also facebook groups where you can post your items for sale.
2) Items to donate:
Charities rely on donations. Not only financial donations, but your old items can be of great value to them. There are all sorts of charities that take all sorts of items, from furniture to toys and clothes. You can find Cape Town charities here, here and here.
3) Items to discard:
Items that can’t be sold or donated will need to be discarded. Many of these items can be taken to a recycling depot like Oasis where they can be processed for recycling instead of ending up in a landfill.
Stuff tends to accumulate, gathering dust in closets and storerooms, year after year. Avoid the mistake of carrying your ‘junk’ around with you every time you move in the hope that maybe you will one day be able to use that fondue set or that volleyball net.
As the saying goes “the things you own end up owning you.” Take this opportunity to free yourself from the burden of the things you don’t need. You will be saving money on your move. You might even make some money selling your goods.
For more on the art of decluttering, check out this book- The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up - Marie Kondo
Happy moving!