Preparing to Move Out: Decluttering Strategies for Moving…or Staying Put
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- There’s nothing like the pressure of moving to help you throw away things you don't need! Whether you purge by choice or because you're too exhausted to keep packing, the demands of a move are guaranteed to reduce your pile of possessions. But even if you won't be moving any time soon, you can still use moving strategies to help you let go of excess in your life.
Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, hosts the May 2018 online meeting of the Houston Clutter Coaching Meetup Group.
Dear Gayle although I never met you in person I truely believe you have a great soul. Your story about your mother's handwriting has helped me so much as I slowly rehome my mother's things after her passing. I send you 🧡 love
Thank you for saying so!
I filled up a trash bag just listening to you! Slow and steady is the way to go! Thank you!
Excellent start!
Yes!!!☺
Any clutterfairy video takes TOP priority in my watch list!! I'm not even moving...I just hear your voice and want to purge things! 😂
That's why I'm here too, lol.
Nothing better than remote control purging!! LOL
The Clutter Fairy Best Storage FACILITIES and Movers Storage RELOCATION
Valuable SHOVELS TOOLS SON SAYS CAN RE BUY I THINK QUALITY ISNT THE SAME ???? IM OVERWHELMED
I am getting SO much from this video! I love how you stress the decluttering and purging without acting like it's not a HUGE job. I love how you touch on the emotional aspects of moving, downsizing, and decluttering. And I love how you add timelines for those of us (severe unmedicated ADD, here) who have NO clue how long anything takes! You have a new subscriber.
Thank you!
Great video! Recommend starting to purge/declutter 4-6 months ahead of your move date.
We're moving in five weeks. We've lived in our current house for almost 40 years. As you might imagine we have a LOT of stuff. I started packing about two months ago (the clothing which would be the wrong season, books, decor etc - items which wouldn't be needed) and have managed to cull quite a bit along the way. As I'm getting closer to the actual move, however, I find myself getting quite panicky because I know I won't be able to mentally put aside everything as 'last minute packing'.
All your videos are helpful but this one is especially timely. I hate clutter and I have no intention of spoiling my lovely new home with more stuff than we really need.
Glad the video was timely for you! I hope your prep is going well. Sounds like you've spent a lot of time getting ready so far and good for you that you started so early. You can be proud of the work you've done already, and if you can't get it all done before the move, at least you will have gotten MOST of it done before. No need to panic! Just keep plugging along until the move and then you can start round two as you unpack. Good luck!
I'm moving next week so this has been useful. I started about 6 weeks ago to try to thin the herd, as you say, though I'm sure I didn't do enough. Now it's down to the wire & I'm trying not to panic. A friend is coming to help next week. One thing I'm grateful for is that I had already done a big decluttering job on my huge built-in bookcase during the first lockdown. This made things SOOOOO much easier & despite that, it STILL took me 3 days to get everything in the bookcase decluttered & packed since I didn't only have books but lots of knick-knacks & photos in frames that had to be bubble-wrapped. But it's funny cuz when I decluttered during the 1st lockdown last year, I remember thinking, "Future me is gonna thank me for this one day," & I was right! Fortunately the Emmaus charity shop is literally across the street so it's been easy to donate things - so I'm trying to donate as much as possible now so that I won't have to haul it to another charity shop when I'm on the other side of Paris. Also, I'm moving to a slightly smaller place with almost no built-in storage whereas our current place had tons of storage. It's a bit overwhelming but I'm excited to be in a nicer area of town with better schools for my son. ;-)
It's great to see how you prepared so the move was easier than it could have been. Good job!
I like the contents she offers because I need this type of advice. It is like real talk.
This is such a great video Gayle. I’ve watched it before but each time you learn something new. In fact all your talks should be watched numerous times. Thanks to you and all the Clutter Fairy team for everything!
Had a friend, who after her divorce, put most if her stuff in storage because she was moving in with parents. Five years later, after paying a ton in storage fees, she purged most of those items. I cringe at the thought of the money she spent.
Yeah that's exactly what I'm not going to do.
How wonderful she did not continue that expense
Great video Gayle. Excellent questions and answers from you. Three years ago my mom went into the hospital and I stayed in her house for about a month, fixing things up and going through her stuff. Lots of purging and organizing then. About a month ago, she passed away and my brother and I are going through her house again. I'm so thankful I did that first sort through 3 years ago! It's still really hard, much harder than I thought it would be, but I know it could have been much harder.
I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your mom. It is very hard to go through your deceased parent's belongings and very triggering, especially so soon after the loss. I'm so glad you spent a month before you were in grief working on the contents. It saved you a ton of work now, and I'll bet it gives you a different perspective on the contents, when you're grieving and struggling to work on it. You can remember the things you gave up without regrets, and hopefully be able to let go of things you really don't want to manage in your own home, even though it's so hard to let go now. I'm thinking of you - best of luck to you and your brother on this project. Take care of yourselves and don't push if you don't have to do so.
Diana, you have my sympathies. I lost my mum in February and fortunately she wasn't a clutter junkie, albeit she had many beautiful things and many nice clothes that I took and wear often (every time I go into my wardrobe I think about my mum). My aunt still lives in their home, so there wasn't the pressure to clear out superquick, and it was her personal things rather than everything, but it was a very emotional process. Clutter Fairy, I can only imagine the stress of emptying a whole house of personal things, especially things they've had since you were a child. My mum had the most beautiful, lively handwriting so yes, that was painful too.
Even after my mum died I felt that looking through her personal things was an intrusion of her privacy, despite common sense dictating it had to be done especially for my aunt's emotional wellbeing, for she felt as if there was a ghost in the house. My fiancé was pure gold all through the process, he's sensitive yet very practical and we would have really struggled if it wasn't for how he supported us all.
While my mum was in hospice care the woman in the bed beside her, who wasn't quite on her way out yet, was quite outspoken and resented the fact her son had started clearing her things out even though she knew she probably wouldn't be around in a year's time. I suspect he was insensitive about it. Obviously I don't know your situation Diana, but for others I'd warn that purging someone else's stuff can be a minefield. I'm glad it worked for your family, and I expect it made your mum's life much more comfortable for the years she continued to live there. Love and blessings to you, good woman xx
You dropped so much truth on me just in the first 3 minutes, thanks for the perspective!
You are so welcome! I hope it helps your move go smoother with less stress. Happy packing!
Thank you so much for touching on the parental dying issue; am dealing with this now after my Dad passed 18 months ago (it's actually made it easier to store things, then it's been easier to let things go after a period of grieving), he was a sudden diagnosis and death, as well. Condolences for your Mom
Yes, i agree - it is very hard to go thru the items of a beloved family member. I have done this several times, experiencing the mental exhaustion & zoning out, even several yrs later. But i did find it extremely helpful that I got rid of all the known trash right away. Then i packed up what i couldn't deal with. I gradually let go of items that made me depressed bc i felt like i failed in an area. When i moved several yrs later, it was another extremely exhausting time mentally dealing w/ some things, whereas other things seemed incredibly easy to get rid of. But i did find it extremely helpful to at least reduce the amt of items by getting rid of trash right away.
Glad I found you we’re in process of moving from 3 bdrm home of 30 yrs to a small 2 bdrm apt., a mile away! So we started with buying new furniture by choice and fit for our downsizing but then we did kitchen and absolutely took only Things we know we’ll be using on a regular basis. Now we just have to pack up the dishes, pots n pans etc we are not needing and donating them, , as we’ve set up the kitchen at new place then Cleaned bathroom next….pitched most washed all towel wash cloths and everything was made for easy transfer. We’re moving ourselves, so still have items we need to bring to new apt and trying to get it out of house we’re selling All I can say is it’s overwhelming but Just take what you use often! We decided Instead of having a sale we are donating to a few paces and the rest will be trash! It’s freeing having all the less weight and we are loving getting used to practica! Less is definitely more‼️👍🙏
Always great content!
I guess I'm part of the club! Our move is in 1.5 months. When the video started, I listened for a few minutes and then started gathering stuff that needs to be donated when we can get to the thrift store this weekend.
Good for you!! No reason to pack what you don't want in the new house. It'll be so much less work to get stuff to donation than to pack and unpack it! Best of luck in your new place...
This is brilliant.
Thankyou :)
Just a heads up, with old tech like DVD's and tapes, extract the digital file. A family member wanted to send her sister a taped party from the 90s that was put on DVD later on. Sadly, it was corrupted without sound. Thankfully, the software I used could fix some of the corrupted files. I just ended up posting the file on her Facebook, which delighted everyone else who attended. Also, old solid state drives (SD cards from back in the day with heavy use) have a limited lifespan.
i listen to your videos while i purge😊💜😉
2 months out doesn't sound like nearly enough time
I’m not moving but has to declutter A LOT. This helped!! 👍
So glad!
So incredibly helpful! Thank you!
Hi! I'm moving in the Spring of 2022 and have begun purging and packing lol I really want to get ahead of the game as there are things to fix in the house before I can sell. There's soooo much to do and go through! My Son and I have been in this house for 22yrs! Its overwhelming at times but so glad I've begun the process...I've already taken many loads to donate to the local Thrift Store. Winter is on its was so I figure I won't be doing much over those months. Best to do things when I have the energy so Spring & Fall are best for Me. I'm proud of Myself for letting go of so much "Stuff" and I must admit it feels great...lighter. I came across this video and enjoyed hearing your advice Thanks so much for posting! I've subscribed and I will check out Your other videos soon 💗🌿✌🍁🇨🇦
In the middle moving and this is very helpful. Thankyou 🙏
I would add: especially if you're getting help from friends/relatives, BE READY. It's so rude and yet happens so often that the movee is not ready.
please make some short videos too. your content is excellent...thank you
interesting, thank you for your content. ;) i discover it 3 years after but i feel it still interesting for sure, a lot of concrete exemples and amazing advices for not so easy situations .. thank you, love from france ;)
Excellent!! Such valuable advice. We are dealing with my parents home, husband’s parents home and our own home we built and moved in to. I’m not so overwhelmed after listening to you. Thank you !! 😍
Many good suggestions
Unfortunately I am one of those anomalies...I lost both of my parents 2 wks apart after a few years of caregiving, etc
So had to empty family home & go through all possessions...as an only child. Didn't have the luxury of waiting - so very traumatic
As you stated you constantly feel overwhelmed in all areas...still dealing with a lot of it as the anniversary approaches again...
Help from friends is & has been immeasurable & continues to save my sanity!
So, sometimes you have to plan for the unthinkable...sometimes losses do happen in multiples
*Pics & handwriting has proved to be 2 of the harder things to part with - had the same reaction to my parents handwriting! 😢
I’m so sorry that you lost them so close together. And the anniversaries are hard for awhile afterwards. The first anniversary is usually very hard. I’m not surprised that you’re finding it difficult to sort stuff around that time. Give yourself a break around the Anniversary and let it roll by, then you can get back to working on it. But no need to push through it all right now unless you’re finding it a burden to live with. There’s no definite time line, so do the work at a pace that works for you and is not too stressful. If you get very stressed while you’re working you’re likely to stop altogether and not get it done. If you go forward at a more relaxed pace, then you have the staying power to get it complete. Best of luck to you!
About moving into a larger house….I did that, but found that it had Much less storage space than my little house…e.g. I have no linen closet here, so had to put up shelves in my master closet, so I lost 5 feet of clothes space..also fewer kitchen cabinets, smaller pantry….less than half the closet space in the secondary bedrooms. Shocking.
thank you again...your videos are so helpful....i notice you have beautiful skin and nice simple make up
To Michelle's questions:
Should you just buy new furniture on the other end when you move?
That really depends on a lot of factors. Cost invariably comes into play... Will it cost more to move it than replace it? And any time you move, there is the risk that things (including furniture) get lost, damaged, or both whether moved by friends or professionals. Worse outcomes seem to increase with cross country moves, or situations where household goods get offloaded to a warehouse before making it to their final destination. Sometimes lost things turn up, even months later, but often not in their original condition. Also, with professional moves, the driver will make a notation of any damage to your furniture before it goes on the truck with descriptions such as scratched, rub, nick, etc., and what looks like a decent piece of furniture to you, in person, could look completely different, or like junk on paper. Photo inventory of some items including furniture could be helpful, but it can be hard to do a thorough photo inventory at the time of the move, and if done too early, could still be disputed if a claim came into play. I've moved a number of times, and thankfully, I've never had any major losses, but things do happen - from loss, theft, to issues in transit like a leak in the truck allowing mattresses or upholstered furniture to become damaged, or a truck plunging into a body of water resulting in a complete loss. Sometimes what fit in one house won't fit in another, and replacing furniture vs moving it makes sense if you know it won't work ahead of time.
What cleaning supplies should you bring with you?
Gail is right about moving companies not taking a lot of these types of items. Since moving companies will hire random people for day work, however, the packers aren't always up to speed on the rules. We once had one of my kid's classmates from middle school show up as a packer with her mother, sister, and someone else... 🤔 Needless to say, sometimes items that shouldn't get packed and make their way to the truck do. Unless you are moving across town, it's probably better to gift some of your cleaning supplies to friends/neighbors before you go and just buy new on the other end. You end up moving so much in your own vehicle anyway, that there often isn't a lot of extra room for things that are easily replaced in the new location, and you don't have to worry about fumes, leaks, etc. that way either.
Thanks for adding such a thorough comment! I'm sure it was very helpful!
Another excellent video with great tips. Thank you Gayle. xxx
Brilliant! Thank you.
Ha! My son is 20 years old and notes to my and husband and I that we have way too much stuff. I told him when we were his age, we did not have much at all....just as you have said in your video. His current world does pretty much fit in a car! What has happened?? To pare down to an amount of belongings that I can fit into my truck....wow! Is that with or without my husband and pets??!! : D
LOL - I think pets are required, but the husband is optional! (*snerk*)
Clearing out my house & packing to move. Very challenging to make space for packing & storing my stuff I will keep since I have no money for a pod or storage unit until my house sells & I have that money.
When we moved from CA to OK we got rid of stuff but we also moved with a lot of junk. After that I decided to start doing mini declutters about twice a year. My bf and I just started talking about marriage and while that is still probably about 18mo out I decided to start viewing my declutters with that in mind. I have a variety of items that I still enjoy but don’t need to move with, I am going to keep them until I am about to move.
I wish I could convince my parents to do a large scale declutter, we have so many boxes (mostly book boxes) that haven’t been gone through in ages. They will likely end up down sizing in the next 5-10 years and should really start now since it is 30yrs worth of stuff.
I think a move is coming up within 2 mo...or less. I have started decluttering about a year ago. But now I am down to my "craft room" Uuugghaa. Last night I was remembering the thing you said about taking a "REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE" of stuff ... Like-- since I don't use "beads" as much as I used to ...but may need a few...I kept one small container of all colors & sizes & I still am thinking I'll never use all them. I have been doing this with all my crafts things (until I get to my designer paper) that I use to make cards, mini albums, saleable journals and paper/material ephemera that's for into the cards, mini's & journals. ... I also have issues with paring down my laces and trims but I know I need to now rather than later. Key words for me are "REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES" of things I don't think I'll use in my life time. Sometimes I end up gong back for round 2,3, and it just feel so much lighter. Thank you!!!
That's great! I'm so glad to hear that you're using the "representative sample" concept to help you filter your craft stuff. It's kind of like putting a craft to sleep until you're ready to ramp it up again, if you ever get ready to ramp it up! You want room in your current or future craft space for the supplies you're using now, and not give up so much space to the stuff you're not using. Right now you're lessening the move burden, but also the space management burden in future because there's less to keep up with once you unpack and get set up again. Good for you! Happy crafting!
We been in the same house several years and I told my family I want to get things cleaned out as if we were moving. Then when the college was giving away books, it looked as if half came to my house! Ha! I warned I wouldn't be packing books again.😊
The Clutter Fairy.. what an adorable name!
Marilyn Tucker Thanks! I love it too!
@@TheClutterFairy I heard your videos for the first time today and was listening while prepping to move. It was keeping me going while I was surrounded by piles of shredded paperwork. Thank you for the inspiration!
I'm so glad it helpful while you packed!!
your videos are so gooood!
My favorite thing so far is, “When you were twenty...”. Lol
Good advise! Thank you.
I have two wonderful sons:) I love photos so, I have them on the wall and made a gallery wall but then my sons are so accomplished and have master's degrees and pictures of when they got them. I have all their diploma's also on the wall. Well, the gallery wall is to small so, I went to one of the walls in the living room! I think maybe, I've gone overboard! What is your idea on this? Thank you:)
Omg I want and probably need to start 6 months out haha!
Hi this is good. I will need your help in two years..moving country
I have been putting things at the end of my driveway for years. People always take it eventually. Well, I just noticed some of my old plant stands sitting under a tree in my next door neighbors yard. They are officially hoarders! (My husband helped them repair something inside….floor to ceiling junk in every room with only narrow walkways.). Now what do I do with stuff? I don’t want it going to a dump or burning in a fire when my neighbors house burns down.
Keep in mind that could make moving for you harder because their house’s value will probably be lowered. Mold and pests can accumulate in very hoarded places. Nobody wants to move in next to a hoarder. Even I have stopped giving things away to family members since I know they hoard. I either donate it to an organization or throw it away. They don’t need their space cluttered.
My mother moved in with me 5 years before she passed away and so her whole life was left in my hands, I’ve offered family members to come get most of it but no one really wanted anything. So my question is how do I part with things my mother cared about like her collections of porcelain dolls and what nots? I feel guilty not wanting them so I’ve packed it up and put in storage which vista money to stor.
Put it up for auction on ebay.
I have several oil paintings that my grandmother painted. What should I do with them?
Keep a couple of your favorites, take photos of all of them and have them put into book form, and put the ones you aren't keeping at auction on ebay.
Where to donate now when everything is closed now???
Some things are opening back up, and you still may have to work at it a bit. I'd ask your social network if they know of any group still needing donations. Post the donations you have on FB - just say generally what you have to give away and see if someone on your social media channels wants something or can suggest a donation location. Make a few phone calls to see who's ready to take things again. Like a said, a little bit of work! Good luck!
Hey Gayle! What about moving abroad?
I'm glad I found your videos. I am moving into a new apt Dec 31 and I am trying to purge my years of paper. I start working on it then quit. I'm thinking the things I need to keep can be scanned and shredded, but I think there won't be enough time to get it all scanned and I will run out of time before the move! Please help!
I just went through years of shredding! It was hell going through everything but I had a shredding company come to the house and shred it all on site. It was worth a little extra $ to do that because it would have taken forever to manually do that with my little home shredder! I recommend doing this if it’s a lot.
@@paigepooler9036
How did you find this service?
I've not heard of them coming to your home to shred...just picking up to shred elsewhere
I'm in midst of doing this with 3 shredders at home! 😬 🤪
@@whoamitoday5725 it was a lifesaver, honestly! I wish I’d done it a lot sooner!
~46:00 video items you like but are purging AND give a narrative that explains its story/significance. M
I’m OVERWHELMED AND STRESSED . Lost Home To Fraud Home To Apartment/CONDO
I'm sorry you're stressed and lost your home. Having to move under those circumstances must be stressful indeed. I hope the video gave you some support. Thanks for watching!
Wow that’s exactly what happened to me I was told the house was in escrow next thing you know I get it evection notice and the person was supposed to be investing my money disappeared and now I have to of everything and rent a room from a friend I’m 52 years old and I have to give all my stuff away and I’m having a breakdown
Lisa Conama
Sending you love
I hear you
Military move coming up in 30 days. I’ve been working on purging since we found out, six months ago. The purging process ebbs and flows here. We can’t pack a single thing, we wait for the packers to do that in two days. My least favorite part of these moves is having to throw away all the food and condiments they will not pack. 😭🍯🧈🗑
How many times have you moved?
Omgosh ... i've had to move hundreds of times over my 70 yrs. . My neighbor across the alley has lived in that same house in all of her 63 yrs!! 🤯 i can't even imagine what that must be like!! MIND BLOWING!
Moving 7 people from HOME 30 years to All 5 apartments
That sounds like a really big moving job. I hope you have some support from your communities. Best of luck to you!
The audio caller immediately should’ve consulted a therapist…
Baby on the way ,so trying to manage space before we move. We also have a 4 year old and cats ,so I'm welcome to suggestions. It feels like I still have too much stuff for this goal to happen. What do you guys suggest?
Yeah except a POD is $500
Realtor has two syllables. Ask any of them. It's reel-ter, not reel-leh-ter. I will die on this hill. :)
Vex-
These videos are not helpful I don't need to listen to somebody else drone on about my problem I'm expecting some miracle system
NOT clearly presented. 👎🏽 THUMBS DOWN
Clutter fairy If you call purple heart they will pick up donations. You don't even have to worrying about talking to them. You just leave it on the front porch
What is "purple heart"?? What country are you in?
Not useful. Not well organized. How ironic 👎🏽