![\"Decluttering](\"http:\/\/blog.beltmann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Beltmann-8-06-300x200.jpg\")
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It makes total sense to declutter your life before you move \u2013 and even more important before you start getting estimates from moving companies. The more stuff you have, the more expensive your move will be \u2013 so it\u2019s a good idea (if you have the time) to schedule a time to go through the below items.<\/p>\n
READING MATERIALS<\/strong><\/p>\n Go to your shelves and baskets \u2013 disregard old magazines and books that you aren\u2019t planning on reading again. You can even think about gifting some of your favorites to friends that you think might enjoy the read.<\/p>\n PAPER<\/strong><\/p>\n Things like receipts, bills, paperwork, that you do not need to keep for tax purposes, can be shredded. Many of us have pounds of paper filed away, that doesn\u2019t need to be transported. It\u2019s smart to keep tax documents for at least 5-10 years, but if they\u2019re older than that you might consider shredding them up.<\/p>\n CLOTHES<\/strong><\/p>\n This might be an obvious one, but be sure to be throughout and realistic. If you haven\u2019t worn it in two years, if it no longer fits, is worn out or is out of style \u2013 put it in a donation pile. Be sure to check storage area for seasonal stashes as well.<\/p>\n MEDICINE CABINET<\/strong><\/p>\n Sift through your medicine and throw away bottles that have expired. You will be surprised how much you\u2019ll be able to throw away.<\/p>\n MAKEUP & TOILETRIES<\/strong><\/p>\n Go through your bathroom cabinets, closets and storage areas for makeup, lotions, soap, gifts or shampoo items that you haven\u2019t used. If it\u2019s still good, keep it in a small tote, otherwise donate things that are used or throw it away things that have been used.<\/p>\n JEWELRY<\/strong><\/p>\n Jewelry can be a tricky thing to declutter, because some might have sentimental value or might be worth something \u2013 so you aren\u2019t sure if you can get rid of it. A good rule, if you don\u2019t wear it and\/or can\u2019t will it to someone in your family, decide if it has value. If it\u2019s pure gold, has stones \u2013 you might be able to visit a local jewelry store to see if they\u2019ll buy the gold or stones. You can always try selling online or at pawnshops.<\/p>\n FOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n As you get closer to move day, you\u2019ll want to par down your food supply. Start creating a plan for either incorporating the food into your menus or donating to a local organization. Some moving companies are a part of \u201cMove for Hunger\u201d and will help pick up donated non-perishable food items and distribute them to local food banks. Beltmann is affiliated with this organization, so we make it easy for our customers to donate \u2013 ask your moving rep for details.<\/p>\n OLD CARDS, GIFTS, MEMORABILIA<\/strong><\/p>\n This might be a tough thing for you to do, but consider being very cautious about what you keep in the \u201cmemories\u201d sector of your life. Some people become unrealistically attached to keep things to remember people, moments or stages of life. And, that\u2019s completely fine \u2013 just be realistic with how much you really need to keep and if you really think it\u2019s something someone else would want to inherit once you\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n ELECTRONICS<\/strong><\/p>\n This is a big one \u2013 now that electronics are created to become obsolete in just a few years, if we aren\u2019t careful we could all have mountains of chords, gadgets, warranties, accessories and cases hogging up a drawer or storage space. It\u2019s hard to throw these things away because of their value. Before you take them to a recycling facility, do a quick Amazon<\/a> or eBay<\/a> search to see if any have sold recently, if you feel like it \u2013 you might be able to get some money for your extra items.\u00a0 Check out websites like Gazelle.com<\/a> to see if your items qualify for their program \u2013 it\u2019s an easy way to get some quick cash for your old electronics.<\/p>\n DRAWERS<\/strong><\/p>\n We all have that drawer \u2013 you know the one, the catchall that has a random assortment of everything you didn\u2019t know what to do with. Well, it\u2019s time tackle the beast and throw away all of those old sticks of gum and pens that only work when you shake them. This would is probably the easiest, if you get a drawer organizer and stay very strict with what goes in each section.<\/p>\n GARAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, this one sounds intimidating doesn\u2019t it? Well, start with one area \u2013 maybe the toolbox or cabinet and then move your way to the walls and storage boxes. If you plan to have a garage sale, there\u2019s good news, you can keep the items you plan to donate in the garage in a separate pile.<\/p>\n If you go through these items, you will be one your way to a minimalistic lifestyle, if you notice you aren\u2019t throwing away much \u2013 you may have to enlist a trusted friend to help you get over the initial shock and offer some tough-love. As always, we look forwarding to making your upcoming move a smooth and easy one, if you have any questions for your favorite global moving company<\/a>, please give us a call at (866) 251-8588.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It makes total sense to declutter your life before you move \u2013 and even more important before you start getting estimates from moving companies. The more stuff you have, the more expensive your move will…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3703,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moving-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beltmann.com\/new-jersey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}