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I am just wondering what is the best way to get everything packed up....I mean all the decluttering and packing...stuff from ages ago that a person has to go through....how do people do this while working a full time job?????'
You really cannot hire someone to go through your things as that is personal as to what will be kept and what will be discarded or sold etc.
My home is already on market...........................
My answer; Quit my job,,,,,what do people generally do....as I have NO help either. I am relocating to other side of country, one coast to the other. I feel I have to decide, quit job and leave or if I keep job...I will never get out of here....
You don't need to hire movers to pack everything. You can probably manage some of it yourself, and get movers to pack larger stuff, or things that don't need to be sorted.
Don't over think the sorting process. If you need to save time, don't worry about "spring cleaning" and throwing out this or that. Toss the obvious junk, and just stuff the rest into boxes as efficiently as possible. Sort it all at your leisure after you move, when you're unpacking.
First, tackle the large furniture. Decide what you'll take, and what you'll get rid of.
Second, tackle the medium-size items. Like televisions, coffee tables, wall art, mirrors, etc. Decide what you'll keep, and what you'll get rid of.
The large furniture and medium-size items that you're getting rid of can be sold (if you have time, you can put listings on Craigslist, and wait for people to show up to take things). Or, you can give furniture away to charities who will arrange pick up. Look for an online list of charities in your area. Last resort, put it all in a pile and call a junk removal service. They'll charge a fee, but if you want to get rid of large group of junky items you can't sell or give away, that's always an option.
To tackle the rest of your belongings, go room by room. Do the garage, the basement/attic, the bedrooms, the living room, and then the kitchen and bathroom last (since you'll still be using that stuff right up until you move).
There are lots of threads with general packing suggestions. Like:
Use a tape gun. Speeds things up a lot.
Clothes don't need to be sorted, just stuff them into the largest cardboard moving boxes you can get. Sort them after you get to your destination. If you feel the need to sort clothes at all, mark some boxes "Winter clothes" and others "Summer clothes".
Books are too heavy to move in large boxes. Pack them in smaller ones that you or the movers can pick up easily.
Loose stuff can be packed into boxes with some wadded newspaper to fill in the space and prevent breakage during the move.
Don't overthink the sorting, and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Just pack a bit every night after work, and get up early on the weekends to pack.
Here is what I'd add to it. Set up the garage or patio as the receiving area for everything you are not taking and move the items there as you do each room. Get the stuff you are not taking out of site and out of your space.
I'd suggest that you start with one room at a time and get it sorted and packed then go on to the next room. So when you are done with the room everything in it is boxed and ready to go...mattresses in mattress boxes/bags too. Mark each box with that room's name or color or whatever so it is easy to put the box in the correct room when you arrive at the new house.
Spend 3 hours each night after work. And do 2 four hour shifts of packing on your days off. Start with the rooms you do not use as much and then go on to the ones you use more--like the kitchen.
Leave extra time for the kitchen and use ONE cupboard for survival things--pot, plate, cup, spoon, fork, coffee maker, etc. whatever you need to live for a few days then you can use these items for a few days as you still live in the old house and are packing and pack up the rest of the kitchen. Then pack up your survival box last the day your are moving or the day before. Mark it as the survival box as it is the first one you will open in your new place.
Follow that pattern to have a set of bedding and clothes for your bedroom survival box. And make a bathroom survival box...with paper
Eliminate! If you have not used it in two years you wil not use it next year. If you have not worn it last summer it is not likely that you will wear it this summer. Fill liquor store boxes with a) throw out b) Goodwill ... c) adoptions. Tell friends, family, neighbors that you have items to give away.
Here is what I'd add to it. Set up the garage or patio as the receiving area for everything you are not taking and move the items there as you do each room. Get the stuff you are not taking out of site and out of your space.
I'd suggest that you start with one room at a time and get it sorted and packed then go on to the next room. So when you are done with the room everything in it is boxed and ready to go...mattresses in mattress boxes/bags too. Mark each box with that room's name or color or whatever so it is easy to put the box in the correct room when you arrive at the new house.
Spend 3 hours each night after work. And do 2 four hour shifts of packing on your days off. Start with the rooms you do not use as much and then go on to the ones you use more--like the kitchen.
Leave extra time for the kitchen and use ONE cupboard for survival things--pot, plate, cup, spoon, fork, coffee maker, etc. whatever you need to live for a few days then you can use these items for a few days as you still live in the old house and are packing and pack up the rest of the kitchen. Then pack up your survival box last the day your are moving or the day before. Mark it as the survival box as it is the first one you will open in your new place.
Follow that pattern to have a set of bedding and clothes for your bedroom survival box. And make a bathroom survival box...with paper
Fantastic, thank you so much.....and as Ottawa said, dont get into sorting through every little thing, just box or toss.....and I think when you start looking at "stuff" not only does it throw you off it can be depressing....you both offer ideas that are quite streamlined.
Eliminate! If you have not used it in two years you wil not use it next year. If you have not worn it last summer it is not likely that you will wear it this summer. Fill liquor store boxes with a) throw out b) Goodwill ... c) adoptions. Tell friends, family, neighbors that you have items to give away.
These are all great ideas. I had a yard sale to get rid of the big stuff for one weekend and what didn't go I gave to the church, goodwill, Restore or neighbors. I hated running a yard sale but I stuck to my plans and only did it for two days and near the end of the last day had a clearance sale slashed all the prices in half or more.
I made three piles Keep, Maybe, Chuck it. Then I went through the Maybe box one more time to thin it out. Box everything and then call a moving company to transport. I rented a trailer but you might not have that option.
If you're normally off on weekends, try to get an entire Monday or Friday for a three-day weekend. Two of those in a row can be really helpful.
If you can't get a whole day at once, even a Friday afternoon and the next Monday morning off can help. The idea is to have some block time so that you can actually move the items you don't want off your property so that you aren't overwhelmed by piles of stuff.
Helpers -- if you can't get time off, see if you can get a helper to take your stuff where it needs to go. I hired a high school senior to work with me for several afternoons when I was emptying out rooms. I'm older and have limited strength, and that extra set of hands allowed me to get things done in a quarter of the time.
It's hard! There may be days when you don't have much energy after working all day and then you have to come home to a mess and sort for several more hours? That's where take-home dinners and other short-cuts can help.
I took off work about three weeks before I moved (I was transferring). Paywise, it was a bit of a hardship, but I really needed that time. I had been in that house for 17 years and had a ton of stuff to cull. If I had to do it over, I would'ved started tossing stuff a full 18 months before.
In any case, I got moved and you will, too!
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