By Julie DeLong, A-1 Freeman Moving Group
Old appliances, bulky furniture, and items your family does not use anymore can be offloaded before the move itself. Donate your extra, hold a garage sale, or sell your items online. Not sure what to leave behind? Let us look closer at items to think twice about moving.
Children grow out of toys and sometimes lose interest in past play sets. If there are toys or sets of play furniture going unused in your house, you can bet another family has a child who will love it. By donating or selling your unused toys, you lighten your load for moving and give other children the opportunity to enjoy the toys that your children are done with.
Empty out your closet, and the closets of everyone in the family. Anything you wear regularly or seasonally, pack. Anything that you do not wear anymore (or just don't want to wear) can be left behind. It is incredible how much weight you can offload by removing the unused portion of each wardrobe in the household. Donate or sell the clothes that the family leaves behind.
If your family owns appliances like a washer/dryer or extra freezer, decide if it is worth the effort to take. You might sell it to the home buyer or landlord. You might sell it at a garage sale or to a local appliance dealer. This saves you weight and likely will prevent a rickety old appliance from breaking during the bumpy road ahead. You can buy new appliances later or free yourself to invest in a home that already has newer appliances.
Some furniture is precious or essential and will absolutely come with you. But not all furniture falls into that category. Do not have the moving company move any furniture that your family does not care about and could easily be replaced in the new location. Ensure that there is plenty of space in your new home. You can also free your mind from worrying about any furniture left behind, because it cannot be damaged in the move.
Mattresses are another good candidate for being left behind. Mattresses should be replaced about every 8 years, depending on the quality of the mattress. Most of us do not replace our mattress near often enough, and a move is a good excuse to do that. If you have a lumpy old mattress (or more than one), do not move them to your new house. Treat yourself to a new layered mattress to inaugurate your new house when you arrive. In fact, there are many brands that will have a mattress delivered on the day you arrive so you can sleep on a brand-new fresh mattress in your fresh new place.
Finally, think about items that your moving company might need to make special arrangements for. Fish tanks, large musical instruments, delicate glass; if you have a reason buy new when you arrive, you can save yourself and the professional movers some trouble by making that choice. If you have a piano of low quality or no sentimental value, leave it to a local school or church instead of moving it.
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