Whether it's spring cleaning, packing for a vacation, or now, packing up my house to move I'm always thinking, "Purge!" Toss, donate or garage sale becomes my mantra and I begin one room at a time. Since I have an attached garage (that by the way, has never met my car) it's here that I'll be designating the spaces (toss, donate, garage sale) where each rooms' bags or cartons end up.
It makes sense to start with the bedrooms and then move along to the rooms you are least likely to be either using the most or those that will induce the most whining (leave the kid's rooms, playroom, TV room for last!)
So rather than fully engage the rest of the family at this point I prefer to begin with my own stuff. And as with each room to follow, I set up 3 cartons or large, sturdy garbage bags (toss, donate, garage sale) in the master bedroom. As they fill up out they go to the garage.
Moving on to the kid's bedrooms, and once again before inciting a riot, just go through the clothes that they've outgrown and start "picking away" at all the games that are in the back of the closet or missing vital pieces, junk they don't know they have or will never miss.
My next stop is my dining room or wherever you store those pieces of "vintage" tablecloths, stained and never-to-ever-be-clean-again linens, the garage sale "finds" that I've never used. How many bowls and vases does one really NEED! If I don't use it - out it goes!
TIPs of the Week
Plan your Garage Sale: Give yourself about 2-3 weeks. Invite some neighbors to join in on the "fun" - setting the date is a great motivator.
Town Hall: Find out when the dump is open, where to dispose of electronics; will they pick up heavy metals, furniture? Need a permit for your garage sale? Need your own dumpster?
Salvation Army: Schedule a pick up! It can take a few weeks for an appointment.
Moving Companies: Get referrals from friends (or your real estate agent) and schedule them to visit and estimate.
Try not to pack heavy cartons (nothing over 30 pounds.) When lifting, bend at the knees. BREATHE!
And, of course, designate a column in your BusyBodyBook to help organize your tasks. (Download free Weekly GRIDs if you need extra planning space.)
More to come!
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