Packing for a Big Move? What to Keep, Sell, Toss, and Donate

how to get ready to move out of state


 

Did you sell your house fast and need to learn how to get ready to move out of state? Then it is crucial to follow the tips below. Doing so will save you a lot of time and money by allowing you to know what to keep, sell, throw away, or donate in your home. You’re going to save a lot more than you’d think and donate or sell many items that you don’t need to keep anymore. Getting rid of these items will help to cut back on your moving expenses and de-clutter your new home at the same time.

Clothes: Depends on How Often You Use Them

If you’re like most people, you probably have many clothes that you want to keep when you move. However, there are probably quite many items that you don’t need to save. Do you need that prom dress from 20 years ago or that costume you wore once for Halloween? Probably not, but sentimentality and emotion may make it hard for you to give them up as quickly as you should.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: look through your wardrobe and find clothes you haven’t worn in a year. If you haven’t put these clothes on during that time, there’s a good chance that you probably never will again. Make sure that you also look for clothes that no longer fit you. Learning how to get ready to move out of state requires taking such obvious but practical steps to limit your belongings.

If you aren’t sure where to sell or donate your clothes, you can talk to assisted living homes. These houses almost always need extra help from the community. And your old clothes would make a perfect wardrobe for somebody in at least one of these areas. Make sure that you pay attention to these individuals’ needs and donate clothes that make sense for someone in a home.

Pantry Supplies: Usually a Toss

When learning how to get ready to move out of state, you may be looking at your pantry and other items in your home and wondering when it is best to keep them. For instance, you may have party supplies, various types of paper plates, table cloths, and other items that you may or may not use regularly. Should you keep these items, or should they be thrown away without a second thought?

Most of the time, you’re going to want to get rid of these items because they usually don’t move well and are typically inexpensive to replace. For example, a container of paper plates for outdoor dining usually costs no more than $5-10 and will last you a long time. Keeping your already-opened plates will take up extra room on your moving truck and take up time and money you don’t need.

That said, you don’t have to throw these items away if you know of anybody who needs them. Try to identify charities that accept things like these and donate any that you haven’t opened or used. Doing so will help to support your community and make life easier for many people. It will also give you better peace of mind by allowing you to keep your old community one last time.

Furniture: Depends On Your New Home

When you’re trying to learn how to get ready to move out of state, you probably look at your furniture and wonder if it is worth bringing with you. There are many different schools of thought here. Many people will take their furniture to every home, including every mattress in the house, because they don’t want to spend money replacing them at their new house.

However, other people may want to toss their furniture if it isn’t going to fit into their home or quite old. For example, if you’ve had the same couch for 10 or more years and it’s starting to get a bit lumpy, it’s probably time to get rid of it to save yourself the trouble. Doing so is a great choice and will also save you from having to pack up cumbersome items that you won’t use.

When it comes to items like your windows and various electronics, that all depends on your new home. You may want to keep your windows if they meet your home’s style (the same with other furniture types) but may also like to donate them. As for electronics (such as old batteries, appliances, and computers), you may be able to recycle or even sell some to make a little money. When throwing these items away, make sure to contact an appropriate disposal team to avoid any complications.

Foods: When to Toss and When to Save

The food in your home should typically be on your shortlist of items that need to be tossed before you start your move. Any food in your refrigerator or anything that you’ve already opened (even if it hasn’t expired) should be discarded. This waste is unfortunate, sadly. Thankfully, you can also donate many items if you don’t want to throw away food perfectly edible otherwise.

For instance, you can take items like pasta, various types of canned fruits and vegetables, long-lasting cereals and oats, and other foods and donate them to various charities. These charities will identify individuals who need these items and will distribute them properly. In this way, your food doesn’t go to waste while you help your community in a way that you wouldn’t otherwise do.

Is there any time that you will want to keep food? If the food is canned or doesn’t expire, then it isn’t a bad idea to pack it up and take it with you. This step will save you a little bit of money on the ride. Remember, though, that any food that needs to be refrigerated or perishes is best to throw away. It just won’t last long enough during your move and will end up spoiling.

Sentimental Items: Almost Always a Keeper

Everybody has sentimental items and gifts that have been given to them to others over the years. When moving, it is often a significant challenge to know when to keep these items and toss them. You should probably keep anything that you’ll regret losing, such as gifts given to you by a deceased parent or loved one or other items that feel sentimental to you as a person and which you don’t want to lose.

For example, if you have an extensive collection of physical photos, you should make sure that these are safely stored in photo collections and wrapped to prevent severe damage to each image. If you, for some reason, don’t want to keep these items, you can always scan them and store them digitally. That said, physical photos have a reality that digital photos just don’t for most people.

It is essential to know how to tow safely when you’re moving sentimental items like large pieces of furniture or family heirlooms. You should seriously consider truck rental for this process and hire movers to help. These experts will take the time to prepare all of your delicate items properly and move them smoothly and efficiently, cutting back on the potential damage they may experience.

Tools: Keep These Items Safe!

Do you have a large number of tools in your garage? If you do, these items should be kept when you move. Tools are always a significant investment because they will last a long time and are typically rarely outdated. Even if you rarely use your tools or only use them in an emergency, you should make sure to wrap them up safely when you move. Doing so will save you a lot of money when learning how to get ready to move out of state.

If for any reason, you want to get rid of these items when learning how to get ready to move out of state, you have a few different options. Tools are always in high demand, and even older types will sell for surprisingly good money. Hold a garage sale and price your devices fairly. Don’t be afraid to take lower offers if you’re trying to get rid of them and don’t want them in your house anymore.

Like with other items on this list, you can also donate them to a Goodwill or a similar store to help others in your community. That said, we still strongly suggest that you keep your tools to avoid having to buy more when you get to your new house. The only time you may want to get rid of them is if they just can’t fit into your moving truck or if they’re old and damaged and you want new ones anyway.

Movies, Music, and More: Depends on Your Needs

If you’re like the average person, you may have many CDs, records, tapes, VHS tapes, Blu-Ray discs, and DVDs that you use to entertain yourself. However, in the days of streaming services, physical mediums are slowly becoming less important. As a result, you need to decide if you want to save these items when learning how to move out of state. Doing so can save you a lot of trouble.

For example, if you have even 100 DVDs, you’re going to need one or more containers to move them to your new home. Ask yourself this question: how often do you watch these movies? If you have streaming services, you probably rarely break them out. Most people with streaming services mostly use their DVDs to watch movies that they cannot get on streaming or friends’ houses.

If you do end up getting rid of these entertainment options, don’t just throw them away. Put them up on eBay, Amazon, or another service and sell them. Many people still collect physical mediums because they do not like streaming. If you cannot get rid of them quickly enough, donate them to a local charity. Typically, you should be able to find one or more stores that will happily take these items.

Vehicles: Keep in Most Situations

As a homeowner, you probably have many vehicles, such as lawnmowers, cars, and more. When learning how to get ready to move out of state, you need to understand when it is a good idea to eliminate these items and keep them. Their overall cost and expense usually mean it is best to keep them and avoid running into financial trouble if you take a severe move out of state.

Why would anyone ever want to get rid of a vehicle that they already own? There a few situations in which you may want to sell or donate your car. If your car is getting old and you plan to buy a new one, you could sell or donate it. Or if your lawnmower, four-wheeler, or another type of off-road vehicle will get in the way at your new home, you can sell it. Boats are a typical victim in new moves.

If you do end up selling or donating your vehicles, it is a good idea to seek out used Corvettes for sale near you at reasonable prices that you can easily afford. Often, you’ll find these high-quality vehicles at estate sales or other types of auctions for costs that may be shocking if you know anything about Corvettes. So make sure you consider this option as a way of cutting back on your expenses when moving to a new state.

Finding the Right House

If you’re still looking for the right house when learning how to get ready to move out of state, it is essential to talk to foreclosure lawyers to see if you can find an inexpensive option. Doing so will save you a lot of time and money. And make sure that you talk to experts to get garage door repairs and an exterior painter to make your house look as beautiful as you’d like when you finally move into it.