Relocating to a new city can be a fun adventure and open the doors to many new and exciting opportunities. It can be your shot at a fresh start with a clean, blank slate. Just imagine the possibilities waiting for you on the other side. However, to truly enjoy your new life in a new place, you must take along as little stuff as you can – figuratively and literally.
If you’re preparing for a move, especially one as big as moving from Houston to Dallas, you must start downsizing your belongings well in advance. Although Houston and Dallas are considered relatively affordable cities compared to other major metropolitan areas in the US, Dallas may be slightly cheaper regarding housing, transportation, and other living expenses. Some people may prefer the lifestyle and culture of Dallas over Houston, including its sports teams, nightlife, and cultural attractions.
Decluttering Tips Before Your Move
While sorting out your stuff that holds emotional value is a battle you need to fight by yourself, we’re here to help you declutter the belongings you’ve gathered over the years, most of which have long outlived their usage in your life. We have compiled some useful decluttering tips to help you let go of unnecessary stuff before moving to a new place.
Finalize your New Home
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While this may sound like a strange decluttering tip, it’ll make sense in a bit. Before you begin sorting through your stuff, knowing just how many of your belongings can fit into your new home is important. Luckily, since you’re moving from Houston to Dallas, making a weekend trip to Dallas a few weeks before the move and finding your new home should be easy. This step will help you decide which items you should carry along according to the size of your living space.
Make a Mess
To downsize, you must first figure out exactly how much stuff you have, and the best way to do that is to make the biggest mess possible. Take out everything you have neatly tucked away in the bottom shelves and storage boxes. It will allow you to thoroughly go through your belongings and decide what stays and what goes.
Since sorting through the mess will be difficult, call a few friends to help. Order some pizza, put on some aughts’ music, and make a party! Going through old photos and stuff with friends will be your perfect nostalgic sendoff from Houston.
Get Rid of Doubles
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Over time, we often acquire multiple items of the same kind. Maybe you thought you’d lost your stapler and went out and got another one. Then perhaps the same thing happened three more times, and before you realized it, you had an office supply’s worth of staplers lying around the house. It is the time to find all these duplicates and eliminate them.
Put aside every item you have more than one of and offer the extra to your friends and family. After all, no good household should have more than one stapler, and those you give the extras to may get some actual use. Following this little tip, you’ll be surprised at how much clutter is gone.
Follow Marie Kondo’s Advice
Marie Kondo may have backtracked on her decluttering theory, but we still stand by it. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is truly a piece of magic. While downsizing, the most important question you can ask yourself is the infamous, ‘Does it spark joy?’ It seems pretentious, but eliminating unnecessary clutter is the best way.
How many t-shirts do you own that you bought years ago on a whim but haven’t even cut off the tag yet? You know in your heart that you’ll never wear those fashion disasters, but just as soon as you think of getting rid of them, your inner hoarder’s voice annoyingly chimes in, ‘But what if I need something exactly like this in the future?’ Well, let us tell you, you won’t. Just get rid of it. You’ll be glad you did.
Craigslist and Goodwill
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There must be a lot of items within your belongings that hold significant resale value, which makes it difficult to part with them, despite knowing that you won’t use them again. Well, say hello to your new best friends: Craigslist & Goodwill. If you don’t want your good money to go to waste, try selling the items on Craigslist. You can easily profit from second-hand furniture and other goods by posting good pictures on the portal.
However, if you can’t seem to sell it off, donate it to Goodwill. At the very least, you’ll be satisfied with having done some good and helped play your part for the community. That doesn’t seem like a bad deal when you think about it.
Invest in Modern Solutions
An easy way to declutter is to take advantage of the technology at hand and invest in smart and modern household solutions. For instance, if you’re moving to a smaller house, swap out the dining booth you thrifted for one of those Japanese-style foldable dining sets. Or you could replace the guest bed set with a futon so the room can double as a study.
Similarly, instead of holding on to hundreds of pictures and bulky albums, you can digitize your memories to access them from your phone or computer easily. By using modern solutions, you can save on a lot of space in your new home and feel more comfortable in the new space.
Conclusion
Downsizing is a difficult and time-consuming task, but the comfort and satisfaction of going into your new home without the burden of unused or unnecessary belongings will make the move well worth it. With the above tips, like selling or donating unnecessary items, eliminating any stuff you have more than one, and investing in technologically advanced household solutions, you can get rid of all your clutter and start afresh in your new life in Dallas.
