Moving 1: Get Rid of the Clutter

Moving homes is stressful - right up there with death and divorce as the most serious causes of stress related illness in fact. Since I am about the move home for the 34th time in my 56 years it is appropriate that I mark the occasion with some of my insights on moving.

The first thing you need to do is to declutter, that is, get rid of all the surplus "stuff" you have been holding onto for years. We in the west carry way too much in the way of material possessions and moving house gives you an ideal opportunity to sort them out. When we hang onto things that do not serve us, the energy around us stagnates also and doesn't allow for new energy to enter. Personally I have had this feeling of being "stuck" for ages: in particular I couldn't find a suitable place to move to. Once I started seriously decluttering, it was like a plug being pulled: the ideal cottage came up for rent, at the right price, in the right place. Everything is moving so much faster and so much easier now. It is as if letting go of those things from the past are allowing me to look forward to a brighter future.

Rule of Thumb for Decluttering

Keep only things that are useful or give you joy.

Be ruthless: if you have not used something for six months the chances are you won't want to use it in the next six months. Someone else might have a use for it though, so pass it on.

You can:-

• give it away to friends or family
• give it away to a charity shop or church

give it away on freecycle.com. Freecycle is international, so there will be a local branch somewhere near you. The idea is that you put up on the site you don't want and do not want to put into landfill sites, and anyone who wants them can reply. Do check it out as it is also a wonderful way to find things that are perhaps no longer easily sourced.

have a yard sale or car boot sale, you may not make a fortune but even a few dollars/pounds are always useful.

send anything with some monetary value to an auction house for sale. It is good to check with the auction house what sells and what doesn't. Most auction houses will send someone round to do valuations and assessments and they can also arrange transport etc.

1. Be realistic: ladies, do NOT hang onto those clothes you wore twenty years ago. A) you are NOT going to fit into them again and B) they are out of fashion or are no longer relevant in your life, for example work suits if you are no longer in that kind of employment. Face it. Blushing, I have just taken more bags of clothes into charity shops than I care to admit to, but I do feel better about it. Letting go of things is as much psychological as anything else. Somewhere along the line, in releasing all those clothes that are now several sizes too small, I have also taken some pressure off myself in regard to slimming. I still want to lose weight (and will do) but I no longer HAVE to lose weight because I have all those pretty clothes in the wardrobe. I have also let go of suits I used for work when that was appropriate and nurse's uniforms that I will certainly never use again.
2. Shred paperwork. I often feel as if I am drowning in paper. In the UK you are obliged to keep papers relating to taxable income for five years. Other than that, only keep a few months' copies of paid bills and invoices and those receipts that are still relevant. Shred everything else. The added benefit to this is - you can use the shredded paper for packing, for filling those corners in boxes to prevent things rattling around. I have put some in small bags and used them as padding for delicate articles.
3. Release books. This has probably been the hardest thing for me. I have sorted through a complete book-lined room and given away all but those that are most precious to me, enough to fill my two special bookcases. See my article on Bookcrossing for details on one way to release them. http://www.webupon.com/Services/Bookcrossingcom-Setting-Them-Free.214069

Or you can have a sale or give them to a charity or church for selling. They do not sell well at auction. Having had a lot of academic books I also managed to give some to my old university although not a many as I had hoped, I hadn't thought they might be struggling for room also.

1. Dispose of damaged stuff. Again be realistic, if you cannot fix or mend it, if it is something that is shabby or worn, be brave and send it to the dump or recycle unit. Quite often there is a place where worn clothes can be recycled as rags, metal objects used as scrap, wood recycled and so on.
2. Go through everything twice. The chances are that the second time round you will find yourself discarding things that you kept during the first. It is as if, as you progress, you increasingly realise how pointless it is to hang onto "stuff" for no other reason than, "it might come in handy some day."
3. Items of sentimental value come under the heading of things than bring you joy and never feel guilty about holding those close to you. What you might consider though is organising them better, for example, starting a scrap book for your children's drawings, report cards and so on.
4. Be aware of the space you are going to and also the van that is going to take them there. I am moving over three hundred miles this time so a large part of my decisions on what furniture to keep has been dictated by the cost of shipping it. I have kept only that furniture that gives me joy - oh and my double bed. I have finally, after carting it around for thirty years, let go of a bedroom suite that was modern in the 70s but hasn't dated well!

Over the last three weeks I have given away a lot via Freecycle, I have given books away to my university and to charity, I have taken to the recycle unit several car loads of worn out things and yesterday the removal van came and took a huge amount of my "stuff" to an auction room. As of today I have one completely empty room that used to be a book-lined study and is now a place where I can deposit packed boxes which is my next task. It is hard to convey but the house feels lighter, even the cats have noticed and are running round like kittens using the space as their own private playground. Now, I am really for part two.