Decluttering Before the Big Move
We are planning to move with just luggage. Three adults, three kids, one cat. No shipping of stuff, furniture, etc. (Ha-ha. Ask me later how well this worked out.) It’s a small house by Texas standards – only 1600 sq. ft. (~150 sq. m) and we don’t have that much stuff… or so I thought. But boy is this going to be a lot of work.
What to do right now
This can and should be done ASAP: Join you local gifting group! It’s usually on Facebook, and they can be called Buy Nothing, Gifting with Integrity, Gifting/Sharing/Free groups. The first two types are geographically limited to a certain (usually small) area and are the best in my opinion because you are sharing with your actual neighbors, it minimizes drive time and has a bit more accountability so quicker pick ups, hopefully more pleasant communication, and fewer no-shows. If there are none in your area (rare), get familiar with Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, and other sites like FreeCycle or theRooster.co. You will need them when the time comes. Craigslist is always a solid back up option, just beware of scammers.
10 months before expected move date (We still don’t know if we are going to move after all)
We are just starting with the obvious stuff, and it appears there are several categories here:
1. Clothing
Keeping only the things I’m definitely taking with me and apparently there aren’t many. Facebook groups are saying that people dress differently in Spain, it’s a different climate, don’t bring all your clothes. Buy it there. I’ll do a serious purge of the kids’ wardrobe right before the move. They grow fast and who knows what will still fit them when. For now I giddily give away everything they’ve grown out of.
2. Excess sports stuff
And by that I mean bikes. There is a surplus of bikes in the garage and while bike riding is just starting to pick up in Texas as temperatures are thinking about maybe starting to cool down, at least we can get rid of the extra bikes, accessories, and components. The stationary bike can go too. There, I said it.
3. Home improvement and organization items
…which were waiting for their day. Shelves we were going to eventually hang, a backup bathroom mat, excess cabinet handles, tile cutter and other tools – we ain’t cutting no more tile!
4. Car maintenance things
Ok, these we’ve been decluttering since we sold our last gas car. The EV doesn’t require much maintenance and so all these numerous tools have just been sitting around. We aren’t going to have a car. Won’t be taking a single car-related item with us.
5. Things we low-key didn’t want to use anyway
Like the camping grill. (Who knew?) I suspect that my husband has our tent in the same category, but I think we should use it once or twice this winter. Now you know!
6. Toys
We are only just getting started here and this one is going to be tough. For now it’s bulky toys kids have grown out of. Play kitchen, ride-ons, large trucks, large puzzles. All with their permission and it’s not easy to get. Slowly kids are starting to get onboard though. (We may need a separate in-depth post on this category.)
7. Seasonal items
For now I’m going with the season. We just paired down the Halloween costumes, though still kept too many. Letting the kids enjoy this Halloween and will declutter the remaining costumes and décor probably in spring. I don’t believe kids do Halloween in Spain? I’ll have to confirm. Have some Christmas stuff to get rid of already now, waiting for tis-the-season to give it away and will get rid of the tree and the remaining stuff in spring probably after and if the visas are approved.
8. Attic/Cellar/Storage
Time to take a serious look at the items we’ve been consciously storing FOR A REASON. (No.) We have an attic full of boxes. No antiques here. (Boring!) Moving boxes, boxes from appliances and other items. These are REALLY good boxes, you know. That’s why they are here. Time to say adios. Or at least do an inventory!
9. Sentimental items
Just start thinking about them for now. Bring them in from the attic/deep storage, make them more accessible/visible and let them be.
10. Books
Just the ones we are ready to part with at the moment. Books are heavy and bulky and we really need to pair them down a lot more. That taking-with-us pile is definitely looking too big right now. I think I’ll make it a taking-with-us shelf, so it’s more visible. Might help come to terms with needing to let go of more of them. Books will be an ongoing theme throughout the next 10 months.