We all acquire things over time. The longer we have these things, the more we fret about whether we can get rid of any of them. Moving to a new house or apartment always presents an opportunity to evaluate what we really need. Of course, that ends up being a deeply personal and subjective decision. With that in mind, here are some tips about how to approach different types of “stuff.”
Documents
As you choose what to put into your packing boxes st louis, one of the first things you need to look at are your sensitive personal documents. In some cases, it’s absolutely essential to include original copies, like your birth certificate, marriage license, tax returns, or social security card. Other items, like receipts, medical records, or warranties take up a lot of space, and could easily be scanned or even photographed with a smartphone. Consider backing up these items digitally and safely disposing of the originals.
Clothing
Closet space is always at a premium in a new living space. Moving gives you a great chance to reflect on what you actually wear and what you don’t. It’s hard to let go of sweaters, suits or shirts that you bought for a reason. There are several outfit tracking helping apps that can shed light on how often you wear any given item of clothing. Another helpful trick is to place items on hangers facing one way in your closet after you wash them and turn the hangers around when you take them off. If you find that you haven’t taken a garment off its hanger for a year, it can probably go.
Books/Movies/Albums
This is the one that really hurts for many people. If you’re an avid reader, a movie lover, or a passionate music-listener, your books, DVDs and CDs probably mean a lot to you. They also take up a lot of space. It’s okay to devote a bookshelf in your new home to one of these if you’re passionate about them, but if you can’t bring yourself to decide, consider that many of these items are now digitized. Should you hold on to a hard copy of your favorite book? Absolutely. Do you need a three-disc set of a series that is now streaming on Amazon? Probably not. Err on the side of caution but recognize that many of these physical media items are now disposable.
Take the opportunity of moving into a new space to reduce unnecessary items. The trick is to do it thoughtfully, but objectively.