It’s almost time for us to say goodbye to these floor-to-ceiling windows and our gorgeous view. We are a little less than 6 months out from PCSing (Permanent Change of Station/Moving) back to the States and we need to get rid of a bunch of stuff before we leave. Hooray! I love getting rid of junk (but not necessarily the process of). We’re allotted a certain amount of weight we can ship back and going over that limit is not an option for us. Below is my plan on getting myself organized and purging what we don’t need and although these are tips for moving, they also work for a big Spring Cleaning.
Make a list of items to sell.
We bought two guest beds when we moved to Germany and know that we need to sell them before moving. They will be at the top of my list, however there are some items that I want to keep but I’m not quite sure where we would put them in our new home. They’ll go on the maybe list. Knowing which big ticket items you want to sell can help get you in the mindset of researching how much people are buying these things for and when the most popular time to sell them would be. July is our big “PCS” season out here so I know I should put these beds for sale on the military Facebook sales page, July 1. Getting rid of these items not only clears up space for you and your move but puts a little extra cash in your pocket which is always nice.
Go through your clothes.
While living in the States, we would donate regularly to Good Will but there isn’t one here so we’ve been slacking in that department. I honestly can’t tell you how many boxes of clothes we have between those that the kids have outgrown and those that are for other seasons. Six months out is a good time to go through and get rid of what you don’t wear for the current season. That way, when the next season comes, you know with confidence that everything you’re “putting away” is clothing that fits, doesn’t have holes and is what you want. Now what do you do with clothes that have holes in them? I’m working on a blog post now to help with that dilemma.
Clean out your pantry.
It’s never too early to go through your pantry. Even if you aren’t moving. We had people come by and look at our house to potentially move into when we leave. I don’t know if you’re like me but I can’t stand my house looking cluttered when people, even strangers, come over (even if I’m not there to hear their remarks). I went through my pantry to start organizing. I found 4 bags of chips that had crumbs or 2 chips left in them. I have no clue how that happened. Maybe I had a little too much wine on those “chip” nights and put the bag back empty? Or maybe it was the hubs…just saving the crumbs for later! Who knows? The important part is getting rid of them. I pitched a ton of containers that had gone bad or there was such a small amount of whatever was in them, it was unrecognizable. My pantry now? A thing of beauty…at least until I have another wine and chip night.
Toys….toys…toys.
I knew when I had kids that we’d have toys around the house but nothing can ever really prepare you for the amount that accumulates. I think they multiply at night when we’re not looking. Monkey is 4 and we’re trying to teach him that giving is important, especially to those who are in need. What better way than for him to donate some of his toys while watching us give as well. We have a small box of toys that he’s been willing to part with which is a great start. Every few weeks, we go through some of his toys that he hasn’t played with in a while and ask him if there’s anything he wants to add to the box. My hope is that one day he’ll add to the box on his own.
What’s in those bathroom drawers?
It’s like the more room I have, the more stuff there is to fill that empty space. My bathroom drawers are full of makeup, hair and skin products and the list goes on. I’ve decided to make myself either use everything in those drawers or get rid of what hasn’t been touched in the past month. For example, face masks are a wonderful thing…unless you never put one on your face. I have every intention of doing so but by the time the kids are in bed, I don’t have an ounce of energy left to put some stuff on my face, let alone have to wash it off 10 minutes later.
So there you have it. This is where I’m starting to get myself organized. We’ll see how much progress I can make with it and how many more spaces I’ll need to tackle when I’m done with the above. What are some things you’ve done to clean house?
