De-Clutter Your Life

Clutter - a disordered heap or mass of objects, a state of disorder. Sounds familiar? De-cluttering can be a task in itself; the key is not to become overwhelmed. Moving House is the perfect time to de-clutter so use this time to throw out any unwanted item and clear your life for your new chapter.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I really need it?
• Why am I keeping it?
• Does it fit me?
• Am I just keeping it for sentimental reasons?

The benefits

There are many benefits to de-cluttering your life and letting go of old stuff. Not only will you make space but you will also get rid of stale energy and emotions. When moving it is important to de-clutter before your removal company comes in. It can reduce your removal costs as you will not be transporting unwanted items. Selling unwanted items can also give you some cash which could pay for your removal expenses.

Before you start make sure you have the following:

• Plenty of bin liners and plastic bags
• Boxes available to buy on www.helpineedboxes.co.uk
• Sticky tape
• Labels
• A paper shredder
• Newspaper for packing up items or bubble wrap
Also consider:

• Do you need a skip? If so do you need a permit and lighting?
• Are friends and family around to help you?
• Do you need a van to transport items to the charity shop or saleroom?
• Where is your local rubbish tip and what hours do they open?

Don't put if off, start today. Set aside a time limit however small and stick to this. If you have a long time before your move day then you can limit yourself to one job a day. It normally takes around 15 mins to do one drawer or one shelf so use this time scale to plan. Or set aside a weekend, arrange for friends or family to come round to give you a hand and sort through personal memorabilia.

Turn up the music; this will help you get in the mood.

Clean an area as you go along, this way on the day of your move you only have to wipe over the area and not do a full scale clean.

Concentrate on one area at a time; you do not have to do the whole house at once.

Clothes - If it doesn't fit, then throw it out. Did you know that studies show that we wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time.

• We all do it, have a wardrobe full of clothes that are too small in the hope that one day we will get into it. But the reality is we probably will never fit back into these clothes. Why not clear that straining cupboard and give it to a charity shop. Shelter co-ordinate a Shelter Wardrobe Relief Appeal, through a network of shops can turn clothes, books and bric-a-brac into help for homeless and badly housed people. Call on 020 7490 6729 and they will arrange for your donations to be collected or to find your nearest shop link on: http://england.shelter.org.uk/home/nearyou.cfm

OXFAM run a scheme with some removal firms where by you ask the removal company to supply you with OxBox stickers. Unwanted items can then be boxed and easily identified ahead of the move. The removal company will then collect the goods for the charity (usually on moving day) and take them back to their warehouse, where the charity picks the goods up and distributes them to their shops. http://www.oxfam.org.uk

For other charity shops in your area then link on: http://users.ox.ac.uk

• Socks - Odd socks or holey socks, are you really ever going to wear them? Throw them out but first check in the washing machine, dryer, cupboard etc for the loose stragglers as there is nothing worse than throwing them out and finding the other a couple of weeks later.

Recycling:

• Your local council website will give you a list all the companies that recycle. www.rethinkrubbish.com is a really good site, works in partnership with a range of organisations to provide you with useful information on how to recycle your rubbish.
• Most councils will take away your larger household items such as cookers, fridges or furniture. This is normally a free collection service for bulk items, a household can call on this service twice a year, with up to five items per collection. This however will vary from council to council so please check with your local borough for terms and conditions.
• www.recycle-more.co.uk is a useful website to find information on hints and tips for managing your household rubbish. You can find out how to minimise the effect that you have on the environment and how to make your household more environmentally friendly.

Bric-a-brac

People keep unwanted items for a number of reasons, for example sentimental value, because they feel one day they may need them or because one day they feel that they may be of value.

• Sentimental value, be ruthless and ask yourself do you really want it? If the answer is yes be selective. Make a box up which you can even decorate at a later stage of cherished items. Items like baby clothes, do you really need all them all? If your child has grow out of them, remember you can either sell these at a car boot sale or give them to charity who will make good use of them.
• Now is the time to sort out your photographs, put them into album or boxes but remember to keep the negatives incase you need them at a later date. Don't keep photographs that are not worth putting into an album.
• Scanning photographs on your computer is a good way of gaining access to photographs that can be put in the loft or storage.

Charity shops will take any bric-a brac or unwanted furniture please however do not give any damaged or broken items as they can only sell on items in good condition.

Selling items

You can turn your unwanted items into cash at a car boot sale, ebay, saleroom or local newspaper.

Carboots - Car boots are a great way of making some money from your unwanted items. For a list of car boots in your area visit carbootcentral.co.uk or check your local newspaper. Be prepared to bargain, people expect to negotiate price and don't price your goods too high. Take loads of change with you as people pay with notes and don't forget to take loads of carrier bags with you. If you book at a carboot don't forget to ask if they cancel if the weather is bad on the day.

- electronic small ads. They look like proper small ads. Advertising here costs just £1 per advert per week, whoever you are, whatever you're selling and whatever your asking price is.www.ehawker.co.uk

- Sell your unwanted items online, easy to use and good for selling more unusual items. www.ebay.co.uk

Salerooms - Any unwanted furniture or small items, might bring you in some extra cash. Be warned there are certain regulations governing what can and cannot be sold from a sale room, and you should check that none of your goods falls into any of these categories.

Publications - Use your local newspaper to advertise your items or place an advert in Loot - www.loot.com or Exchange and Mart www.exchangeandmart.co.uk

Paperwork

• First thing to do it is buy a paper shredder, this can just be a cheap one but it is important to shred all personal paper work i.e. old bills, receipts, personal items. Information like this can be used fraudulently; even if paper work is torn up it can be easily pieced back together.
• Filing is a boring process but a necessity, divide all your paperwork into sections i.e. receipts, bills, bank, insurance, mortgage, general, car, policies and work. Remember to keep old bills as you may need these in a couple of year's time.
• Impersonal paperwork or junk mail can be recycled either by collection or by using a paper recycling bin.
• Remember if you do use a paper shredder keep the shreds for packing, this makes an ideal and cheap way of protecting items when packaging. Same applies to old newspapers which is great for packaging.

The Four Box Method

A popular method on de-cluttering is to apply the four box method, (well 3 boxes and a bin liner) which forces you to make a decision. Take three boxes and label them: Keep and Use, Give Away or Sell, Keep and Store. Use the bin liner to throw any broken or damaged items. Go around your house and place each clutter item into the appropriate box. At the end of your session take the give away or sell box straight to the charity shop or round to a friends or families house, this way you will not forget the box and end up with more clutter. Take out your throw away items straight away to the bins to prevent any second thoughts.

And final don't forget your loft space, a haven for unwanted items.