The Keep It, Pitch It, Store It Game

One of the stressors of moving is coming face to face with how many things you actually own. In fact, there is a bit of humor involved, as moving is the surest way to find something you thought you had lost a long time ago. The truth of the matter is that you likely fit all of your possessions into one of three categories: holding, throwing, or pushing. The idea is simple. Even if you’re moving to a larger space, there are certain things that just aren’t worth your time or energy to take, as well as items you want to keep but won’t need to have on hand.

The hard part, of course, is coming up with a method to determine how a particular item falls into a category. Making the decision to keep some things is easy. Expensive items like the TV are must-haves for the truck, and that hideous sweater you’ve lugged around for years because your aunt bought it for you? She won’t notice her absence. And then some things are more difficult. Large collections of CDs or DVDs, and especially books, can look great on shelves, but they also take up a lot of space when stored in boxes. Cheap shelves, even when used in a child’s room, can take up a considerable amount of space in a truck and can often be replaced for $20 or so at the local Wal-Mart. As the moving date approaches, the option of simply shelling out a few bucks on the other end of the move outweighs the attachment to a particular item.

Launching an item does not necessarily mean throwing it away. Many of us probably remember the moving day garage sales of days gone by. The Internet and the green movement have combined to show that one man’s trash is in fact another man’s treasure. Those albums, movies, and books can be resold online, which helps lighten the burden of moving, but also lightens the financial burden and helps replace other items. The Internet doesn’t stop with eBay; Craigslist is a great medium for moving furniture as you are advertising for free to an inherently local audience. Granted, you probably have local options to boot, like consignment shops and the Salvation Army, which are tax-deductible if they don’t give cash and ensure your old goods just don’t end up in a landfill.

Storage has also advanced, perhaps most notably thanks to sturdy plastic containers. These devices are available at most stores and provide a reusable, waterproof alternative to cardboard boxes. It’s a good idea to move all the goods you know you’re going to store into plastic containers before you move. Doing this allows you to sort through items you were already stocking, say Christmas decorations or out-of-season clothing, and determine what needs to be kept and what doesn’t meet the cut. Sorting these items into plastic bins makes sorting them out once the move is complete and helps protect these items in case your storage unit, attic, or basement isn’t completely weatherproof. Weather resistant boxes can be rented from many storage companies to ensure weather resistance and present a greener alternative to plastic containers.

The Keep It, Pitch It, Store It method does not have a clear algorithm that can be applied to everyone. The key is really creating a standard by which you will judge your products and adopting the best methods to get the most out of your decisions. In the end, the goal is to make your move as easy as possible.