Major challenge - Preparing to Move

I'll add 2 things to all this great advice:

1. "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning": My wife (and her book club) loved this book, and from just her descriptions to me, we started on the cleaning path a couple of years ago, even though we aren't yet planning to move. It has made emptying the house a lot easier so far.

2. For Craigslist, there is a (seemingly) little-known part called "Free" in the "For Sale" section, right before Furniture. If you're inclined to worry about $ for stuff, this can be a great way to dispense with things you don't want (same for Freecycle.org -- we've unloaded some major things this way, such as swing sets, trampoline, etc.). Best of luck.
 
stevemac said:
I'll add 2 things to all this great advice:

1. "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning": My wife (and her book club) loved this book, and from just her descriptions to me, we started on the cleaning path a couple of years ago, even though we aren't yet planning to move. It has made emptying the house a lot easier so far.

2. For Craigslist, there is a (seemingly) little-known part called "Free" in the "For Sale" section, right before Furniture. If you're inclined to worry about $ for stuff, this can be a great way to dispense with things you don't want (same for Freecycle.org -- we've unloaded some major things this way, such as swing sets, trampoline, etc.). Best of luck.
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I first heard about #1 in an article in the Washington Post (paywall). One big step I've taken is to keep all documents digitally whenever possible, especially photos, and shred them once they're scanned. I have multiple backups, but still, a house fire is more likely than a failure of multiple cloud services AND all my local copies, and people get by losing all their paperwork in a disaster, so I figure it's not worth worrying about.
 
We did the same in 2019, with major decluttering and moving everything we own 700 miles. It’s a big costly PITA and it takes weeks/months to resettle in a new place, but the effort is worth it when all is said and done. Good luck.
 
I'm moving too. I load the U-haul on Monday. I must have rocks in my head for moving across MN in January. Its 29 below here this morning. Its only 15 below in the place we're moving to.

Its just DW and me and DW is anything but a hoarder. We still have plenty of "stuff"
 
Stormy Kromer said:
I'm moving too. I load the U-haul on Monday. I must have rocks in my head for moving across MN in January. Its 29 below here this morning. Its only 15 below in the place we're moving to.

Its just DW and me and DW is anything but a hoarder. We still have plenty of "stuff"
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Good luck on your move. We get cold in NH but you guys get %*#$% freezing. :)
 
We are in the same throes....

We are working toward the same goal, for move across the continent probably in 2024 (on Waitlist at a CCRC).

A few comments:
1) Thanks for the book recommendation. I’ve placed The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning on hold from my library (we no longer buy books, or pretty much anything anymore).
2). Our sterling silver place settings can, in fact, be cleaned in dishwasher. Ours have spent decades in there. The secret is to not let it touch other metalware. Silver goes in a separate bin from stainless or other. And the dishwasher cleaning keeps it all tarnish-free, so I just don’t have to polish anymore.
We are planning to reserve 4 place settings and a few service pieces for our nostalgic use, and sell the rest.
3). We are diligently working to eliminate clutter and collection, too. A long-distance move of a lot of stuff would cost more than the cost of replacement for so much of our belongings, so I’m treating it like we will be newlyweds in a new location and will shop to supply ourselves with the new things we need — from pots and pans, kitchen gadgets, glassware, linens, furniture, clothing. It can all be replaced.

Very best wishes for all of us who are downsizing. 2022 will see us living a simpler, sleeker life.
 
When we moved and downsized, the only things we had collected which had massive value were pinball machines if you can believe it. Furniture, everything else was sold for pennies on the dollar but the pins sold for many times what we had paid for them.
 
Me again...

I meant to add to my prior remarks that we have found Habitat for Humanity who accepts, and picks up, our giveaways.
They employ two separate strategies — one being a fee for service which will disassemble, remove from home interior; the other is a free pick up, but you have to haul the stuff out of the house for them to pick up from driveway or carport. Must be disassembled.
Their website shows the following:

Priority Pickup
Any and all items accepted! All eligible items are donated while remaining items are ethically disposed of.
Item retrieval from anywhere including within residence or a storage unit.
Disassembly of items that need it (except doors, cabinets, or lighting).
Same week Scheduling.
Fee reflects the operating costs and is much smaller than a usual moving company or junk hauler fee.


Regular Pickup
We can only accept items that we can sell at our restore.
Items must be outside the home or in a garage to be picked up.
Items must already be disassembled.
Scheduled when our truck will be in your area (~2 weeks out).
No associated cost.
 
I have moved 30 times and have cleaned out in-laws and a few friend’s homes. It’s a ton of work. My last move was a year ago when I got divorced. I bought a 855 sq ft condo and was very particular about what I took. It filled 30 plastic bins not counting my clothes or furniture. Getting rid of the stuff my ex had took 8 hours a day for a month with both of us working. I sold and gave away so much stuff. The only upside is that I could eat whatever I wanted and didn’t gain a pound:)).
 
starry night said:
I meant to add to my prior remarks that we have found Habitat for Humanity who accepts, and picks up, our giveaways.
They employ two separate strategies — one being a fee for service which will disassemble, remove from home interior; the other is a free pick up, but you have to haul the stuff out of the house for them to pick up from driveway or carport. Must be disassembled.
Their website shows the following:

Priority Pickup
Any and all items accepted! All eligible items are donated while remaining items are ethically disposed of.
Item retrieval from anywhere including within residence or a storage unit.
Disassembly of items that need it (except doors, cabinets, or lighting).
Same week Scheduling.
Fee reflects the operating costs and is much smaller than a usual moving company or junk hauler fee.


Regular Pickup
We can only accept items that we can sell at our restore.
Items must be outside the home or in a garage to be picked up.
Items must already be disassembled.
Scheduled when our truck will be in your area (~2 weeks out).
No associated cost.
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We used Habitat to clean out my Mom's house. They sent a large truck and two men, moved everything out of the house. Everything they moved was usable for their reselling, but they were extremely helpful. I find that charitable organization branches in small towns seem to be much more accommodating than the branches located in big cities. Never hurts to ask.
 
I've probably had a more dramatic move than most - everything must fit in several suitcases, and make the weigh in for an international flight.

I'd suggest a scanner to put documents in a digital form. For many documents, that's all you need - and can feed them into a paper shredder. Sure, you'll need to keep some like birth certificates, but not the majority.

I'd suggest the same for pictures and other memorabilia. If you can't take it all, digitize most of it. Much like birth certificates, you can still take some with you.

Finally, books. I preferred reading physical books years ago, but books are very heavy to move. So I made a reluctant conversion to kindle, which can store hundreds of books in a device a few ounces in weight. As an added bonus, I can increase the font size. So see which books can be cheaply replaced with a digital version, and see if that helps you whittle down your inventory of books.

Keep your most important possessions, and let go all the crap you've forgotten you own.
 
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The ONLY things that we did not store in a secure, heated, indoor container storage area was our desktop and financial records. We rented a larger safe deposit box for some papers that we wanted to protect. Desktop went to our son for safekeeping.

A good friend of ours had her storage locker broken into. They had sold their home and we renting/traveling while their new home was being built.

They lost all of their important papers. Tax, citizenship, financial records. The lot. PITA to call around, cancel, and arrange for replacement. Plus some valuable art work.

The challenge we now have is stop the urge to accumulate or simply place things in the basement 'for later'. We have a pile of books ready to donate to the library that we have accumulated since covid. Library is not accepting them at the the moment. We have been in this home for four years and already it is time to start purging unwanted items.
 
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My wife is hosting the quilting club in two weeks, and I am taking this opportunity to go through all sorts of clutter with the jaundiced eye. The blasted weather has put a hitch in my plans, as the garbage service did not run in the week after Christmas due to snow.
 
We’ve moved a lot over the years, and just moved into our home a year ago after living in a rental and having everything in storage for almost a year while our remodel was being done. Even though we’ve only been in for a year, we are planning a major spring cleaning this month. This house is 2,600 sq ft vs the 1,600 sq ft condo we used to live in. It feels very open and spacious and has a lot more storage space, so it’s very easy to accumulate things we don’t use or need. We are minimalists and like to have extra space in cabinets and drawers and closets rather than having every space filled to the brim. I’m guessing we’ll have several carloads of donations by the time we’re done.
 
A lot of "junk" is worth more than you may think; if you want to maximize value and/or you have an easier time parting with stuff if you're paid for it, look into selling it. There are lots of people taking advantage of the arbitrage as side hustles (especially when people just need to get rid of stuff). I'd spend a little time on eBay looking around and decide which items are worth selling (especially small, easy to ship). Older electronics, even broken, are snapped up for parts. I keep encouraging my folks to do so and my dad keeps thinking about it. He looks things up and tells me how much they are worth (usually he is surprised how much) but has yet to sell anything*. One example, an unused spare head for his real to real tape deck (also worth quite a bit) sells for $150! Older toys, games, video game systems, etc can also have collectable value Especially things Gen X-Y used/grew up with as they have disposable income and are hitting a wave of nostalgia. -Things sold as "collectable" when new are probably pretty worthless. Don't make it too much of a job but if you ID the high value items, the $ per time spent to extract that value might be worth it! even if you don't sell yourself, gather up like items and list as collectables and try to get the collectors and resellers to bid up your take!



* I really hope he does, I hate leaving money on the table and will probably end up working for a year selling everything to maximize the value of the estate if he doesn't! My uninformed guess at the value their "junk" is $50K-$100K at retail prices. -Talking small stuff that would go for under $20 at an estate sale being bought by mostly resellers.
 
FLSUnFIRE said:
A lot of "junk" is worth more than you may think; if you want to maximize value and/or you have an easier time parting with stuff if you're paid for it, look into selling it. There are lots of people taking advantage of the arbitrage as side hustles (especially when people just need to get rid of stuff). I'd spend a little time on eBay looking around and decide which items are worth selling (especially small, easy to ship). Older electronics, even broken, are snapped up for parts. I keep encouraging my folks to do so and my dad keeps thinking about it. He looks things up and tells me how much they are worth (usually he is surprised how much) but has yet to sell anything*. One example, an unused spare head for his real to real tape deck (also worth quite a bit) sells for $150! Older toys, games, video game systems, etc can also have collectable value Especially things Gen X-Y used/grew up with as they have disposable income and are hitting a wave of nostalgia. -Things sold as "collectable" when new are probably pretty worthless. Don't make it too much of a job but if you ID the high value items, the $ per time spent to extract that value might be worth it! even if you don't sell yourself, gather up like items and list as collectables and try to get the collectors and resellers to bid up your take!



* I really hope he does, I hate leaving money on the table and will probably end up working for a year selling everything to maximize the value of the estate if he doesn't! My uninformed guess at the value their "junk" is $50K-$100K at retail prices. -Talking small stuff that would go for under $20 at an estate sale being bought by mostly resellers.
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I have been selling a fair amount of stuff. I only sell locally, too many potential hassles selling via mail. Logistical issues aside (lost/damaged packages), some folks expect the same level of service as an Amazon - This isn't what I expected, no longer want it, etc ... I want a refund. When selling local - you saw it, you bought it, you own it.

I've found if I can't get $35-40 for a transaction, it probably isn't worth my time. I tend to post stuff - what sells fine, what doesn't gets donated.

Best to meet at a public place for the transaction, preferably the local police station.
 
FLSUnFIRE said:
One example, an unused spare head for his real to real tape deck (also worth quite a bit) sells for $150! Older toys, games, video game systems, etc can also have collectable value Especially things Gen X-Y used/grew up with as they have disposable income and are hitting a wave of nostalgia. -Things sold as "collectable" when new are probably pretty worthless.

* I really hope he does, I hate leaving money on the table and will probably end up working for a year selling everything to maximize the value of the estate if he doesn't!
Click to expand...
Have you sold on eBay before? If so, try tutoring him and selling 3-4 items where both of you work together on it. You can buy supplies in advance (boxes, blank labels, tape, paper for printing order forms) and just walk through how listings work and how things are shipped.

After doing that for 3-4 items, I think you'll get a feel for how much he wants/can do on his own, and how much you'll have to do.

One caveat - if you really care most about top dollar, it's better to use your eBay account than a new one with no reputation. People are likely to avoid someone with very few sales compared to another seller with hundreds.
 
HarryHawk said:
I have been selling a fair amount of stuff. I only sell locally, too many potential hassles selling via mail. Logistical issues aside (lost/damaged packages), some folks expect the same level of service as an Amazon - This isn't what I expected, no longer want it, etc ... I want a refund. When selling local - you saw it, you bought it, you own it.

I've found if I can't get $35-40 for a transaction, it probably isn't worth my time. I tend to post stuff - what sells fine, what doesn't gets donated.

Best to meet at a public place for the transaction, preferably the local police station.
Click to expand...


Yeah. When I moved from the divorce house I sold about $17K of stuff (mostly newer unfortunately and much of that was my shop tools for quarters on the dollar :(). I had better luck on CL than Marketplace (ironic since you'd think with real identity on FB they would be more reliable). I could sniff the unreliable ones pretty well and the ones traveling the farthest almost always bought since they had the sunk cost of traveling and they rarely haggled and bought if I held firm!


I never had issues other than no-shows or people that thought would low-ball once we met. Almost all met at my house and I never had any issues... they were at the higher risk since they had cash and were going to a place of my choosing (no choice with the shop tools).


I am a little more skeptical when I am the buyer and will make sure someone knows were I am going and also am somewhat prepared to get away from a bad situation... I always google the location as well. Only once was any place alittle sketchy but it wasn't dangerous.


I did have luck on eBay with some collectable items I had from my youth years ago. I just made clear that I'm the owner and not a business and under-sold the condition slightly (sometimes I'd throw in lagniappe if I had related stuff not worth selling on it's own) . I also didn't list till I knew I had the packaging to send it the day they pay. I've never had any issues with unsatisfied people. I've thought about hitting yard/estate sales and trying to find a niche to sell for fun but the competition is fierce now and the easy money is gone.
 
OverThinkMuch said:
Have you sold on eBay before? If so, try tutoring him and selling 3-4 items where both of you work together on it. You can buy supplies in advance (boxes, blank labels, tape, paper for printing order forms) and just walk through how listings work and how things are shipped.

After doing that for 3-4 items, I think you'll get a feel for how much he wants/can do on his own, and how much you'll have to do.

One caveat - if you really care most about top dollar, it's better to use your eBay account than a new one with no reputation. People are likely to avoid someone with very few sales compared to another seller with hundreds.
Click to expand...


I am out of state but I may at some point, now that I'm FIRE'd, go up and go through stuff with them. He's pretty savvy and active but needs to be motivated first. When I was home last one of our old neighbors and one of his former colleagues estate sale was going on, it was a bit sobering and they had so much nice stuff and it may have gotten him thinking. The "kids" ran the sale themselves and were smart and posted eBay print outs to let shoppers know the value and so that they knew that they knew the value too.
 
RobbieB said:
......

But I do like the furniture.

Spent $700 and 4 hours my labor moving this beauty from my aunt's house.
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Your's I'm sure has sentimental value to you.

I'm amazed by the many that are given away free on the nextdoor site.

If I ever wanted a china cabinet, or piano I can have my pick nearly every week.

Must be lots of us geezers downsizing these days. :LOL:
 
Strong suggestion would be to determine your estimated cost to move. It may help you pare down your belongings even more. We were looking at $10K and that was for the small container door-to-door in 2007. Of course that was midwest to Hawaii.

Related elsewhere, we instead moved 5000 miles in 2 suitcases each. Full disclosure, we did leave some stuff at the old homestead which is a family rental (we rent year round from 3rd generation owner - we were 2nd.) We downsized by 80+% before moving to the homestead and very little remaining there is of significant value. It's just old furniture, beds, some clothes. In essence, other than pictures and financial papers, etc., we started over in Paradise. It was kind of liberating though YMMV.
 
I'm in Illinois and property taxes have been making me want to move for a long time now.
 
Funny -- I was just going through bins of stuff looking for a remote to a TV we've move three times and haven't used in 18 months. Four bins, lots of wires and stuff, no remote. My 'parts' collection rivals many stores, and never has the part I want.

This is our third house in five years, after 25 years in the same house. Two purges and we're still over stocked. (see above)

Try this: Create multiple piles (or lists if its easier). 1) must keep, 2) sell for more than $50 3) donate 4) toss. And give the project a completion date - say three months from now. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

If you haven't used it in a year or so, and it doesn't have a specific value or use, sell, donate, or junk it. Pretty much anything you really need and don't have is available at local store or in an online market place.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?


It's not....
 
Easy…two words: ESTATE SALE

Keep only sentimental items that can’t be replaced and a professional resale team will come in and clean out every closet/drawer/garage/attic/etc. and organize/price items to sell. You don’t have to lift a finger. I’d advise you to not be at home during the sale. You’ll come home to a broom clean house and they’ll hand you a big check a few days later. We’ve done this for the past two moves and cleared $10K-$20K each time. The Estate Sale company will keep a percentage (30-35%), but they know how to price items to get top dollar. We hired a trusted Realtor to stay at the home during the sale times to hand out brochures and answer questions (and to keep an eye on the process for us). We had the Realtor place a “Coming Soon” sign in the front yard before the sale date.
 
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