So the first time I did this, I had the not-so-brilliant idea of hiring the cheapest movers I could find. To the surprise of no one, it was a complete shit show that I won’t bother getting into. Fast forward to now. I am selling or donating everything except the clothes off my back, plus the rest of my clothes in my closets and dressers, and some other things I like because they’re useful and/or sentimental.
When, though, do I start ditching stuff? A friend of mine said now. I’m leaving in one month(ish). I guess he’s right? I don’t want to wait til the last minute and have a bunch of stuff I haven’t gotten rid of, but I also don’t want to live in this apt with nowhere to sit no dining room table. My MO is to price to sell, and hopefully things will move quickly. Last time I sold furniture, my phone was blowing up and everything I wanted to go was gone within days. I’d like to hope that will happen again, but if it doesn’t?
If I go with his idea and things move fast, I suppose I can live without these things. It will be annoying, but whatever. If I sell later and things move fast, that is of course ideal. And if I sell later and things don’t move… that right there is the sadness.
The inconvenience of managing without some stuff for a while is far less than the inconvenience of scrambling to get rid of shit when you need to be focused on, you know, the actual moving.
I mailed ten boxes of stuff I liked/need to the new location. I packed everything else into the car. Then I called some junk collection guys to come take everything else for a minor fee the day before I left. It was kind of freeing to just get rid of everything and start anew. Of course, I didn’t actually own anything of value at the time. Best move ever.
A month isn’t a long time. Start now. So what if you are inconvenienced for a week or two? You could negotiate a later pick up date, although no one’s going to give you a down payment now for pick up later.
Congratulations on the move; I hope it’s back to the warmth.
Price things higher than you see similar items selling for this week; if they sell - awesome! The extra money will help you find any solutions you might feel you truly need.
Starting in 10 days though, list and sell and get things out of your way. Less weight means go faster.
The big question is how much is this stuff worth. If it is close to worthless there is very little cost to just giving it away when you leave. The answer is different if they are worth significant money.
Last year, I moved about a hundred miles. I started winnowing my possessions about three weeks before moving day. I gave away everything except my bed and dresser and some small tables. Sofa, two recliners, large corner desk, all free to the first taker. I just couldn’t be bothered to list it, take phone calls, take time for appointments and haggle for furniture worth $40-50 bucks a piece for. I only sold one item, a power lift recliner for $300.
For a couple of weeks, it was like camping out in my house. All the kitchen stuff was packed or nearly so, so I ate out. The last night, I slept on an air mattress.
You have to ask yourself, is it worth the stress for the amount you can realistically expect to recoup? Moving is stressful enough, don’t make it worse than it already is.
I gave a huge pile of stuff to a charity who came and picked it all up. Another huge pile was junk, and I paid a hauler to take it away.
Make a clean break, like removing a band aid; just rip it off and don’t look back.
Well I guess that settles that. Time to start selling/donating my stuff now.
My buddy just sold a house full of stuff after his mother died, and he said it was a giant pain in the ass. So I guess he has a little experience in the matter, and was right.
