Downsizing Before a Move

SAN RAFAEL — The average four-person household in the United States accumulates 1,000 pounds of new possessions each year, which, over time, can amount to several tons of excess “stuff.” While the ensuing clutter can be bad enough, in the event of a relocation, an overabundance of belongings can result in an exorbitant moving bill. That’s why, if you’re planning to move in the near future, it’s a good idea to take stock of your belongings and downsize. Here’s a good rule: If you haven’t used something in more than a year, it should be a candidate for downsizing.

Once you’ve determined which of your belongings you’re going to get rid of, you’ll need to figure out the best avenue for doing so. Here are three options to consider:

Sell
Whether holding a garage sale or using an online seller’s hub like craigslist or OfferUp, there are plenty of ways to sell your unwanted items. Besides reducing your moving bill, this will put a little more money in your pocket to pay for it.

Donate
If you can’t sell your unwanted items, another option is to donate them. There are plenty of charities that will take your unwanted items and put them to good use. Some, such as The Salvation Army, will even come to your home and pick up your donation if you give them a couple of weeks’ notice. As an added bonus, you can write off your charitable donations on your taxes.

Dump
If you have items you can’t sell or donate, your last option is to take them to the dump. While dumping your unwanted items costs money, it’s a lot less expensive than moving them. There are a couple of ways to go about this, the simplest (and cheapest) being to haul your items to the dump yourself. If you don’t have the time or resources to do this, you can call a service like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to handle it for you.