We all have things we no longer need – or things we purchased that we never really needed in the first place. The time before a move is an excellent opportunity to look around and decide what you would like to keep and what is just excess baggage. Think about it: through decluttering you will end up with less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, and more money. Too much junk! For example, how many food storage containers do you have in your cupboards? How many of these have lids? Do you also have clothing that no longer fits or clothing too unfashionable for you to ever wear? Shoes you haven’t worn for years, tax files dating back to the mid-80s, a broken food processor and its useless replacement? Maybe you have an old computer you meant to sell via Kijiji or eBay or a chair that you’d planned to get re-upholstered one day? It is probably about now that you are realizing that the great deal from the garage sale may not have been worth the $5. It costs so much more in time or money to dispose of. And – what about those boxes that were never unpacked after your last move? Don’t worry – this is a common first world problem with a long history. The following quote is from 1928: “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” A study reported in the LA Times newspaper found that there are 300,000 items in the average American home. Imagine that – THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND THINGS! No one has bothered to count the number of things in Canadian homes, but I doubt there would be much difference if they did. Because we have so many things, it’s not surprising it’s hard to keep track of the items we actually need amongst all that stuff. A UK newspaper, The Daily Mail, reported that over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items. The research found we lose up to nine items every day—or 198,743 things in a lifetime. Phones, keys, sunglasses, and paperwork top the list. Declutter for Peace of Mind And we move this stuff from apartment to apartment, house to house. But this time – decide not to do it! Why lug around boxes of material that clutter your house AND cost you extra money in moving costs to transport? So before you move, take an inventory of your own possessions. An inventory is a great tool for many reasons. It will make it obvious where you have duplications (like many packages of chilli powder do you really need?) plus it will be helpful for insuring your belongings. There are many apps that can help with this. To find some, click here. “Know Your Stuff” is an app created by the Insurance Information Institute. You can find it here. Maybe it’s time to have a garage sale or just donate items that you don’t use to Value Village or another charity. Someone else just might have use for your complete Seinfeld TV Series CD set now that you’ve memorized every scene. Recycle or sell whatever you can. A decluttered place will bring you peace of mind, and it will be like a fresh start in your new home. Wouldn’t you love to have a place for everything that you need and use so that once you use something you can put it back in its own special place? But Where Do You Start? One of the hottest organizational experts right now is Japan’s Marie Kondo, whose 2014 book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing is still on the best-seller list. She suggests, in her videos and through her website that you declutter in this order. 1. Clothing  2. Books 3. Documents 4. Miscellaneous Items, including momentos She also suggests you say “thank you” to each item as you send them on to their new home. So first … STOP SHOPPING! If you are going to bring something new into your home, really question whether it will just be another thing to throw out in a couple of weeks or months or the next time you move. And keep your receipts so you can take things back. For more tips on decluttering and moving, please email your ICM professional mover at move@innercitymoving.ca or telephone number 416 656-8924. Please subscribe to our quarterly newsletter where we regularly provide tips on packing, moving day,  and beyond. Tags: best movers in toronto, best movers toronto, best moving companies toronto, movers in toronto, movers toronto, moving services toronto, moving tips toronto, residential movers toronto, residential moving toronto, decluttering, home maintenance, cheaper moving costs toronto

Moving On Up Part of the fun of moving people is that you get to experience their joy in “moving on up” especially when they do it “Jefferson” style – do any of you remember that show from the 80s?  When people finally achieve their dream of moving into their first home, or their dream home, it is a beautiful sentiment to be a part of. I recall moving a family from a nice top floor apartment in the Dufferin and Davenport area of Toronto to a house in Etobicoke with a big backyard. The apartment was lovely, don’t get me wrong: I met my client early in the process, before she’d even packed a single box, in that apartment. When I went in the older kids were quietly doing their homework and a five-year-old was watching cartoons. My client, Lily, was cooking dinner. She’d just gotten home from work when I arrived. The apartment was crowded, yes: a two-bedroom apartment with three kids and two adults is going to be. But despite that, it was a home, and it did bustle with a nice energy and things had their place: shoes on a rack by the door; family photos framed on the wall and on the side tables; kids’ Star-Wars-themed bedroom had a bunk bed and boxes of toys, one bed covered with books. The refrigerator was covered with kids’ art and that evening the apartment also smelled of the delicious meal Lily was preparing for her family. I felt lucky to be selected as her mover. Two months later, I came back, and this time the energy was more frenetic. Boxes were packed and labelled leaving little space for the older boys who jostled and teased each other and the little one who was in the arms of her father. Lily was happy and excited to be moving into the first home they would own in Canada, several years after having arrived here from Jamaica. We packed the truck and drove to meet them in their new home in north-western edge of Toronto: the Albion and Silverstone area to be precise. The house seemed so large compared to their much smaller apartment – the kids were chasing each other through the halls of the empty house when we arrived, laughing and excited with their new environment. Lily and her husband, Everald (I think that was his name – this was way back in 1995) excitedly showed me where to put things and it was a nice feeling to get paid – smile – then leave them to turn this house into a new home. One of the perks of being a mover is being a witness to this kind of thing. Of course, I’ve seen times when moves aren’t very happy, but in most cases, people are at least relieved to get the job done and to start creating a home wherever they have “moved on up” to.

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