Throughout life, we accumulate things. Those leftover food containers you always forget to return to your friends, the dishes your college roommate left behind, the collection of romance novels you took from your grandmother’s house when she passed away. We cram things into drawers and closets and form our own organized chaos but what happens when you decide to take the plunge and merge your belongings, home and life with another?
Getting married is an exciting time filled with a lot of adjustment. You don’t want the “what stuff to keep and what stuff to trash” discussion to be the first big argument you have as a married couple.
Here are some tips to help you decide what to keep, what to store, what to donate and what to trash.
Down-size on Things That Are Just for You
Chances are you won’t be sharing your clothes with your new spouse but you will be sharing closet space. Look through your closet and determine what pile things belong in:
A good rule of thumb for piles include:
Keep
Sell
Donate
Storage
Recycle/Trash
- Keep things you wear on a regular bases and love.
- Sell items that haven’t been worn, still have the tag or are designer brands in “like new” condition. Many resale shops will purchase in-season items. It’s a great way to earn a little extra money.
- Donate undamaged items that you can’t sell.
- Store items that are out of season, that you will still use when in season. Such as winter jackets in the summer or swimwear in the winter.
- Throw away or recycle items that are in no condition to be worn any longer. Did you know most textiles can be recycled? Often people don’t think about clothing when it comes to recycling but there are companies that recycle clothing to keep it out of landfills.
Dejunk Your Junk Drawer
Most people have an area of the house where they have accumulated items that they weren’t sure where to put. Sometimes the “junk drawer” is just a drawer and sometimes it can be an entire closet full of random items.
Moving is the perfect occasion to go through this drawer and get rid of things you don’t need. Don’t move junk, get rid of it before you go.
Get Rid of Duplicates
Chances are there will be duplicates among your items. You won’t need 2 blenders or 2 toasters. Take inventory of your items, a good rule is to keep the item that is newest when you have 2 of the same things. Just like with clothes you can donate or sale duplicate items for extra cash.
Pick New Pieces Together to Build a Theme
One great way to decide which items you will each keep, it to start based on a central item you picked out together. Picking out your new couch, bed frame or even just your bedding set is a great starting point to decide what you want your decor theme to look like. It will make it easier to figure out what does and doesn’t work in a room.
Be Open Minded
Just like some of the items in your home have sentimental value to you, assume that there are items you find unappealing that have sentimental value to your spouse. Try not to mock any of the items they say they want to keep because they may be heirlooms or have sentimental value. Be sure to compromise on items, if the place is large enough you may consider each having an area all your own to decorate.
Utilize Storage
It can be hard to figure out how to mix all of your belongs with another. It can also be difficult to part with certain things you’ve invested in or have an emotional connection with. Putting seasonal items into storage is a great way to make more room in your home while not getting rid of too many things. If you have family heirlooms or items from your childhood you want to share with future generations these are also great items to keep in storage.
Combining your belongings doesn’t have to lead to huge battle or game of tug or war. If you create plan and system you should be enjoying your new life with less clutter in no time.
