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.

Downsizing Before a Move

Discover essential tips and strategies to effectively downsize before a move. Make your transition smoother and stress-free with our expert advice.

Downsizing Before a Move by Mario Batz

By Mario Batz of Johnson &amp; Daly Moving &amp; Storage

Video: Three Ways to Downsize Your Belongings


if you're downsizing in advance of a
move make sure you consider all
available avenues in discarding your
unwanted items today we're in San Rafael
with diamond certified expert in tribute
or Mario batsub Johnson and Daly Moving
& Storage to learn more here are a few
tips on what to do before you move if
you like to downsize we recommend
downsizing as much as possible before
you move because you absolutely don't
want to pay the movers to move things to
the new place that you haven't used in a
while or that you don't need the first
thing you should do is try to sell it if
you can't sell it
try harder what you need to do is you
need to get it on Craigslist you need to
get it on offer up you need to put it on
next door any possible way you can get
some money for it sell it it's probably
worth something it's just probably not
worth what you think it's worth but sell
it anyway it'll save you from moving it
it'll save you from storing it and it'll
save you money in the long run if you
can't sell it
my next advice T is to donate it there's
a lot of people that can use it there's
a lot of charities out there Goodwill
Salvation Army will come pick it up if
you give them a couple weeks notice
there's a lot of ways to donate a lot of
people could use the help
and you can get a nice tax deduction for
it it's a great way to get a little
money without having to sell the things
if they're not sellable if you can't
sell it or donate it your last option is
going to be to dump it unfortunately
yeah it's gonna cost you a little bit of
money there are ways to do it a little
more cost-effectively which are take it
to the dump yourself if you don't have
the time or the resources you can always
call services like got junk
eight-hundred got junk to come get it
you can call hauling service there's
many in the paper but get it out of
there you absolutely don't want to pay
the movers to take it to the new place
and we don't want to call junk so those
are your tips normal family of four
accumulates about a thousand pounds a
year whether that's through gifts
whether that's through holidays and to
give you a little frame of reference
five thousand pounds is a sparse
2-bedroom apartment
so in five years if you haven't moved
you've accumulated your family of four
is accumulated a two-bedroom apartments
worth so even if you think I haven't
bought anything new I haven't got
anything else I'm it's the same stuff as
when I moved last time it's not you have
more stuff and getting rid of ahead of
time getting rid of the stuff ahead of
time is a great financial decision
before you move to learn more from local
top rated companies visit our diamond
certified expert reports at experts
diamond certified org


Mario Batz: A Moving Opportunity

Companies Rated Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise