To some degree, everyone has a “packrat” tendency to keep more stuff than they need. A few needless acquisitions here and there can add up over time to an oppressive amount of stuff. A ton of stuff that you don’t need quickly becomes classified as “junk” to the tired, besieged homeowner in the process of moving. One of the beautiful things about moving is that it encourages you to “purge” your personal inventory of non necessary belongings. Weeding out junk and needless nic-nacs will enable you to focus on moving your key belongings. Focus is a key word when it comes to moving (and we’ll bring it up again shortly !)
Certain things are easy to throw away. Things that are obviously junk. Try and group all the items that are obviously refuse in a special category. Or a special “pile” if you will. From there, separate out all the recyclable items. Plastic and metal go in one pile, paper in another. Make sure that the food tins are clean, with no food particles in them. Get them all bagged up. Usually blue trash bags are used for metal and plastic, with clear trash bags being used old newspapers and magazines. Come recycling day, get them all out to the curb.
The stuff that remains hovers somewhere between the junk and possible usefulness. Bank statements are a classic example of this. You need to hang onto old bank statements in case the IRS comes knocking at your door or you need to prove your income to someone. However, most such records are now kept digitally and can be accessed online. So holding on to bank records isn’t really necessary. However, it may be a good idea to hang onto a few utility bills when it comes to proof of domicile, identification, ect.