Checking Your Inventory

It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get your house ready for sale. Be prepared for mayhem as you go through every room, scrutinizing every item. Don’t forget your basement, crawlspace and garage.

Make four distinct piles: Trash, Return, Donate, and Might Need.

Trash Pile: Be ruthless! Dispose of trash as soon as possible. There’s no point in going through the exercise and then letting it all sit in piles. You’re just creating a bigger mess than when you started out. Eliminate the following:

• Expired food and medications
• Dated phone books, sale catalogues, newspapers and magazines
• Clothing and shoes that are out of style
• Broken stuff that you’ve never had the time to fix
• Projects that you started and hoped to finish someday
• Obsolete electronics: old computers, TVs, stereo equipment, phones, etc

Return Pile: Return anything that doesn’t belong to you. You’re going to be busy packing and moving your own stuff. Don’t add to your woes by moving someone else’s belongings.

Donate Pile: You will find things that are still in good condition but they’re of no use to you. Feel guilty about throwing them away? Consider giving them to your friends and families, charitable organizations, or advertise in the free section of the classified ads in your local newspaper.

Might Need Pile: It’s human nature to hog stuff. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Would you go out and buy one today?
• Do you know what it does?
• Did you even remember you have it
• Have you used it since your last move?

If you answer ‘No’ to any of the questions, then you should consider tossing it or donating it.

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