Moving in a Hurry? Here’s What to Do with Your Items

Moving in a hurry and need to figure out what to do with all of your stuff? If you can’t bring everything with you when you move—or if you don’t want to pack tons of boxes—the good news is you have several options for what to do with your things: selling, donating, and storing. Below, we’ll walk you through how to sort your items and where to sell or take them so you can get packing and moving quickly!

Evaluate Your Stuff

Pull everything out of closets, dressers, and in-home storage and separate them into four groups:

• clothing
• furniture
• electronics
• miscellaneous (e.g., small appliances, books, knick-knacks, etc.)

Once you have all of your belongings in these four groups, it’s time to go through and separate once more. Divide each group into three smaller groups:

• keep
• sell
• toss

Here are a few questions to help you determine whether an item should be Keep, Sell, or Toss:

• Do I use the item? If yes, put it in the Keep pile. If no, move onto the next question.
• When was the item last used? If you’ve used the item within the last year, put it in the Keep pile. If not, move onto the next question.
• Does the item have sentimental value? If yes, put it in the Keep pile (as long as the item is not a duplicate of another item or broken/damaged in some way). If no, move onto the next question.
• Is the item in good condition? If yes, put it in the Sell pile. If no, put it in the Toss pile.

Now that you’ve sorted through all of your items and placed them in the appropriate piles, it’s time to focus on the Sell piles you’ve created.

Get Items for Sale Online Immediately

If you have clothing, furniture, electronic, and miscellaneous items in good condition, selling is a great way to get rid of stuff before moving and make some money. Not sure where to sell clothes and other household items? There are plenty of online marketplaces that can help you sell stuff fast!

How to Sell Clothes Online

Websites and mobile apps like thredUP, Tradesy, and Poshmark are some of the best places to sell clothes online. These are similar to selling your clothes in a consignment shop, except you’re able to exchange and accept payments, ship items without having to meet in person, and more all online.

How to Sell Furniture Online

If you’re planning on selling furniture online, try well-known marketplaces like Apartment Therapy Marketplace, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo, and OfferUp. All of these online options give you the ability to set up and manage listings without much difficulty or the need to pay for a listing. On top of that, you’re in control of how much things will cost and can adjust prices when necessary!

How to Sell Electronics Online

In order to sell electronics quickly, your best bet may be to post items to large online marketplaces like Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay. These platforms may not be everyone’s first choice, but they all allow you to interact with buyers online and drop-ship your items without having to meet up in person.

If you’re unable to sell all of the items in your Sell piles before it’s time to move, it might be time to consider your next option: donating household goods.

Can’t Sell Items? Donate Them!

Donating clothing, furniture, and other household items is a great way to get rid of good-condition items quickly (without throwing them away) while also helping to support your community. Not sure where to donate household goods? Here are a few suggestions that can help you find a new home for your stuff!

Where to Donate Clothing

For the clothing and accessories you couldn’t sell, you have several options for donating. Goodwill and The Salvation Army are the most common places for clothing donations. You can also take your clothes to H&M and Madewell, which offer textile recycling programs. Another way to donate clothing is to contact your local homeless, women’s, or children’s shelters—they always need more items!

Where to Donate Furniture

Habitat ReStore, The Salvation Army, and Goodwill are all convenient options for donating furniture. With Habitat ReStore and The Salvation Army in particular, you can schedule donation pick-ups so that you don’t have to drive over to one of their locations to drop off your furniture donations!

Where to Donate Electronics

Instead of throwing away old cellphones, laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices, you can donate them to help others! Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Cellphones for Soldiers, and Computers with Causes recycle used electronics and provide them to those in need.

Now that you’ve taken care of the items you no longer need, it’s time to plan for the items you want to keep. Some of them will move with you, but some may need to be kept in temporary storage.

Move Items You Want to Keep to Self Storage

When you’re moving in a hurry, sometimes you need to get packed and out of your old home as quickly as possible. While you might be able to bring some of your moving boxes with you, you may need a temporary place to keep furniture, appliances, and other large belongings that you’ll need to move later.

This is where self storage can come in handy! Most storage facilities are located in convenient locations right off of major interstates, highways, and streets. They also offer month-to-month rental agreements, which allow you to rent a storage unit for as long (or as short) as you need.

When searching for self storage near you, be sure to consider the following:

• Location: Look for a storage facility that’s close to your new home. This will make moving items into your new home much easier, as you’ll be able to make quick trips back and forth.
• Unit Size: If you’re only storing a few boxes and small furniture while you’re moving, you may only need a 5×5 or 5×10 storage unit. However, if you’re storing the entire contents of your home during a move, you may need to consider storage unit sizes like 10×10, 10×20, or 10×30.
• Amenities: Self storage facilities offer a number of helpful amenities that can make storage more convenient for you, including drive-up access storage units, climate control, vehicle storage, extended access hours, and more.

Looking for more packing and moving tips? Check out these guides to packing for long-distance moves, hiring professional movers, and finding short-term housing between homes!

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Need to get packed and moved in a hurry? Extra Space Storage can help! We have more than 1,500 self storage facilities across the U.S. with excellent amenities. Find a storage unit near you today!