Post from MilitaryByOwner
While sitting at the desk in our home office. my spouse yelled down the hall, “Where’s the scotch tape?” At times like this, wouldn’t it be nice to have a little more organization around the house? I’m looking at you, “catch-all” drawer.
For our military family, there is no better time than the present for us to start going through our things. Having less stuff to pack with our upcoming military move means less mess to unpack at the new assignment. If you also have a pending PCS, take a cue from our time of transition and consider the following ideas.
Closets
Decreasing the amount of clothes and accessories in your closet can be a challenging assignment. In an effort to curtail your closet clutter, take each item out and ask yourself a few honest questions, such as:
- When did I last wear this?
- Do I like how it fits?
- Does this item need to be tailored or repaired?
While working on whittling down your wardrobe, take note of how frequently you wear your clothes by trying this tactic. Face the hook of each hanger towards you. After wearing an item and laundering it, return it to a hanger with the hook facing the other direction. In a few months, by looking at the direction of the hangers, you’ll be able to define which items you wear the most and what pieces you can part with.
Reviewing the contents of your closet can remind you of what attire you have available and potentially free up space to shop for something new!
Cupboards and Drawers
If you open up your kitchen cabinet and a cluster of storage containers tumble out, it could be time to lessen the load of your cupboard shelves. Also, if you have trouble pulling open a storage drawer due to reaching max capacity, you might need a good caddy clean out. When it’s time to purge your paraphernalia, pull out the items in the mix that you deem useful. Then, sort those practical things by frequency of use. For example:
- Measuring cups would go towards the front of your cabinet while your mortar and pestle set can avoid the daily grind towards the rear.
- Pairs of scissors could settle right inside your drawer while your stash of rubber bands will keep it together further back.
Your goal is to streamline your storage in your current kitchen layout. Having more of a sense of organization can have you feeling more at ease when unpacking into whatever combination of cupboards and drawers await at your next dwelling.
Storage Space
Since you have a few months before your packing crew arrives, this window of time is ideal for sorting through your belongings. No matter if you have your gear on shelves in the garage or your goods placed in an attic or basement, open each tote and box to see what you’re actually storing.
Nine out of ten times, you’re hanging on to items that could be let go. If that’s the case, try to sort your belongings with three categories in mind:
- Keep – Continue to store certain pieces
- Sell – List for sale online
- Rid – Donate or toss
Grouping your possessions in this manner can help you discover what you’ll be including in your moving weight limit. Keep in mind, even if the label on the moving box says “Christmas decorations,” inside the container you might find tools from the garage or spatulas from the kitchen. Each military move can be your very own treasure hunt!
With these suggestions, pare down your home from room to room. Then, when your packing crew arrives and the sea of cardboard moving boxes engulfs your home, you’ll be happy knowing you’re only shipping the goods you’ll actually use. Taking the time to organize your belongings now will make your unpack at the new location much less of a hassle.
