Decluttering Before the Move: How We Purged 222 Items

Making a public promise to get rid of a large number of items really lit a fire under us. Even though our move isn’t until mid-December, we started going room by room, sorting through everything and keeping only what we love, need, or use. Our rule was simple: no mercy. Packing and moving things you won’t use is a waste of time and space, so we wanted to avoid transporting unnecessary clutter to the new house.

Below are photos from our tidy-up sessions: our office purge pile, the kitchen pile (with Clara helping), the den’s goodbye pile (we kept one copy of each board game — the extras went), the garage to-go stack, the basement clear-out, and the bedroom pile (the baby and the dog are staying, of course).

Once we finished each room, we made sure donations and sales happened right away. We held an impromptu moving sale that weekend to keep momentum; if we left items sitting around, we worried we’d change our minds and keep things we didn’t need. Quick decisions paid off — once items were gone, they stayed gone.

Here’s the full list of what we purged from the house:

• 11 pairs of shoes (10 mine, 1 John’s)
• 36 books (including 10 cookbooks)
• 10 videotapes & DVDs
• 1 alarm clock
• 1 computer mouse
• Countless padded envelopes & mailing tubes (from our old online print shop days)
• 6 board games (duplicates of games we kept one of)
• 2 yoga mats
• 1 radio
• 1 stocking
• 2 faux pumpkins
• 1 lamp
• 4 pillows
• 1 mirror
• 5 picture frames
• 54 items of clothing (coats, hats, ties, tees, jeans, shirts, socks, etc.)
• 4 plastic plates
• 6 ceramic plates
• 1 power screwdriver
• 4 outdoor chairs
• 2 welcome mats
• 1 rug
• 2 baskets of faux plants (basement didn’t get enough light for real ones)
• 1 floor lamp
• 4 plant pots
• 6 garden hooks
• 1 stencil
• 1 frisbee
• 4 old quarts of paint
• 2 buckets
• 2 metal tins (we replaced these with a new diaper & wipe disposal system — more on that soon)
• 1 sprinkler
• 1 trash can
• 1 fabric basket
• 1 dark wicker basket
• 5 bath towels
• 1 nursing cover
• 8 baby toys & feeding supplies
• 4 glass cups
• 3 vases
• 4 pieces of faux fruit
• 8 wine glasses
• 8 mugs
• GRAND TOTAL: 222 items

It felt a little embarrassing to admit how much extra stuff we’d been holding onto, but getting rid of it was incredibly freeing. We donated and sold nearly everything immediately rather than letting it linger. That quick turnaround kept our “no mercy” rule intact and prevented second-guessing.

What surprised us most were the categories we’d underestimated. We expected to part with clothes and books, but the kitchen surprised us — so many gadgets and specialty items we’d never used. Holding fewer but more purposeful items has already started to simplify daily life and streamline packing.

If you’re preparing to move or just want to reclaim space, try this approach: set a firm goal, move room to room, and commit to donating or selling items the same day or weekend. Immediate follow-through prevents hesitation and helps you stay honest about what truly matters. We’ll share more specifics on our downsizing strategies and what we did with certain items in future updates.

Have you been purging lately? Which areas of your home turned out to be the biggest problem? We found books, clothing, and unused kitchenware were our biggest culprits — what about you?