Top Five Tips – Garbage or Good?

1. Give it the two year rule. Attics, closets and basements are notorious traps for stuff you just can't seem to throw away. You don't need to cart clutter to the new house. If you haven't used it, or looked at it, for the past two years – get rid of it.
2. Clean out the "junk drawer". Every house has one – a drawer, or shelf, or basket that holds the contents of emptied pockets and items that have no other spot. These things can pile up around the house making a move a heavy process. Save your back, throw out the stacks.
3. Check the expiration date. Refrigerators and pantries are magnets for leftovers. Check the expiration dates on items like prescriptions, vitamins, and toiletries and throw out everything that's past the date. Throw away everything perishable in the kitchen – it will probably expire by the time you move anyway.
4. If it's broke – don't fix it. Every garage and tool box contains at least one thing that's broken – and probably has been broken for a while. As you clear out these rooms, ask yourself if you really plan on fixing the broken items. If you're not going to fix it, toss it -- including those things that are past the point of being cleaned.
5. Question the value. Most of the excess stuff in your house is accumulated for good reason. As you pack up the house to move, ask yourself what is "valuable" to you – sentimentally, aesthetically or monetarily. Make a decision whether it will seriously come in handy some day or if you're just holding on to it "just in case". If you can't see yourself using, wanting or needing it in the future – let it go.

When separating "goods" from "garbage" make sure your garbage couldn't be a "good" for someone else. Take items that are in good condition to shelters or other collection facilities – donate the unused items.