Relocating? Don’t Waste the Space Moving Your Trash

Not too long ago, my nephew, David, and his family moved back home after being away for 12 years. He and his wife had been applying and interviewing for jobs back here for months and listed their home FSBO. A few months later, the stars aligned and they both got job offers in the Fox Cities one day apart. At that point, they had less than three weeks to list the house with a legit real estate agent, pack up their belongings, choose a daycare for their daughter, and find a place to live here before their new jobs began. They didn’t spend much time thinking through what they’d need once they got here—they just threw everything in boxes as quickly as they could and packed the moving trucks full. (Yes, there were multiple!)
 
When they closed on their new home three months later and began unpacking their belongings, they realized so much of the stuff was useless. So, there they were, sitting on their basement floor sorting through boxes and bins, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. In hindsight, they should have gone through that exercise when they made the decision to start looking for jobs back here six months prior—That giant donate pile could easily have been taken care of back in Minnesota, and the stuff they ended up throwing away absolutely shouldn’t have made the 300-mile trek. Looking at their heaping pile of trash, a dumpster rental would have been a much smarter way to go.
 
Things to Throw Out When Moving
When planning a move, think through what to do with things you no longer need. Is it worth money? Try selling it. Not worth much but still in good shape? Donate it. Not in good shape but made of recyclable materials? Recycle it.
 
If what you’ve got cannot be sold, donated, or recycled, it’s appropriate to throw it away. Renting a dumpster will give you more space for your trash than the garbage cans you put at the end of your driveway each week. (Dumpster sizes (and prices) can vary by state and by company. Click here to request an online quote from City Disposal.)
 
Note: Certain items can't go in waste containers. This list includes materials such as:

• Paints
• Solvents
• Motor oil
• Televisions
• Computer monitors
• Refrigerators
• Computer monitors

When to Rent a Dumpster and Where to Place it
The best time for dumpster rentals is before you put your house on the market, if possible. Get it in and out before buyers come looking. If that’s not an option, here are some tips to keep it from being too distracting:

• Position the dumpster away from doorways and walkways, allowing easy access to the home.
• When possible, don’t position the dumpster so it blocks the garage door.
• lf the dumpster has to be placed on the street, check with your city to see what permits may be needed.

 
David and his wife learned the hard way that they should have begun decluttering as soon as they made the decision to start looking for jobs back home. Had they been more proactive, they could have saved space in their rental trucks AND saved themselves the hassle of hauling all that junk halfway across the Midwest!