Moving can be a stressful time, but if you start to get organised before a company such as Brilliance Removalists Perth turn up you will find it is not nearly as traumatic. One thing that can be done early is sort out what you want to take with you and what you should recycle. This can reduce your possessions so you have less to pack. And having less to load will surely please the removalist.

So how do you decide what to toss? Here are some tips.

• Clothing – if you haven’t worn it for two years it is unlikely that you want or need it. Sell it online or have a garage sale. Or you can simply donate it to a charity.
• Toys – kids grow out of toys and don’t want to play with them anymore. Give them to friends, family, neighbours or the op-shop. Sell them online or at a garage sale.

• Hobby/craft tools and kits – the same applies to these. If you don’t use them, get rid of them. Our tastes and interests change over the years and what you once loved doing may be no longer of interest. Or sometimes you just get too old to manage it. Don’t feel sorry; just get rid of it and you’ll have room for a different, more manageable hobby.
• Electrical goods. If you are tired of that coffee maker, or have other small appliances you don’t really use, donate them to a good cause. If your school is having a fete, they’ll appreciate the donation.
• Plastic containers – you probably have a surfeit of these in your cupboards. Keep the best and throw the rest, including those dozen drink bottles the kids once loved.
• Small furniture items – these may not be needed, depending on the size of your new home and whether it has inbuilt cupboards. They are often the kind of items that get scratched or chipped during a move. The op-shop will benefit.
• Pictures on the walls – people often like to start anew when moving into a new home. If you don’t want your wall art, give them to someone else.
• Almost empty bottles of shampoo and other body products can be tossed unless you can use them up before moving day.

With the exception of the last, never just throw these items out. Many people would find them useful and it can save a lot of rubbish going into landfill if they can be given to someone else or recycled in some way. It is far better for the environment to recycle your unwanted goods and it will save packing them and unpacking at the other end.

What once seemed an overwhelming task will become manageable once you get rid of all those things you don’t need or use.