Moving provides a great opportunity to purge the clutter. When you get rid of clutter, it will make the move lighter and may even relieve some of the stress of moving. Here are a few ways to get rid of the clutter when you're moving.

Start Creating Piles

One of the easiest ways to get rid of clutter and purge things from your life is with piles. Create one for things going with you when you move, one for things to donate and one for things to throw away.

Have you Used the Item in the Past Year?

When moving, you'll probably come across things you forgot you owned. You might start thinking of all the times you could have used the item, but you forgot you had it. However, if you forgot you had it, you probably wouldn't have used it, anyway.

A simple rule of thumb when eliminating clutter is, if you haven't used it in the past year, it needs to go. You can choose to donate the item, if it's in good shape, or pitch it.

Bring in an Outside Party

Sometimes, we have too much of an emotional attachment to items we don't really need in our lives. Bringing in a friend or family member to help you make the difficult decisions will make getting rid of clutter easier.

Throw Out Items that Don't Work

Do you still own a toaster that doesn't work or some other items you can't use? During a move, you may discover multiple items you should have thrown out long ago because they don't work anymore. If it doesn't work, pitch it.

Take Pictures of Sentimental Items

Often, you will come across items you only keep because of the memory or some other sentimental reason. You may have no intentions of ever displaying the item and it may just be taking up space in a closet. If this is the case, take a picture of it, put the picture in an album and get rid of the item. When you want to remember the memory, just look at the picture.

Have a Garage Sale

Maybe you don't want to donate or throw away a large portion of your things. Instead, you can have a garage sale and let someone else give you money to take the items off your hands. Any items you know you won't be using in the new home can go up for sale and you can get rid of them once and for all.

Clutter can easily take over our lives and make us feel disorganized or even trapped in our own home. Everything should have a place in your home and only a few items should not be on display. If you don't plan on putting something on display or it doesn't provide a necessary function, it might be time to purge it from your life.

During the moving process, you have a great opportunity to get rid of clutter. Go through each room, as you pack, and eliminate anything you don't need. You'll feel lighter when you arrive at your new home.