How I Decluttered Before Moving to Our First Family Home

How I Decluttered Before Moving to Our First Family Home

Moving from my in-laws’ house to our first place as a family should have been exciting. Instead, I was terrified looking at everything we’d accumulated. For years, I’d been keeping a hope chest—my family’s tradition of collecting things you’ll “need someday.” Dishes, linens, kitchen gadgets, and decor items.

I’d been stockpiling for our future home since before my first child was born. The problem? When moving day finally came, we had two kids, one moving truck, and way too much stuff. Half of it I’d never even used. It had just been sitting in boxes at my in-laws’ place, waiting for “the right time.”

We were moving into a 3-bedroom townhouse rental—our first home on our own as a family. I didn’t want to start this new chapter by dragging boxes of unused hope chest items we’d never touched. I wanted a fresh start, not a cluttered one. I have a great toolkit for moving. You can check it out here.

So two weeks before the move, I made a decision: only bring what we’d actually use in the first month. Everything else? Donate it, sell it, or leave it behind. I decluttered 20% of what I’d collected over the years. It was emotional (letting go of the “someday” fantasy), but it was also freeing.

We moved into our first family home with exactly what we needed—nothing more. Here’s how I did it, what I kept vs. what I let go, and why decluttering before that first move was the best decision I made. Check out my organizing tips and rental-friendly decor if you’re setting up your first place, too.

My Pre-Move Reality

My Hope Chest Reality Check

What I’d been collecting for years:

From my hope chest tradition:

• Three sets of dishes (because I “might need fancy ones”)
• Six sets of sheets (for a house I didn’t have yet)
• Kitchen gadgets still in boxes (bread maker, fondue set, fancy serving platters)
• Decor items that didn’t match any actual style
• Towels, linens, and tablecloths enough for a 4-bedroom house

From living with my in-laws:

• Two kids’ worth of toys, clothes, and baby gear
• Duplicate items (we had our stuff + things at my in-laws’)
• “Transition” furniture we’d bought temporarily

The wake-up call: We were moving from my in-laws’ 3-bedroom Townhouse to another 3-bedroom townhouse with larger bedrooms, a larger kitchen, and living room. Our moving truck had limited space. I realized I’d spent years collecting for an imaginary dream home, not the real rental we were moving into.

The question I had to face: Do I move all this “someday” stuff to our first real home, or do I finally let go of the fantasy and only bring what we’ll actually use?

My goal: Get ruthless. Only pack what we’d use in the first month. Everything else—even hope chest items—had to prove its worth or get donated. Timeline: 2 weeks before moving day. Budget: $0 (actually made money selling stuff)

What actually Worked – 2 Week Declutter

This was emotional. I was letting go of years of “preparing” for a life I’d imagined. But it was also incredibly freeing.

Week 1: The Hope Chest Reckoning

Days 1-2: Kitchen Items (The Hardest.) What I’d collected:

• 3 sets of dishes
• Bread maker (never used, still in box)
• Fondue set (received as a gift 5 years ago, never opened)
• Fancy serving platters
• Duplicate utensils, pots, pans

What I kept:

• 1 set of everyday dishes
• Basic cooking essentials we actually used

What I donated/sold:

• 2 sets of dishes (one fancy, one “backup”)
• Bread maker, fondue set, serving platters
• Duplicate kitchen tools

The reality check: We needed a kitchen for daily family meals, not entertaining, which we weren’t doing. The fancy dishes were for a life I imagined, not the life we were actually living with two young kids. Money made: Sold bread maker and fancy dishes on Facebook Marketplace ($75)

Days 3-4: Linens & Towels

What I’d collected:

• 6 sets of sheets (we had one queen bed)
• 12 towels (for a family of 4)
• Multiple tablecloths, placemats, and cloth napkins

What I kept:

• 2 sets of sheets (one on bed, one backup)
• 6 towels (one per person + 2 extras)
• Zero tablecloths (we didn’t even have a dining table yet)

What I donated:

• 4 sets of sheets
• 6 towels
• All the fancy table linens

Why this was hard: My family’s hope chest tradition taught me to “be prepared.” Letting go felt like giving up on being a good homemaker. The truth: We needed functional basics, not an imaginary bed-and-breakfast’s linen closet.

Days 5-7: Kids’ Stuff

The problem: Living with my in-laws meant toys and clothes were spread everywhere. We had duplicates—stuff at their house and stuff we’d bought.

What I did:

• Clothes: Only packed what currently fit (kids grow fast—no point moving stuff they’d outgrown)
• Toys: Let kids choose 10 favourites each. Donated the rest.
• Baby gear: We were done having babies. Sold crib, high chair, stroller ($180)

What I learned: Kids don’t need 150 toys. They play with the same 5 things anyway.

Week 2: Everything Else

Days 8-9: Decor & “Someday” Items

What I’d collected:

• Picture frames (for photos I hadn’t printed)
• Decorative vases, candles, knick-knacks
• Seasonal decor for every holiday

What I kept:

• A few meaningful decor pieces that actually matched my style

What I donated:

• Everything I’d bought was because “I might use it someday.”
• Decor that didn’t fit my actual taste (just things I thought I should have)

The realization: I didn’t even know what my style was yet. Why move a bunch of random decor to figure it out in the new place?

Days 10-12: Furniture & “Transition” Items

What we had:

• Cheap furniture we’d bought “temporarily.”
• Hand-me-downs from family
• Stuff that was falling apart

What we did:

• Kept: A few sturdy pieces
• Donated: Anything broken or that we’d just been “making do” with
• Decided: We’d rather start with less and buy what we needed than move junk —

Days 13-14: Final Purge

Walked through everything one more time. Found more stuff to let go. By this point, I was in a ruthless mindset—if I hesitated, it went in the donate pile.

Total Decluttered:

• Donated: 20+ boxes/bags of hope chest items, kids’ stuff, linens, decor
• Sold: $255 (kitchen items, baby gear, furniture)
• Left behind: Anything that didn’t earn its spot in the moving truck. Estimated reduction: 20% of everything we’d accumulated

My Mistakes

What Made the Declutter Harder

Mistake #1: The guilt of letting go of hope chest items. These were things my mom, grandmother, and aunts had given me “for when you have your own home.” Letting go felt like I was ungrateful or failing at the tradition.

What helped: Realizing they wanted me to be happy, not buried in stuff. I kept a few meaningful pieces and let go of the rest guilt-free.

Mistake #2: Trying to keep “just in case” duplicates. “What if we have guests? What if we need fancy dishes?” Living with two kids in a 3-bedroom rental, we didn’t need a backup plan for entertaining. We needed space to breathe.

What worked: Only keeping what we’d use in the first month. If we needed something later, we could buy it then.

Mistake #3: Not taking photos of sentimental items before donating. I donated some decor items from my hope chest that had sentimental value. I wish I’d taken photos first—for the memory, even if I didn’t need the physical item.

What I’d do differently: Take photos of anything with memories attached, then donate guilt-free.

My Timeline

My Actual 2-Week Declutter Timeline

Week 1:

• Days 1-2: Hope chest kitchen items
• Days 3-4: Linens, towels, tablecloths
• Days 5-7: Kids’ toys, clothes, baby gear

Week 2:

• Days 8-9: Decor and “someday” items
• Days 10-12: Furniture and hand-me-downs
• Days 13-14: Final sweep

Daily time: 2-3 hours in the evenings, 4-6 hours on weekends. Total time: About 30-35 hours over 2 weeks. Emotional toll: High (letting go of years of collecting.) Worth it: Absolutely (started fresh instead of cluttered)

Understanding the Importance of Decluttering

Why Decluttering Before This Move Mattered

It wasn’t just about moving costs (though we did save money with a smaller truck). It was about starting our first family home on our own terms—not dragging boxes of “someday” items that represented someone else’s idea of what our life should look like.

What I gained by decluttering: Emotional clarity: Let go of the “perfect home” fantasy and embraced our real rental life.

Financial benefit: Sold $255 worth of stuff, saved on moving costs. Easier unpacking: Only had to unpack what we’d actually use—took 2 days instead of weeks

A fresh start: Our first home together felt like OURS, not a storage unit for hope chest items. The biggest shift: I stopped living for “someday” and started living for today.

Strategies for Effective Decluttering

What Actually Worked for Me

Room-by-room approach: I tackled one category at a time (kitchen, linens, kids’ stuff) rather than trying to do everything at once. This kept me focused and showed clear progress.

The “first month” rule: If I didn’t use it in the first month in our new place, it didn’t make the cut. This eliminated 90% of my “just in case” items.

Four-box system:

• Keep (using in the first month)
• Donate (good condition, just don’t need)
• Sell (valuable enough to list on Facebook)
• Trash (broken, unusable)

Involving my husband: We decided together what to keep. He helped me see that keeping 6 sets of sheets was excessive. I helped him see we didn’t need every single tool from the garage.

Taking breaks: This was emotional work. I took breaks when I felt overwhelmed by guilt or attachment. Came back with fresh eyes.

The Benefits of Starting Fresh

What Our Decluttered First Home Gave Us

Enhanced organization:
With less stuff, everything had a place. Our 3-bedroom rental didn’t feel cramped—it felt cozy.

Mental clarity:
Not being surrounded by boxes of “someday” items meant we could focus on building our actual life, not the imagined one.

Easier maintenance:
Less stuff = less to clean, organize, and maintain. With two kids, this was huge.

Room to grow:
We had space to figure out our style, buy what we actually needed, and make intentional choices instead of just using whatever I’d collected.

The unexpected benefit:
Letting go of the hope chest fantasy freed me to create a home that actually worked for our family—not the one I thought I “should” have.

Moving Day Preparation

How Decluttering Made Moving Day Easier

Packing essentials:
Because I’d decluttered first, I knew exactly what we were moving. No mystery boxes, no “I’ll sort this later” piles.

Labelling system:
Every box was clearly labelled by room + contents. Example: “Kitchen – everyday dishes” or “Kids’ room – clothes size 4T”

The essentials box:
Packed one “first night” box with: bedding, toiletries, kids’ pj’s, phone chargers, and coffee maker. We could survive the first night without unpacking everything.

What I learned:
Moving with less stuff is SO much easier. The moving truck was half-empty. Unpacking took 2 days, not 2 weeks. Our first family home felt move-in ready immediately.

Total moving cost: $600 (small truck, we did most of the lifting)
What it would have cost with all the hope chest stuff: Probably $1,000+

More Moving & Organizing Tips

• How I Decluttered My Kitchen Counters
• The 5-Minute Decluttering Routine
• Organizing Your Living Room
• Rental-Friendly Home Decor Ideas

Conclusion: Decluttering Tips Before Moving

Ten Years Later: No Regrets

We’ve been in this rental for 10 years now. Not once have I thought “I wish I’d kept those extra dishes” or “I really needed that bread maker.” The hope chest items I donated? I don’t even remember what half of them were.

The items I kept? We still use them. My advice if you’re facing your first move: Let go of the “someday” fantasy. You’re not moving into your dream home—you’re moving into real life.

Bring what you’ll actually use, not what you think you “should” have. If you’re holding onto hope chest items or family hand-me-downs out of guilt, take photos and let them go.

The memories stay; the clutter doesn’t have to. Start your first home with intention, not with clutter.

Questions about decluttering before a move? Drop them in the comments! Ready to set up your first rental? Join 2,357 renters getting my tips → Subscribe on the sidebar.