ORGANIZING SECRETS

If you ask me what a single piece of advice for a successful move abroad may be, my answer would be this.

Simple living.

Moving a family, settling in a new home in a brand new country, and decorating home in an unfamiliar environment are all stressful and exhausting. The simpler the process of packing and unpacking is, the easier the settling in becomes. As a result, a transition becomes easier as well.

The fact about international relocation is that there is so much you can ship. The limit depends on the organization you work for. Since there is a limit on how much you can bring, you are forced to reevaluate what to bring, but also what to keep and own.

That being said, you could also relocate by skipping this purging step, and send everything to your next destination. Some may send whatever they don’t want to deal with to a storage while they live abroad. Unfortunately, these tactics will eventually catch up to you. Thus, I don’t recommend either of them. You will be better off determining what to keep and and get rid of everything you no longer need before you relocate abroad. This process should repeat during each relocation.

 

LESS IS MORE

One and the most important tip for expat living, in my opinion, would be to learn to reduce constantly. By reducing to own what you truly love, you will move with items that make you happy abroad.

Here are the 7 steps for you to take to organize your home abroad. Are you ready?

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU PACK-OUT

The best time for you to get rid of things is before movers come to pack your home. However, preparing for a move can get so stressful that it is easy to get distracted and procrastinate. I can tell you that going through the hassle of getting rid of things prior to your relocation will pay off later.

WHY SHOULD YOU PURGE BEFORE YOU PACK OUT TO MOVE ABROAD?

1. With your next destination in mind, it is more clear what you will need and you won’t need.

2. It’s less work for you to organize your new home. It is rewarding later.

3. You can have a fresh start in your new home.

 

PREPARE FOR YOUR NEXT HOME PRIOR TO MOVING

If you relocate from one place to another, you can use the opportunity to completely redesign your home. It does get costly to do so, but living in a happy home abroad is a happier life. If your next destination doesn’t have stores you can buy what you love, buy items you love and prepare for the move prior to shipping. It will help you settle into your new home faster. It’s so much more difficult to find an interior store and buy items you’d like to decorate your home with if you don’t know how to navigate the new city. You can jump to 6 if you would like to know what you will need to prepare.

ONE EXCEPTION

If your future city has H&M Home and IKEA, you can probably wait till you arrive at your new destination to shop to decorate your new home.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with H&M or IKEA. I am just a fan.

KITCHEN IN OUR HOME IN MANILA

2. LEARN WHAT YOU LOVE

I use Marie Kondo’s method also known as KonMari Method.

Let your heart guides you. I know, it’s easier said than done.

I wrote about how to get rid of things for parents in the following posts.

Declutter Kids’ Rooms Part 1 Clothes
Declutter Kids’ Rooms Part 2 Komono/Miscellaneous
Declutter Kids’ Rooms Part 3 Papers
Declutter Kids’ Rooms Part 4 Toys
Declutter Kids’ Rooms Part 5 Bookshelves

I don’t know any superior way to determine what you love than KonMari Method. The more you practice learning what you love, the better your senses get. As a result, impulse buy will lessen. You will buy what you love, and avoid spending money on random stuff. There are many benefits.

 

3. 3 YEARS AS YOUR GUIDELINE

Any items in your home that you didn’t use at all, not even once, in the last 3 years, I think you can let go of them.

Here’s an example, I had sold my sewing machine before I moved to Manila. Sewing machines are expensive. I hesitated to let go of it, but I knew I had not used it in many years. Besides, anything electronic evolves and gets better fast. Thus, it didn’t make sense to send it to a storage. Plus, I knew it would be inexpensive to bring items to a seamstress in the Philippines. Therefore, I figured I’m better off getting rid of the sewing machine that I’d had for many years before it gets too outdated to even sell or give away. If I need it again, it’s time for me to invest in it.

The point of telling this story is this. Don’t let how much you spent on it get in the way. It’s whether you truly need it or not at the time you make the decision. If you didn’t use something for 3 years, it’s very unlikely that you will use it in the future. If you know you will use it for sure, of course, you can keep it. Have I regretted getting rid of something? Yes and no. In retrospect, I knew that my regret rooted from my guilt. It’s not necessary. Anyways, if I get rid of something that I ended up needing it later, I would look at it as a lesson for me.

TIPS FOR LINENS & TOWELS

Linens can be heavy if you have many. When you move to a new post, it’s a good timing to get new sets. Same goes with towels. I didn’t know that if a towel starts to smell after just one or two uses after being washed, it is a sign there is bacteria within the fibers that is not getting cleaned properly.

Would you like to know when to replace your towels? Here is a good guide for you.

When Should You Replace Your Bathroom Towels? | House Beautiful

 

4. DETERMINE WHAT YOU NEED AND WON’T NEED

This may require some research prior to moving to your destination abroad.

There are various ways for you to do the research especially with online resources. Most people like to hear from those who had the first hand experience. Here are some ideas for your research.

1. If you have a colleague who currently lives in your future post, how about you reach out?
2. If you have kids, you can reach out to your child’s future school. The school may be able to connect you with some parents.
3. You can try to find someone who lived there previously by asking friends.
4. Many cities with expats have Facebook groups made by expats living there. You can join groups prior to arriving.
5. You can find Instagram accounts of those expats who live in the city you will move to or find expat blogs.

 

5. WHAT NOT TO SEND TO A STORAGE

BABY ITEMS

I don’t recommend sending any baby gear to a storage. It’s one of those things that you either send to your overseas post or sell or give away before you move overseas.

ELECTRONICS

There is no point of sending electronic items to a storage if you won’t use it for a few years to several years. You will be better off getting rid of them when they are still in a good shape to someone who will be able to use it.

CARS

We never send our car to a storage. We have always sold it before moving abroad or moving from a post abroad. We’ve found that we were better off selling a car sooner than later.

CLOTHES

A storage is like a time capsule. Your clothes will likely be out of style by the time you take them out of your storage. If you don’t want to ship them, get rid of them. However, I understand that you don’t want to bring winter gear if you are moving to a tropical island. In this case, I would purge first and bring valuable winter clothes with you to your tropical destination in case you will travel to a country during winter. You never know.

DECORATIVE ITEMS

If you decide not to take some decor pieces to your home abroad, it’s okay for you to let go of them. The style of home design you like changes over time. By the time you receive your items from a storage after many years, the chance is that you no longer care for them.

 

6. WHAT YOU SHOULD SEND TO YOUR HOME ABROAD

KIDS FURNITURE

Unless you’re moving to a country with IKEA, I advise you to bring your kids furniture. Your kids will feel at home. It’s also very difficult to find good kid furniture that is your taste and reasonably priced overseas. If you can bring your kids furniture, I would prioritize to bring it with you.

WANT TO KNOW WHICH ITEMS HELP WHEN YOU SETTLE IN A HOME ABROAD?

Items That Are Helpful To Ship For Moving Overseas
Those items in the post above will surely help you with organizing your new home abroad!

 

7. TIPS FOR KITCHEN ITEMS

It’s easy to accumulate gadgets in the kitchen. For lovers of cooking, kitchen items are like toys. Here are some questions you can ask yourself when you reorganize.

1. Do you have a multiple of the same items? You don’t need so many of the same items.

2. Are things overflowing from the cupboards? You don’t have to have so many bowls, plates, cooking tools, pots and pans. Time to purge.

3. Do you own anything in the kitchen that is collecting dust? Why? Let go of it and buy a new one when you need it again.

4. If your kids have outgrown baby or toddler items, time for you to let go. I know it’s hard. However, holding onto them won’t help.

KITCHEN APPLIANCES: AFTER A COUPLE OF MOVES, TIME TO GET A NEW ONE

Electronic appliances tend to not last long if you move them from one type of voltage to another even if you use a transformer. For your safety, it’s probably the best to buy appliances made for local voltage. After a couple of international moves, I let go of our appliances and get new ones.

That’s it.

What do you think?

ORGANIZE YOUR HOME. ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE.

I listed all these suggestions here to tell you that the process of organizing your home will help you organize your life. Your efforts and hard work will pay off.

Hopefully this post will motivate you to declutter prior to your next overseas move. It’s not difficult. It just takes time and patience. As long as you are ready to commit your time for it, you can do it. It will feel rewarding when you finish and receive your boxes at your new post.

As for myself, I’m neck deep with the preparation to move to another overseas post this summer.

Would you like to take a peek at my reality?

Here’s how it looks in our bedroom from one angle.

Here’s the reality.

These are items that I have sold to declutter. Dismantling and decluttering has started.

Our preparation for the impending international move has already started in January this year. We’re following our timeline which I shared on my blog. Please click on the link below to see it.

TIMELINE FOR OVERSEAS RELOCATION ☆ HOW TO PREPARE FOR A MOVE ABROAD

My friends who moved last year said that international move during the pandemic was even more challenging than usual. I feel intimidated and excited at the same time.

Let the party begin!

Thank you so much for reading!