Creating a Decluttering Budget

Just like all things downsizing and decluttering, there is no one-size-fits-all budget for the process. Everyone will need a different combination of strategies. Some might need to spend a lot to get to the finish line, while others might spend very little.

Here are some of the categories of costs you could incur along the way. Actual costs will not be included here as those will vary greatly depending on who you hire and how many services you might need.

Trash Disposal

Hopefully most of you can declutter gradually using just your trash can. This gradual strategy won’t incur any additional costs. If you need a more substantial solution, factor the cost of a dumpster (or 2 or 3?!) into your planning. For the next tier of services, you can hire a junk removal company such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. With a junk removal company, you’re paying for disposal services and the extra muscles to take care of the job.

Recycling Services

Again, lots of “free” recycling is available if you can do all of your recycling through the receptacle you already pay for. Yet, there’s bound to be some additional things you have that might have a small cost for recycling them. For example, if you have a larger amount of paper that needs to be shredded that exceeds your capacity for DIY, you might need to hire a shredding service. For shredding, you can have someone come to your house or can load papers into your car and take them somewhere. The easier the company makes the process for you, the higher the price, of course! 

You might also have old appliances or electronics that you have to pay a small fee to recycle. Some of the things you have to recycle, such as large amounts of scrap metal, could actually make YOU money. Find out if there are any companies by you that buy those items by weight. How about that?

Storage

Some folks need to simplify their possessions in a less permanent way in order to be able to make progress on decluttering. You might need to rent a storage unit for a time in order to temporarily clear some clutter so you can focus your decluttering strategy on a smaller scale. Or renting storage temporarily could be a useful strategy if you have a family member who is planning to take some things from you but they live out of the area and can’t get the items right away. 

Moving Services

Moving services can consist of movers, moving trucks, trailers, or even just people to pack boxes for you. You might be thinking to yourself, “I’m just decluttering, not moving! What do I need moving services for?” What if you have a few big, heavy pieces of furniture that you want to sell on consignment? You might need to rent a trailer or moving truck or pay some movers for a couple of hours to help get those things out of the house. If you’re really committed to donating certain items, you also might have to facilitate getting those items to the donation spot. Don’t rule out moving services from your budget just because you’re not “moving.”

Professional Organizers or Senior Move Managers

These folks typically charge an hourly rate to help you declutter or organize your home. If you want help with the process but aren’t looking to spend a significant amount of money on it, consider collaborating with family or friends instead.

Auctions or Estate Sales

Auction and estate sale companies will help you sell some of your more valuable items and will charge you a percentage of the total money made. They can sell things on-site or at an off-site location.

Personal Property Appraisers

In order to get a professional to research and inform you of the value of things like collectibles, artwork, antiques, etc, you might need to pay a personal property appraiser.

Memory Keeping

If you’re thinking of digitizing photographs, you can do this yourself or hire a company to take care of the process for you. Depending on how you or the company you hire handles this, you might have hourly fees and possibly even monthly subscription fees, if you keep your files stored in a cloud-based storage location.

Therapists and Life Coaches

Your decluttering budget might require a line item for professional help. There’s no shame in hiring a coach or therapist to help you through the process. Better to ask for help than to be stuck and do nothing at all.

The decluttering process is yours to spend on or save on as you see fit, and that’s a beautiful thing! If you would like to interview some professionals in each category and start to get real dollar values to plan your budget, request a copy of our Downsizing Directory vendor recommendation list today.