Making a long distance move is stressful, expensive, and nerve-wracking. The cheapest way for you to make your move easier on your budget and your nerves is to declutter before you start packing. Decluttering your possessions may seem like a daunting task, especially if you have a lot of junk, but the chore is easier if you break it down and purge room by room.

You can make the job even easier by using the checklist below from New Jersey movers to separate your junk into specific piles.

Is It Stained?

When it’s time to declutter your stockpile of clothing to make your long distance move quicker and easier, the best way to determine what clothing items should be donated and which should be thrown away is to look for stains.

Many charities and homeless shelters won’t take clothes that have stains, holes, or tears. As you’re looking through your excess clothes, be vigilant for these three types of damages. Any articles of clothing with these damages should be put into the trash pile or a separate donation pile. There are charities out there that will take damaged clothing so that the items can be recycled to be used in other ways.

The Easterseals is one such charity. You can schedule a free pickup with their charity drivers. The items that you donate are considered as a tax write-off. The driver will leave you with a receipt to prove your donation to file with next year’s taxes.

Is It Broken?

Broken items tend to be of little to no use to you, so these items should definitely be placed into the trash pile. There are a few exceptions to this rule, however. Sometimes, items can be reused for spare parts. If you bought a newer version of the same item, the broken version can be kept for spare parts if the newer version should malfunction.

While this is a great way to recycle and reduce the amount of trash that ends up in your local landfill, keeping every broken item you own in case you may need it doesn’t help you to declutter your home. This will only keep it cluttered. The best balance for this type of situation is to remove parts from the broken item that may be useful in the future.

The rest of the item can be tossed into the trash or sent to a recycling plant, if applicable. If your broken item wouldn’t even be useful for spare parts, toss it without hesitation. There’s no reason for you to pack more boxes than you need to.

Do You Need It?

When you move into your new home, you may find yourself with a lot less storage space. Your new home may even have amenities that your current home doesn’t have, making some of your appliances and furniture obsolete.

Go through all of your large items, especially appliances and furniture, and ask yourself if you really need these items for your new home. If you don’t, you should clean them and donate them to a local charity.

Can It Be Recycled?

Not all of your items need to be thrown away. There are some things that cannot be donated, such as broken electronics. When it comes to these specific items, it’s recommended that you not throw them away. Electronics that end up in landfills cause soil pollution due to the chemicals held within their batteries. Do the planet a favor and recycle your broken electronics instead.