When someone changes residences, it's not uncommon for them to have fewer belongings when they arrive at their new address than they possessed at their previous home. It's not that their old clothes or dusty set of encyclopedias were misplaced during the move; they just decided it wasn't worth the hassle and expense to bring them along.

Everything you own needs to be packed up and shipped out when you move to a new residence. So this is a perfect time to assess your belongings and decide which items you really don't need anymore.

Ideally, you should start decluttering as far in advance of the move as possible. After all, it will take time to go through your belongings and get rid of any unwanted items through yard sales, donations, or other means.

Set up a strategy for how you will assess your belongings. The blog Homeward of the homebuilder Richmond American Homes recommends looking through items by category rather than tackling one room at a time. Decide whether the item is something you really need, or if it's worth moving to the new home.

There are several ways to liquidate any belongings you don't want to bring to your new home. The moving company National Van Lines says these include holding a yard sale or otherwise putting up the items for purchase, donating things to charitable causes, or giving items away to family and friends.

Some things should be trashed or recycled instead. Marian White, writing for Moving.com, says some candidates for this purge include worn-out or damaged clothing, broken electronics, and hazardous materials such as old cans of paint.

You'll frequently find that you can leave plenty of your clothes and shoes behind. Some outfits may not fit anymore, while others will have gone out of style. One common rule is to discard any clothes you haven't worn at least once in the past year.

While it can be hard for book lovers to part with some of their library, a move is a good time to take a critical look at the shelves. The moving and storage company Victory Van Corporation of Alexandria, Va., says books can be bulky and expensive to ship. Decide which ones you're unlikely to read again and donate them.

Furniture is undoubtedly the most cumbersome thing to move, since it can be hard to bring into or out of a home, will take up a lot of space on the moving truck, and is usually quite heavy. Determine whether any pieces won't be a good fit for the new residence. White says you can either give these away or temporarily put them into storage. If you're in the market for a new mattress, have the old one carted off and buy one for the new residence.

It's also a good time to assess any electronics or kitchen appliances. If your washer, dryer, microwave, or other items are nearing the end of their lifespan, it might be best to get rid of them and purchase new items for the home. This may also give you a chance to develop a new style or theme for your home.

Your kitchen may have plenty of unneeded duplicates you can eliminate. The Victory Van Corporation says households often accumulate a surplus of mugs, cups, and dishes, and that a move allows you to toss any mismatched ones. You'll also get a chance to cut down on any storage containers that have been piling up in the pantry.

If paperwork has been piling up in your home, go through these documents to get rid of any unneeded papers. Lisa Kaplan Gordon, writing for Realtor.com, says you can shred old tax returns after three years. While some important documents should be kept safe, such as birth certificates, you can usually toss plenty of old receipts and other documents.

Check your bathroom to see which items can be tossed. National Van Lines says you should safely dispose of any expired or unused medications. You can also cut down on expired tubes of toothpaste, empty or depleted makeup containers, and other belongings which are no longer usable.

Decide whether you want to keep any CDs, DVDs, video games, and other media forms which might be outdated. If you haven't broken these out in a long time, it might be time to part with them.

You might need to dedicate some extra time to particularly cluttered areas. Aly Finkelstein, writing for the home design site Houzz, says the attic, basement, garage, and closets can become places for homeowners to stow away items and forget about them. A move can be a good time to finally throw away anything you know you won't use at your new home.

Moving non-perishable food from the pantry might be worth it, but you may also opt to donate it to a worthy cause. White says the organization Move for Hunger works with moving companies to deliver unwanted food items to local food banks.