There’s a new adage in town and it’s, “You never know what you’ve got till it’s all in a box”. If you’ve lived in one home for long, you’d know exactly what this means. We acquire so much during our times in one place, and only begin to notice when we have to relocate.
What may appear to be very little suddenly balloon into a wealth of property that you know you can’t take with. It’s especially stressing when moving to a smaller house, or when you’ve bought new furniture to suit the interior. You begin to wonder what you should take with and leave behind, which can be stressful. But there’s a way to decide and here is how.
Emotional significance
After taking inventory, separate your belongings according to emotional significance. Items that mean a lot to you, like an heirloom, must be taken with. On the other hand, a corkscrew you bought at the discount store that doesn’t give you any significant memories can stay.
Added value
Apart from your possessions’ emotional significance, you can also assess their importance by how much value they provide to your life. For instance, a rarely used sandwich maker that’s gathering dust in the kitchen won’t do much, except add clutter to your kitchen and waste power. So it would have to stay behind. However, dinner plates are essential for eating food and the more you have, the better equipped you are for serving guests. This means you’d have to take dinner plates with you.
Size of item in relation to new house
That larger than life couch may be the reason you live for Saturdays, but if it’s not going to fit in your new lounge, then sadly it has to stay behind. The same goes for any other item that is too large or just doesn’t sit with the new interior design. If you’re too attached to the couch, you can make use of storage services to stow it away in a storage container.
Customs
If you’re relocating to another country, you may have to research whether some of your belongings are legal in your new place of residence. Items such as taxidermies, horns and, sometimes, even pets may not be allowed to cross the border with you. Apart from legalities, you might have to pay a hefty sum at customs to bring certain belongings with you too. If this is the case, and you don’t have the budget, rather leave your items with friends, in storage or sell them off.
