A guide to choosing what to pack when moving and what to bid farewell to
Moves can often be nostalgic moments: the simple act of packing our things to go to a new place can bring back many memories of the home we are leaving behind.
We might even be guilty of hoarding and want to hold on to rather old items, but with sentimental value.
Probably, we won’t be able to take all our belongings to the new house or apartment, so it’s crucial to decide what stays and what goes when we move.
Before even thinking about starting to pack things in boxes, we should get rid of anything that is damaged (and cannot be repaired) or takes up space; for example, old papers or books with moths.
Some of our belongings might be a bit more challenging to classify because they are not “garbage,” but they are not essential either.
We can use the following criteria to decide whether to keep them or definitely get rid of them:
Does it have a use? If it does, it stays!
It’s a bit obvious, but some objects may not necessarily have a use, but they serve a purpose, such as decorations and other ornaments in our home.
We should also ask ourselves, how long have we had it?
In the case of shelves, bookcases, and other furniture, it’s good to consider replacing them if we’ve had them for a long time.
We should also consider if it fits in our new home, both in style and size.
With furniture, we should also take into account, apart from all the above, whether the cost of transportation is worth it.
Sometimes, sofas, dining tables, and large furniture items significantly increase the cost of moving, so selling them and buying new furniture may be the best option.
Here’s another moving tip: jewelry, documents, and valuable items are better off not going with the move.
Anything that is hard to replace should be taken with us on that day.
This guide can be very helpful in deciding which belongings we really want to take to a new home.
But there are some objects that simply have too much sentimental value to discard them for this or any other reason.
Marie Kondo, a renowned Japanese guru known for her expertise in organization, gives us this last piece of advice in her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”: leave in your home what brings you joy.
The most important things in our homes will always be those that, when we see them, inspire happiness.
Utility and practicality aren’t everything: keeping those special memories will bring life and fill our new home with cherished moments.
