What to keep when moving can be as much of a challenge as deciding what to get rid of. Moving can be stressful, expensive, challenging, and….it can be a great adventure. Even with all of these things, it is a chance for a new beginning. It is a chance to cull and audit your personal items and define the new you. It is the chance to build a new life for yourself.
Since most of us can’t just ‘leave it all behind’ and start from scratch. Let’s be honest, who can afford that? We have to make crucial decisions about what to get rid of, and what to keep when we are moving. Side note, if you want to read about downsizing, here’s what we think about all that: here’s a battery of our downsizing articles.
Assess The Best of the Best
In my opinion, choosing what to keep when moving is about thoughtfully choosing the best of the best. For instance, because we lived in two locations at once (our house in one city, and an apartment in another) we had duplicates of some items. We had two sets of cookware, two sofas, two dining tables, two beds, two sets of sheets and towels – you get the picture.
When it came time to sell our house and truly pair down to only the things we needed, the answer was simple. Only keep the best of the best. Only keep what we would be willing to purchase again, right now, today, this very moment. If we wouldn’t purchase it right now, this very moment, why would we pay someone to box it up and move it for us?
For example:
The cookware that was seven years old (apartment) or the new Ninja cookware that was only one year old (house.) That was simple. We kept the new cookware and passed along the old.
The large heavy 20+ year old leather sofa (house) or the new modular sofa (apartment) from LoveSac. That was also simple, the newer lighter weight sofa.
The new dining table and four upholstered chairs, or the older smaller dining room table that was compact without the leaves, and big enough to seat 8 with the leaves. We kept the older, convertible dining table.
Two sets of dishes: One set that was large and heavy and prone to breakage, or an all white set that was incredibly sturdy and versatile. We went for sturdy and versatile.
Consider Its Worth
Choosing what to keep when moving comes down to the value of the item. Now, no one can tell you an item’s value – it. may be valueless to one person, and invaluable to another. Whether an item is worth moving depends on its value to you. These are some of the questions we considered when packing up to move.
- How often do you use it?
- Is it sentimental?
- Is it a duplicate? If so, which is MORE functional, more versatile, more adaptable?
- Is it easily stored? Meaning, can it be disassembled for storage if not in constant use?
- Will you be able to use it in multiple ways in your new location?
- Will it serve a functional purpose in your new home?
- Would you make a good profit if you sold it?
Examine Each Piece Individually
WOW! This was a game changer for us. When deciding what to keep when moving, we had to be very intentional. We were moving from a 4,000 square foot house to a 1,200 square foot apartment (with a 2 car garage). My husband and I knew we couldn’t take everything – we didn’t WANT to take everything. We also knew we couldn’t get rid of everything at once in order to ‘stage’ our house for a sale. So much had to stay, and yet, so much of it definitely had to go.
Room by room decisions
It seemed the simplest plan of attack to go through each room separately and determine what we wanted to take with us. It had to be a quick and definite yes to make the cut. Some items were tagged as maybe or tentative, others were a fast no. When approaching what to keep when moving, I highly recommend this process. A fast yes, a fast no, or a maybe / tentative.
Here’s what we ended up with after assessing five of the ten rooms of our house (not counting the 3.5 bathrooms).
Dining Room:
- Convertible dining table (seats 4 – 8 people)
- Four dining chairs
- Credenza (could double as a book case, TV stand, or storage elsewhere)
Living Room:
- Two end tables
- One coffee table
- One size table
- One TV console
- Two black display cabinets (could double as china cabinets, bathroom storage, etc)
- TV, Turntable, Sonos sound system
- Floor lamp and two table lamps
- Minimal decor pieces
Office:
- Three pieces of artwork
- Two decor pieces
- One floor lamp (tentative)
- One writing desk (tentative)
Primary Bedroom:
- Bed frame
- Sleep Number mattress
- Two night stands
- Two table lamps
- Some decor and artwork
- One arm chair (tentative)
Spare Bedroom:
- Literally every piece of furniture in this room belonged to our adult daughter – so she would have to decide to sell it or store it:
- Bed
- Writing desk
- Antique curio cabinet
- Large free – standing jewelry chest
Cultivate A Manageable List
Our deciding factors were simple: 1) Did we want to pay to store an item? 2) Would a piece of furniture fit in various living spaces? 3) Was the piece of good enough quality for us to try to fit it in? 4) Best of all, could the piece in question benefit someone else?
In our case, we had two adult children just starting out. That made hand-me-downs super simple. They both needed cookware. Both of them needed furniture pieces. One of them wanted masculine items, one wanted feminine items.
How to Decide What to Keep When Moving
Once you determine with the “quick yes and quick no” system, deciding what to keep when moving was relatively easy. Ultimately, once you have that list is in place, everything else can be determined on a case by case basis.
Don’t get bogged down in the purge. Decide what to keep first, and everything else should fall into place.
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