Never, do you ever have a sense of how much stuff is in your home, until you move. We’ve now moved 95% of the stuff out of our house and are now left with tough decisions on what to take with us. For months you all have asked (as we’ve chatted about the move), “What will you take with you?” or “What will go in storage?”. We’re now closer to the answer than ever before, but it’s been more difficult to decide than I ever imagined.
From the beginning, we’ve said that we’ll take computers, kitchen gadgets and clothes. But, which ones? Here’s where we landed:
- We bought a Mac mini to be our server in London and also purchased a matching hard drive so that they’ll stack and take up only a bit of space in our postage-stamp apartment
- G and I bought new Mac laptops (I already had one, but it was a few years old–we replaced it with a new one since I’ll be in school there)
- Clothing that we’ve worn within the last year and that is still relatively new. We’re donating anything tattered, slightly out-of-date, uncomfortable, or likely to be worn only once per year. Shoes have been especially difficult to decide on–they take up lots of space when packing, but they (and all clothing for that matter) are very expensive in the UK. Is it worth it to take the slightly worn slingbacks to London? Jury’s still out.
- Gadgets that would be difficult to find or replace within the UK. Including: A jar opener (my favorite–and difficult to find), our kitchen knives (expensive), chopper (no onions by hand!), measuring cups and spoons (they may be on the metric system?), favorite recipes, cookie dough scoop (even G would say this is a priority)
And for the other question, “How will you get your stuff there?”…We’ve looked into all the shipping options and have decided that the USPS is the best and least expensive method. But, first, we’ll take as much as we can on the flight over (amounting to about 260 lbs). And G’s parents will visit this fall and bring additional items with them, as well.
We’ll then have anything else shipped once we’ve settled in an apartment.
Why are we so attached to our “stuff”?