Whether you are making a trip across town, or heading towards a new life with a trip across the world, you are faced with a massive problem… what exactly are you supposed to take with you, and what do you want to leave behind? It can be a much harder choice than many people think, and the lead up to many moving days has been jam packed with people struggling over that choice.

However, there are a few easy tips and tricks in order for you to figure out what needs to stay, what can go, and what to do with everything else you are leaving behind.

What Should You Take?

The easiest thing to do is to take anything with a memory attached to it. If you have favored items, mementos, collectibles, or just things that you really enjoy, then you need to take them with you on your trip. Additionally, take anything that you need for work or will need in your new location. Deciding what to take can be pretty easy, but make sure that you aren’t coming up with reasons to take everything, because you will have to leave some things behind.

What Should You Leave Behind?

Anything that won’t serve you in your new home and environment is fair game. But you should also leave things that you can easily get replacements for, such as things in the bathroom. Shower curtains, plungers, toilet brushes, and more can all be easily replaced. Additionally, old mattresses and bedding can be tossed out, and larger pieces of furniture can likely be left for the new homeowner. Compare the cost of shipping with the replacement cost and consider whether the items will be appropriate for your new home with potentially a different climate, moving from a house to an apartment to help you to make the decision.

Now, just because you are leaving things behind doesn’t mean that you should throw everything away. Gently used clothing, bedding, furniture, blankets, and electronics can often be sold, donated, or simply given away. Don’t be afraid to open up your house to a yard sale, give some items away to your friends or family, or make some quick cash selling things on the internet.

Additionally, leave behind anything that isn’t worth the hassle of moving it too long a distance. While you might be able to justify dragging your favorite office chair from one location to another locally, you won’t be able to make the same justification when it comes to taking that same chair from one country to another!

What About The Car(s) On A Longer Relocation?

If you are relocating from a long distance away, especially if continents and bodies of water are involved, then you might wonder what happens to your cars because you can’t drive them there?!

Well your car will likely have to be shipped from one location to the next, but that will cost a bit of money and will need you to do an auto shipping cost breakdown in order to make sure that you can effectively save up for it.

It might not just be your car that will need to be shipped overseas, because the bigger items that you will be moving will need to be shipped too, so make sure to put all of those costs into your moving plans.

Pack What You Can and Stick With It

Packing and deciding what stays and what goes can be very hard, but the best thing that you can do is to stick with your choice once you pack the items. Rummaging through boxes and trying to see what you can take and what you can’t take will only make it much harder to move properly and on time, so make your call and then start moving.