taffie77

We're currently sorting through the garage in preparation for the Big Move. The company are paying for all our stuff to be shipped, but obviously we don't want to take stuff that we wont' use. Despite 'clearing out' 12 months ago when we moved into rented accommodation, we have so much junk
My husband has already done one trip to the tip, and has taken a car full to his dads (because he still can't bear to part with his school books ). I've emptied out a couple of suitcases of clothes, put some aside for charity, and some for recycling. Amusingly, some have made their way upstairs so that I can wear them now.
It's just so hard.
So, I suppose I should be asking for tips, but instead, amuse me with your stories of how you've still got boxes that were carted across the ocean and haven't been emptied yet.

dbj1000

We got really brutal on the stuff we were going to ship. Gave ~500 books to a charity shop, five carloads of toys and clothes to another charity shop...

Filled 6 half-size skips with trash too!

But I really regret how much we got rid of. Particularly the books. In the end, if your company is paying for the shipping then I would tend to be less severe on the pruning, and then throw crap away here in the US if you really don't think it's worth having. But that's just me.

taffie77

Wow, that's a lot of skips We've already had a few rows because I don't like putting things in landfill

Most of our books are coming with us (I can't part with them, and do re-read them), but I'll be giving some away to friends and colleagues.
Our biggest concern is that as we're likely to live in a apartment, we won't have the storage space. My husband's doing quite well at putting his tools aside to give away though, bless.

helwardman

I was super-brutal, mainly becuase I was paying for my own shipping, but secondly I saw it as an opportunity for a proper clear-out.

I gave away/sold virtually everything I owned. I shipped 5 medium-sized boxes of stuff and took one suitcase and a backpack on the plane.

mikehope

We also sold pretty much everything. just took sentimental items and some clothes.

taffie77

Fair play to you helwardman and mikehope. When I was 11, I remember the whole family (mam, dad, 4 kids) relocating to Turkey with 16 suitcases

I suspect if we were paying for our own shipping, we would have been a lot more organised and be well into selling by now. As it is, it seems like too much to do in so little time!

ChocolateBabz

Yep - we were brutal too. But luckily our family were swarming like vultures - all electricals found a good home, 1 of my nieces was moving into her first home and she went off with lots of tupperware, houseplants, towels etc. 300+ VHS videos went to SIL with an old VHS player.

Hubby was almost in tears throwing away all his odd bits of wood and half empty paint cans from the garage - each time he would pick something up, shake his head and say 'this would have come in handy'. It pained me to throw away all the kitchen cleaners and the herbs and spices but really did anyone want them?

Charity shops got the rest.

Now on the plus side you get to gradually accumulate all that crap again over here despite telling yourself that you won't

P.S. Company was paying for shipping so all our furniture, ornaments, kitchenware, clothes and personal items came with us (I did give away one box of books grudgingly)

Brit3964

Same here although I didn't have much to move over here at the time. I really wish I hadn't got rid of those fantastic Mission-Cyrus 780 speakers now though

cluedweasel

We still have boxes that were packed up in San Jose 14 years ago, shipped to England and then shipped back to the US. Strangely enough my wife (it's all her stuff of course) still insists that all the contents are essential. One day I'll have to take a look inside them to see what sort of essential item can stay in a box after 14 years and 2 trans-Atlantic trips.

NAR14

I think my local Oxfam will be selling my old books and clothes for the next 5 years!

helwardman

My Mission M71's were one of the few things I brought with me

AmerLisa

We were really brutal, but my older daughter benefited nicely. However, there was still room enough for my husband's hordes of collectible comics.....which I knew nothing about until boxes and boxes of them started coming down from the loft (which I never went up to....!)

mikehope

We donated all the canned and dry foods to a homeless shelter.

Bob

I brought over my computer, a few hard drives, cd/dvds without cases, a couple suitcases of clothes, a couple of books and a few odds and sods, but that was about it...but then I was young then.

My mother shipped over a few more books that I wanted, design, lighting and rendering books mostly that cost a fortune.

A lot of my shit is still tucked in the corner of my mothers attic though...and my old sound system, which she never uses...now I wish I'd really brought that Nad amp over and those Tannoy R2's over...thinking about it, that Marantz CD deck and Sony MD deck too...oh well.

AdobePinon

Two suitcases. In retrospect, maybe I should have brought one.