Packing your UK life away ?

[rjm_cmyk 75]

Although we have only just this past week had our NOA1 (K1) I am starting to plan for the move (fingers firmly crossed). Although it has been on the cards for a couple of years now it's very suddenly gone from being something that will happen years in the future to something that will hopefully happen this year. I think I really started noticing it when friends and family started saying things like " well this is the last time we'll be able to do this" and "have you sorted out getting the hound over there yet". It suddenly becomes real.

Soooo I'm starting to get some things sorted out. I realise we're probably nine months off me leaving - it may happen sooner (or later) but I have some business commitments to attend to so that's my sort of schedule.

My first plan is to completely declutter my house. In part to get rid of stuff that I won't need/take with me and also because I am going to completely redecorate and recarpet the house before I sell it . Easier to do with less stuff. After that it's get upto date with as much NHS dental and medical care that I might need or take advantage of.

Today I decided to have a go at books . I've kind of divided them into various piles.

1. Straight to skip
2. Try the charity shop
3. Sell on eBay
4. Really want to keep
5. Keep because of emotional attachment

Trying to keep stuff out of 4&5 has been a challenge. I'm not really a book hoarder anyway as they're just more wall furniture to move from one place to the next.

So I guess a question - how did you get on with your books and any tips on the extract yourself from the UK process ?

[lost_at_sea 995]

Although we have only just this past week had our NOA1 (K1) I am starting to plan for the move (fingers firmly crossed). Although it has been on the cards for a couple of years now it's very suddenly gone from being something that will happen years in the future to something that will hopefully happen this year. I think I really started noticing it when friends and family started saying things like " well this is the last time we'll be able to do this" and "have you sorted out getting the hound over there yet". It suddenly becomes real.

Soooo I'm starting to get some things sorted out. I realise we're probably nine months off me leaving - it may happen sooner (or later) but I have some business commitments to attend to so that's my sort of schedule.

My first plan is to completely declutter my house. In part to get rid of stuff that I won't need/take with me and also because I am going to completely redecorate and recarpet the house before I sell it . Easier to do with less stuff. After that it's get upto date with as much NHS dental and medical care that I might need or take advantage of.

Today I decided to have a go at books . I've kind of divided them into various piles.

1. Straight to skip
2. Try the charity shop
3. Sell on eBay
4. Really want to keep
5. Keep because of emotional attachment

Trying to keep stuff out of 4&5 has been a challenge. I'm not really a book hoarder anyway as they're just more wall furniture to move from one place to the next.

So I guess a question - how did you get on with your books and any tips on the extract yourself from the UK process ?

I'm intending to cheat and send the whole lot to my Dad. I know, that's awful, but he, like me, cannot bare to part with a book so he'll gladly take them in. I have stopped buying new books and only buy kindle ones now - that's about as much progress as I'm getting.

Maybe you could gift ones that you like a lot, but don't really want to completely give away to the skip/charity shop? I bet you'll even forget about a lot of them in time.

[JoannaV 174]

I got rid of a lot, but still shipped several boxes of books. Half of which, when I finally get to unpack them, I'll probably get rid of now

[Tim42 0]

I'm currently trying to sort out which pieces of paper to take. Obviously I can't take all 42 years of bank statements, but how many will I need, really After all, I keep things a long time. Perhaps there will be a friend who wants the old ones.

I've only got a limited amount of room, 1 large box and 2 bags - it's a very good way of working out what's important in your life. And only 3 days until the house is sold and everything has to be gone - somewhere.

[lost_at_sea 995]

I'm currently trying to sort out which pieces of paper to take. Obviously I can't take all 42 years of bank statements, but how many will I need, really After all, I keep things a long time. Perhaps there will be a friend who wants the old ones.

Get a scanner! I mean, I don't think you really wanna scan 42 years worth, but do a couple years worth, stick 'em on dropbox or evernote, and bin them. I just did a massive clear-out of about 8 years worth of paperwork and feel so much lighter for it.

[Tim42 0]

I reckon I'm going to have a good fire to keep the snow away in the morning.

[Azsara 110]

I know the feeling it's starting to get very real! I just moved out of my own flat now in with a friend in an attempt to

1) Save money for the wedding

2) Start minimising my stuff

3) Get used to living with someone else

Its funny you mentioned books because really thats the only thing a week later that is still in piles on my housemates floor. What im planning to do is save the ones with emotional attachment (maybe 10+) and sell the rest of them to this company nearby that buy books and pay X amount per kg. I tried selling books on Ebay but only really got £2 per book and its a lot easier just to drive to his warehouse and sell em all!

I had to be ruthless throwing stuff away from my flat and im glad i did as makes things a little bit easier for my eventual move.

Nervous much?

[Holly2234 66]

My suggestion would be to hire a skip. Put as much as you can on Ebay, Gumtree and Freecycle. When the very end comes, pack away your clothes and personal items that youre taking on the plane. Pack up some boxes (under 2kg each)and send them surface mail with Royal Mail and they will be about £12 each at the most expensive. And everything left over that you cant sell or give away or that you need right until the very last minute, throw in the skip and i guarantee you will fill it!

We made the mistake of thinking we had cleared the house out, but in the very end, we really hadnt! The morning we left the bed and couch was still there, our daughters crib, all of our bedding, the clothes we wore in the few days before (we wore old clothes that we didnt want to keep and just threw them out rather than bringing dirty washing with us).

In the end, my parents (not sure which one, when or how) cleared out the rest of the house because we physically couldnt do it before we had to go. Now i wished we had hired a skip. It could have been empty if we had because im sure all of that stuff was just scrapped. Even my beloved bed i wished i could bring!

My books i gave to my dad, some to a friend and donated the final ones to charity. I mailed my childhood favourites that i had hung on to for so long by surface mail and they arrived before i did!

The easiest thing to do is just try to detach from it all. Because in the end its just stuff. And ive got stuff again now! Ive only been here 3 months but i have an apartment filled with everything i need and want and i left here with my possessions in one suitcase.

Oh and i just remembered, invest in an e-reader if you havent already! Its a way ive been able to hold on to some books that i love and i know i will want to read again.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Holly2234

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

Oh and i just remembered, invest in an e-reader if you havent already! Its a way ive been able to hold on to some books that i love and i know i will want to read again.

I second this I used to have an absolutely massive library (and used to sell a ton of used books online) before I moved 22 hours away and then somewhere else and so on. Then, after bad spring flooding and a moist summer, the library got mouldy, even with 2 dehumidifiers. Almost all of the books were covered in a layer of mould and had to go. When I moved to DK, I ended up taking 3 physical books. I realized that I was emotionally attached to the books but often didn't read them again, they just sat on the shelf looking all pretentious.

[rjm_cmyk 75]

Get a scanner! I mean, I don't think you really wanna scan 42 years worth, but do a couple years worth, stick 'em on dropbox or evernote, and bin them.

I haven't even started thinking about accumulated paperwork. I own a design business so I have high speed scanners which should make it a lot easier but I also have business records which I'm supposed to keep. I guess I just have to hope that HMRC decide it's not worthing digging out invoices from three years ago if I live in the US :-)

Nervous much?

Selling my business , selling my house , emigrating and getting married ? What's to get nervous about :-) Everyone (including my wife to be) is asking me this and I feel more excited than nervous . I'm at the stage in my life when I just want to go for it.

I actually spoke with my partner last night and she reckons I shouldn't be too ruthless - she thinks books say something about a person and I should err on the side of keeping stuff rather than just getting rid of it. Thanks for all the other comments. Particularly about moving out day when you realise that you still have stuff. We moved my mum into sheltered accommodation recently. On the final day when my sister and I were packing up the house we were left with one item we could just not get in the sodding van - a sofa... Fortunately a neighbour agreed to take it in while we arranged to someone to collect it.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

My husband shipped over 2-3 boxes of books which have not been unpacked in 4+ years if that helps you decide. He did mention just this week he saw some bookcases he liked at Staples for his books. We've yet to go look at them, but maybe those boxes will be unpacked soon. And that tells me those books are still important to him. The music CDs are also stilled boxed, but they are all ripped and on iTunes and the computer so he doesn't really want media shelves for them.

He also packed a box of books and things to give his son, who loves to read. Those were left last minute at grandma's for the son to pick up. He hasn't made it by in 4+ years either.

We spent a lot shipping over 20 something boxes of stuff. Plus I was in the UK to help, so 6 pieces of "free" luggage on the plane between us of mostly his stuff. I think bring what feels right to you. It's an adjustment so don't erase your whole existence. Bring junk to add to the new house so it feels like you and not totally her house, her stuff.

[Azsara 110]

Bring junk to add to the new house so it feels like you and not totally her house, her stuff.

Yeah good point actually! I have a feeling that is what would happen to my books, they would just sit in boxes. But at least theyd be MY boxes lol and a little reminder from home

[lost_at_sea 995]

I haven't even started thinking about accumulated paperwork. I own a design business so I have high speed scanners which should make it a lot easier but I also have business records which I'm supposed to keep. I guess I just have to hope that HMRC decide it's not worthing digging out invoices from three years ago if I live in the US :-)

I don't have to file my own tax at the moment, so can't even imagine what a pain in the neck that probably is, but you do only need to keep tax returns for 5 years at the very *longest* expectation, if that helps (that's from gov.uk - https://www.gov.uk/keeping-your-pay-tax-records/how-long-to-keep-your-records).

Edited January 20, 2013 by lost_at_sea

[david'sgirl 134]

My husband moved here in Feb 2010 but he is still moving items here. He brought his clothing, photos and sentimental stuff when he moved.

He was lucky and could leave a lot in my mother in law's attic. He gave away furniture because it was too pricey to ship and the electronics because they would not work over here. He bought really large luggage and managed to move a lot of items over a few trips but we still be back more stuff, mostly books, every time we visit.

[Holly2234 66]

Ohh i also feel the need to mention, it was ok for me to be ruthless because my husband lived in the UK with me. He had already sold his life in the US to move to the UK. So we came back to the US together with nothing. So we never had that feeling of mine and yours. When you both have nothing, everything becomes "ours". It is a bit different when one person already has a life set up. So definitely bring things that are important to you just to get your stamp on the place.