Please help! Moving to Canada and don't know what to do with my stuff

[Spirallingallthetime]

My head is spinning from trying to figure out logistics.

I bought my apartment just over a year ago so all the furniture is nice and new and good quality.

I'm hoping to move to Canada by August 2025, try it out for 2 years and rent my UK flat in the meantime.

Initial plan was to take only suitcases over and keep most of my stuff(books, furniture etc) in storage here in the UK. Then if I do decide to stay in Canada, buy a place over there and have it shipped over at that point.

But, storage units are extortionate!! Only just realised this after searching round for quotes. The costs would really add up over 2 years.

Now I'm thinking to leave all the furniture in the flat and just rent it out as a 'furnished flat', and accept that they may all be wrecked.

But what do I do about all the miscellaneous bits?! Books, kitchen stuff, odd gadgets and electronics, the clothes and shoes I don't take, odd bits of furniture that you would not leave in a flat that you are renting out etc etc?

Try to sell it or give it away? I will lose so much money as they are all relatively new and also, they were obtained after much searching/deliberation etc 🥺

Giving them away/selling them for a minimal amount would be painful, and also time consuming listing them on FB marketplace etc
And then I would have to start from scratch if I did decide to move back to the UK after the 2 years were up

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Have you got a loft or cupboards you could lock off from a tenant? The vacuum bags are actually great for soft stuff... Or blag a mate for half their garage....

Honestly I'd go with just a suitcase and start your new life. Just cut your losses and sell / giveaway charity shop it all. You'll soon gather what you need again either in Canada or if you come back. I wouldn't for a minute store it or ship it. Good luck

@Stormyweatheroutthere No cupboards that I can lock off, it's a pretty small 2 bedroom flat 🥺
@sparkleandshine7 being ruthless is probably a sensible plan of action but I'm not sure I'm strong enough to let go of everything so soon after acquiring them..

If it's a small flat and you'll be leaving most items of furniture so you can rent it out as a furnished flat, there can't be that much stuff you need to store. Do you have a friend or relative with a box room that you could store your stuff in for a small fee?

Try to avoid storing it in a garage or shed. I did that when we moved house once and a lot of things were damaged due to damp or mice, and had to be thrown out.

I’m team store, particularly if you are not planning to sell the flat. It will cost a lot more in two years time to refurnish.

But look FAR outside your local area for storage, particularly in rural areas. I found a unit in the next county that was half the price of the ones more local to me. Bigger too. Also check with movers if they offer long term storage rates. If you decide to move to Canada more permanently, they can then ship to you.

But have a huge clear out before you store.

Bear in mind most of your electronic gadgets won’t work unless they are dual voltage.

I wouldn’t recommend bringing any wooden items. Depending on where you are going, the low humidity might dry out the wood and cause cracking.

We emigrated to Canada 14 years ago. We only shipped our homewares and our clothes. Sold all our furniture with the exception of two leather chairs and two Lloyd loom chairs. And even though my husbands company paid for the packing and shipping, some things didn’t survive the trip. And it took a while.

We had stuff stored with White and Co for 16yrs! We only recently got it out to my inlaws. It cost £110 quarterly.

we intended to go to Canada for a job for 2.5yrs which turned into 5 and followed on with a move to the US for 11 yrs 😢

in the storage was an American style fridge which my inlaws use, it still worked after all that time. A sofa, washing machine, bbq, and other bits and bobs.

@HerRoyalNotness are you happy you kept it all in storage, or do you wish you had given it all away/sold it before you moved?