This is not a humblebrag.
When the economy dipped about 10 years ago, it hit us hard. We had just come off a fixed-rate mortgage, and our interest rate shot up. We were suddenly hugely in negatively equity. I lost my job (and was there for under two years so no redundancy), my husband's salary was cut by 20%, and all his bonuses (and many benefits) stopped. Over the course of three months, our income reduced by about 60%. It was tough going. We cut right back on everything, focused on paying the mortgage, I took a job for half of my previous salary, and we got on with it, like most people.
Fast-forward to now. Things are much, much better. I ended up in a very secure job a few years ago, and now have a high salary. DH was promoted so his salary increased. Property prices increased so we were able to access cheaper mortgage rates based on LTV (I’m not in the UK so not sure if it’s the same there). Our house suddenly increased a lot in value.
Generally, things are good. We learned lessons from what happened, and now save a lot, and invest more in to pensions just to give more of a buffer if things tank again.
While we were broke, we obviously didn’t have much money for home decor. We made do and mended, focused on DIY rather than using tradesmen etc. We did need various pieces of furniture over the years so went to Ikea, solely because it’s cheaper, rather than just picking what we wanted in terms of style etc. from other shops. It was a struggle to get the money together for the Ikea trips.
Now, we’re renovating. Our house is nice, but a bit shabby as we haven’t done much to it in about 15 years. We’re using savings to replace the kitchen and bathroom, do a lot of carpentry to give more storage, painting, and replacing furniture.
This is the but I’m struggling with. My lovely Ikea bookshelves that have served me so well for a decade are going, and are being replaced by bespoke units. My beloved couch (that was actually an expensive purchase but had to be kept for much longer than it was designed for) that sags despite being refilled twice is being ousted in favour of a plusher number that might actually be comfortable to sit on for more than 5 minutes.
I’ve donated as much as I can to a local charity that provides services and furniture to domestic violence victims who are being rehoused. My Ikea bookshelves are in great condition, and will hopefully give a family some storage space as they set up their new homes. They’re also taking the coffee table, an armchair, and a console table. All bought for very little, but in great condition.
The couch is beyond reuse. It’s fit only for the skip.
I’ve been packing and cleaning things up this weekend to have ready for the van or skip tomorrow and I’m having a little wobble. I struggled so hard to buy these things all those years ago, and now I’m replacing them with items that cost an awful lot more.
Our renovation isn’t excessive- we’re just doing what we need to stop the house looking shabby, and to give more storage space.
Earlier this year, I had to change my car. My 14 year old Toyota finally gave up the ghost. I replaced it with a fairly new secondhand car. I remember lying awake in bed at night over the years and panicking about a click or a rumble I’d heard coming from the engine and worrying that a trip to the garage would mean a huge bill we couldn’t afford.
I shed a little tear when the Toyota was loading on to the back of the recovery van for the last time 
I’m not looking for advice (there is none to give!), but just wondering if anyone else has moment likes this, or am I just overthinking and placing too much emotional attachment on material items?
I’m not a hugely material person, I think I just have such powerful memories of what these things represented, and how much stress we had to endure to have them.