How to Move Out of a Home You Love

The emotions of leaving home, wow, it’s a rollercoaster, isn’t it?

The excitement of moving to a new home, the stress of all the preparations for moving out, and the anxiety of wondering if you have made the right decision in moving home at all.

And then there is leaving the home that you have cherished, laughed in, cried in, despaired at, and sought sanctuary within.

Feeling sad about leaving your childhood home, or being sad about leaving a home that you raised your own family in, or that holds many other happy memories, is perfectly normal.

Your very soul, your being is absorbed within the walls of the home, and that is a good thing to focus on.

It is you, the people within those four walls that made the home what it is, not the building itself, but the home was created because of the people that you are.

A building does not a home make.

Yes, it can be a sad time saying goodbye to a home you love. But rather than focusing on it being an unhappy time, celebrate the home you’re leaving, and plan on building even more special memories in your new home.

Don’t cry because it is over. Smile because it happened. Dr. Seuss

How do you say goodbye to your old home?

Here are a few ideas to help you move on, and to allow you to focus on your new life in your new home with all the wonderful times you have to look forward to.

You may like to read: The Bright Side of Moving Home. In this guide, we celebrate all the great reasons to move home and the amazing new opportunities it can give you.

6 Ways to Leave Your Old Home

Here are 6 great ways to celebrate your old home so that you can say goodbye with a happy heart!

#1 Write about your old home

Individually, as a couple, or as a family, why not create a storybook about the home you are leaving?

Write down all the happy, sad, and fun things that have happened in each room and then what you wish had happened in that room. Don’t forget to include the garden too!

You can have hours of fun sharing your stories with each other and perhaps even making some of those ‘wish I had done that’ ideas become a reality in your new home.

You’ve got a big windscreen on the front of your car, and a tiny rearview mirror. And the reason the windscreen is big and the rearview mirror so small is that the past is not nearly as important as what is in your future. Joel Osteen

#2 Make a movie

You can also do the same thing by making a video of each room.

Don’t forget to capture the creaky floorboards or the loose doorknob that you meant to tighten two years ago.

All the things that you love about the room, that are quirky or just make you smile, be sure to capture. Record a story about your memories of each and every room.

If you plan on having a home-leaving party, it would be a great time to share some of the stories or even the video with your friends and family.

It takes hands to build a house but only hearts can build a home. Unknown

#3 Take photos

You could also create a pictorial record of your old home. Then, when you have the time after your home move, create a photo album to keep your photos safe.

Whenever you are feeling a little ‘homesick’, pull out the album and stroll down memory lane.

You could also include flower cuttings from your favourite plants that you may be leaving behind.

Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there anymore. Robin Hobb

#4 Say goodbye to each room

Before you begin to declutter ready for packing, take a walk around each room.

Spend time just focusing on what makes that room so special and then focus on how wonderful your new kitchen/bedroom/living room will be in the new home.

Repeat the same process after all your things have been packed and are ready for moving.

This time, spend a few moments thanking the room for all the happy times you have spent there.

Just take the time to absorb all the good energy within that room. Then close the door and close that chapter of your life.

You have said goodbye. It is time to look forward to your new home and your new life.

#5 Take seeds or cuttings from your favourite plants

Many people love their garden as much as their home.

But it is not always practical to take a favourite plant or tree with you to your new home.

So why not gather some seeds or a cutting from your cherished garden plants and then plant them in your new garden?

If you are downsizing and your new home will have no garden, take lots of photos of your garden and then have them framed or made into decorative items to display in your new home.

There may be a communal garden in your new apartment block that you could set the seeds or cuttings in, or maybe give them to a family member that you regularly visit for them to grow.

People change. People adapt. You can grow where you are planted. Sarah Addison Allen.

You may also like to read: How to Move Plants to Your New Home. In this guide, you will find lots of practical tips on how to move your favourite plants to your new home.

#6 Bury a memory capsule in the garden

Each member of the family could write a few lines on the back of a photo, perhaps of a favourite room, about why they love the home or garden.

Then in years to come, someone may dig up your treasure chest and be able to relate their story of living in your old home with your experiences.

Or you could create a treasure hunt for the new owners.

Leave Clues in an attic, under the stairs, or at the back of a cupboard, and leave a cryptic message carved into beams or written on wood about your memory capsule.

Each member of the family could leave a clue in a different place.

When the puzzle is solved the new owners will be able to find your memory chest.

Don’t tell the new owners about the clues, let them discover them themselves over the coming years.

Leaving that which you love breaks your heart open: But you will find a jewel inside, and this precious jewel is the opening of your heart to all that is new and all that is different, and it will be the making of you if you allow it to be. Jacqueline Winspear

You may also like to read: How to Cope With Emotional Overload When Moving Home. In this guide, we look at what emotional overload is, the signs to look out for, and how to manage your emotions during a home move.

5 Ways to Make a New Place Feel Like Home

Now you have finally left your old home behind it is time to make your new home feel like yours.

Having familiar things around you will help stave off relocation depression and will make the house feel like a home.

Here are 5 simple ways to make a house a home.

#1 Give your new home a thorough clean

Give your new home a thorough clean and have nice fresh sheets to put on the beds.

Have fresh towels ready for your first shower after a long and dirty moving day.

With everything spic and span, including yourself, you will better about everything.

#2 Set up a sanctuary

Get one room as organised as possible, as quickly as possible. This will be your sanctuary.

Get some art up on the walls, or favourite photos and ornaments from your old home out on display.

Things that bring the familiarity of your old home into the new.

You may also like to read: How to Make a New Home More Relaxing. In this guide, we suggest ways to make your new home a sanctuary of peace and calm.

#3 Cook a favourite meal

Cook a favourite meal, not only will it make you feel better to have a good meal but it will fill the home with a familiar aroma.

#4 Play some favourite music

Good music will always put you in a good frame of mind.

#5 Create a routine

Get back into familiar routines as quickly as possible.

If you walk the dog at a certain time, then watch the news with a glass of wine before going to bed at eleven each night, do that.

The more things you do that are routine and familiar to you, the sooner things will start to feel normal again.

You may also like to read: How to Make a New Home Feel Like Home. In this guide, we suggest ways to get to know your new surroundings so that they begin to feel like your home.

5 Ways to Cleanse a New Home of Bad Energy

Whether you believe in bad energy or not, what harm will it do to do a few simple things to help clear out the previous occupant’s energy so that you can make your new home feel like your own?

#1 Add some real plants

No rituals or chanting for this simple way to purify negative energy in a house, just place a few plants in each room. Plants will naturally filter away any negative energy, they will make the air in the room cleaner, and they will look good too.

#2 Use essential oils

Buy some pure essential oils such as frankincense, rose, lavender, and patchouli, and make a room spray out of them.

#3 Waft sage in each room

If you want to, you can even burn white sage or sandalwood sticks. Walk around the house with the burning sticks to neutralize any negative energy within the new home.

#4 Burn rosemary sticks

Rosemary is associated with fresh starts, so burning a few sticks of rosemary in your new home will pave the way for all the good things that are going to happen there.

#5 Add juniper

Juniper can give a more comforting feel to a home and is said to create scared energy within any home.

You should never forget though that it is you that will make the building a home.

It is you who will fill it with happy memories and laughter.

It is you that creates negative or positive energy in a home.

Cleansing the building of negative energy is a good idea but you can be sure that your state of mind, a positive state of mind, is the reason that the new home you have chosen will be loved and cherished as much as your old home was.

You may also like to read: How to Bring Good Luck and Positive Energy to a New Home. From plants to decor to superstitions and traditions there are ideas from all over the world that may bring good luck and positive energy to your new home.

Good luck in your new home and we wish you a fantastic new chapter in your life.