Millennials tend to want to embark on a local move or move across country with the least amount of hassle.
Clutching possessions for posterity? You can ease your grip. Here’s the reality: Millennials typically see their parents’ prized items as a ginourmous pain in the posterior.
It comes down to values and taste. People born between 1980 and 2000 operate under a much different point of reference concerning ownership vs. the generations preceding them. The seemingly abstract concept of digital ownership is, ironically, far more tangible to millennials than the concrete brick-and-mortar “permanence” valued by baby boomers and the Depression-era generation.
Virtual is in; physical is out. Lotsa stuff is viewed as the proverbial millstone around the neck. Limited inventory is seen as the path to freedom. Millennials tend to want to embark on a local move or move across country with the least amount of hassle.
We’ve been a Michigan moving company for more than 30 years, so we’ve seen a lot of trends come and go, particularly due to our proximity to the college town of Ann Arbor.
A place for your stuff
“That’s the whole meaning of life, isn’t it? Trying to find a place for your stuff,” comedian George Carlin liked to observe during one of his famous routines. “That’s all your house is…a pile of stuff with a cover on it.” The late funnyman’s mocking social indictment 30 years ago now can be appreciated as a predictor of the millennial mantra of minimalism.
News outlets as diverse as The New York Times, Observer, The Washington Post, Business Insider and The Christian Science Mentor all are singing a unified chorus: Millennials (and even Gen X-ers) don’t want their immediate ancestors’ “antiques.”
There’s also this thing about brown…as in furniture…as in brown furniture. Numerous news reports emphasize that millennials find brown furniture about as desirable as fool’s gold to a prospector. And they wouldn’t give all the tea in China for a tea set or some fine china—once hallmarks of a complete middle-class home.
This trend might pain some people, but maybe it’s best to view it with a sigh of relief, particularly if you’re contemplating downsizing. Not sure where to start first? Start just about anywhere.
Lift the burden
This knowledge should free up boomers and others who’ve burdened themselves with unneeded household items under the misguided concept their children want their stuff someday.
Is an interstate move on the immediate or longer-term horizon (maybe in anticipation of retirement)? Then why not think about selling, donating or discarding items now so that eventual move will be a lot easier on you and your family members?
Instead of assuming your sons or daughters (or grandchildren) want certain items, why not ask them? Have a conversation, and don’t be put off if your offspring don’t appreciate that chunky Reagan-era oak cabinet. On the other hand, a midcentury modern item just might be the piece they’ve been seeking to spruce up their home office. Therefore, dialog will prove valuable. But if you don’t need it (and they don’t want it), does it make sense to move furniture across country?
Go down a size
Don’t hold onto items you don’t value anymore, either. There’s no sense in paying extra to move items you don’t want or need. You could save money on your cross country move and free up valuable interior space in your new home. Also resist the urge to keep things in storage indefinitely.
Seeking downsizing advice? Look no further than All Around Moving & Storage, your go-to home mover among Ann Arbor moving companies. Contact us today for a moving quote: (734) 941-2280. We’re your movers in Michigan.
