The least expensive thing in a box may be the hardest thing to replace emotionally.

What an object is worth and what it holds are two different measures, and only one of them shows up on a receipt. A chipped bowl, a ticket stub, a jumper nobody would buy secondhand can carry a person, a year, a house you cannot go back to. If one is lost in a move or thrown out, no replacement exists at any price.

When you pack, keep the irreplaceable small things with you rather than in the van. Before clearing anyone’s things, ask what to set aside first. And say what an object means to you, since nobody can guess it from the outside.