Picture this; you’ve got an old antique bookshelf that’s taking up a lot of space and is difficult to use due to its age. You’ve brought in experts that have valued the shelf at a much lower price than you expected, reducing the possibility of you selling it to make space. However, you also don’t want to sell it because it was a gift handed down to you from a grandparent, giving it some sentimental value. You’ve thought about putting it somewhere else, but that’s just not an option given how much space the thing takes.

What do you do in this situation? If you’re really hurting for space in the home, then you might think about getting rid of it—along with your sentimentality. However, there’s a better option: refurbishing it. Still, it’s going to cost a lot of money to fix it up and make it easier to use, so you’re ultimately presented with two options: to replace or renovate it.

Replacing

Replacing an item comes with a lot of considerations. First, you need to consider what you’re replacing it with (if anything) and how it will ultimately affect your home. For instance, if you need to call in electrical services to help you strip some old lighting fixtures, then you’re going to need to call the same service to help replace them with something else. Do you choose to go with modern smart home lighting that can be controlled with your phone, or do you want something a little older to fit the rest of your unique decor?

Replacing items can hurt due to the sentimental value that it could have. However, it’s important to let go of sentimental items because they can end up taking a lot of space. Here’s a quick tip if you feel like you can’t let go of something; take pictures of it. Most of the time our sentimentality stems from the memory of an object, not just the object itself. When you look back at old pictures, you can’t exactly touch the old toys you see in the photograph or hug the people that you knew, but the memory of them still lives on and that’s why we love taking so many pictures.

Renovating

There are plenty of home improvements you can perform that will eventually pay for themselves. For instance, insulation, adding bedrooms and even renovating your roof can come with some unique advantages.

Renovating is the better choice if you’re not interested in completely getting rid of an item. For instance, if you’re fine with how your roof looks but you’d prefer to fix it up before the winter season comes, then there’s no need to replace it. However, if it’s the difference between refurbishing an old piece of furniture and replacing it, then it’s usually much easier to hold onto that piece of furniture and upgrade it instead of completely replacing it. In most situations, renovating a part of your home or an object is far cheaper than getting rid of it and buying something in its place, which could be the deal breaker.