We asked our Millenial & Gen-Z colleagues what items they cherish the most in life. Their answers? Very surprising.

As we grow older, the things we value tend to change.

The toys we once held close to our hearts might no longer be our most valuable possessions.

This might be because crossing milestones and going through different life experiences make us reevaluate what we hold dear.

We asked our Millenial and Gen-Z colleagues what items they cherish most in life.

Here are some of their answers.

What will you save if your house is on fire?

First, we asked our colleagues what they would save if their house was on fire.

This prompted colleagues to share off the top of their heads that they would save their gadgets and personal documents.

Items ranged from mobile phones to passports, identification cards, wallets and laptops.

Their answers were expected, so we decided to dig deeper.

We asked them the following:

What are some of your most cherished items?

This question encouraged our colleagues to think more deeply about the things that they value.

It revealed that the items they cherish most in their lives are often something that holds important, sentimental value to them, and are items that cannot be easily replaced once they are lost, unlike identification documents and gadgets.

Here are some of their answers.

Gifts from loved ones

Some colleagues mentioned that their most cherished items were given to them by their loved ones.

“Presents from my husband that I’ve accumulated over the years we’ve been together.”

“Gifts from my family.”

“My wedding dowry. I don’t wear them daily but they are precious gifts.”

“I have a bracelet that my mum gave me for my 21st birthday that I would like to save.”

Others said that they treasured items with sentimental value such as the first present that their child gave them.

This exemplifies that the things we value most are not always items that we purchase for ourselves, but things that are gifted to us by our loved ones.

More importantly, items that have the most value do not always have to be those with a higher cost.

Instead they are trinkets that hold high sentimental values. They are immeasurable in monetary terms.

Memories

More than one colleague shared that they cherished their pets and their belongings.

“My cat’s belongings are one of my most cherished items. When she passed away, her belongings are all that I have left of her.”

Similarly, other colleagues also gushed about their love for their pets and items that reminded them of their furry friends.

This tells us that our cherished items consist of more than just expensive material items.

It also includes our furry friends whom we love and treat like our own family and dearest friends, as well as their belongings that remind us of them.

Items that remind us of fond memories

A handful of colleagues also revealed that their most treasured items include memories that are materialised into tangible items. They are items that cannot be replaced or recreated again.

These came in the form of photo albums and their baby’s milestone items.

Other items included collectibles like aeroplane and train models, physical movie tickets, as well as travel souvenirs.

“My stamp collection and souvenirs from the countries I visited.”

“My pokemon card collection is my most cherished item.”

“I can’t lose my diary, it has all my memories from the past few years.”

“Photo albums which are full of baby photos of my first born.”

“Autograph books with signatures I collected from my classmates before graduation.”

Despite the prevalent use of digital devices to store our photos, it seems like many of us still keep our photos in albums.

Perhaps, these photo albums, physical tickets and souvenirs remind us of the significant events that took place in our lives.

They provide us with a more physical and intimate connection with these memories.

This could also be the reason why one of our colleagues prefers to pen down her days in a physical diary.

Safeguarding items from unforeseen circumstances

According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) 1,877 cases of fire incidents took place in 2020. Out of this, more than half of the incidents (1,054) occurred in residential premises.

SCDF also revealed that the top causes of fires in residential premises were due to unattended cooking, discarded items and electrical appliances.

That said, as much as our colleagues would like to protect the things they most cherished, most revealed that they did not put much thought into safeguarding their items.

In fact, some of them simply store these in a cupboard or leave them lying around the house.

As a result, a few colleagues misplaced their valuable items in various ways, such as when their items became lost in their cluttered houses or when they moved to a new house.

Moreover, the lack of thought into safeguarding their items could also leave them vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances such as fires, flood, or even theft.

If you are guilty of the above and have cherished items that you don’t want to lose, then you may want to find out more about a solution that can help you safeguard them.

A secure and private space to store your valuables

A Safe Deposit Box (SDB) is designed to protect valuables, important documents and sentimental keepsakes. Unlike a home safe which can be easily moved, a SDB is permanently located in a secured facility to prevent any unauthorised handling and to withstand any possible environmental threats.

Those who want the assurance that your most precious possessions are in safe hands, check out Certis Safe Deposit Box (SDB).

Located within a secured facility equipped with world-class security features, Certis SDB provides round-the-clock protection for your valuables.

These include 24/7 CCTV and armed Auxiliary Police Officers to guard your valuables.

The good news? It is an affordable option that will set you back by just S$0.35 a day.

You might have heard of SDBs at financial institutions or other private service providers, but what stands out with Certis is that they are open 365 days a year and up to 10 hours daily.

This includes weekends and public holidays, allowing you to conveniently access your safe deposit box all year round.

Here is how it works:

To access the SDB, customers are required to show proof of identity and their SDB keys for authentication.

All SDB can only be opened with dual key access (customer key and guard key) - so even if your key is lost or stolen, another person will not be able to access your box easily.

Maximum privacy: Certis does not keep track of what you store inside the box, and provides private viewing rooms for customers to view their valuables with absolute privacy.

Mothership readers can enjoy an exclusive discount

Here is even more good news. Certis is rewarding Mothership readers with an exclusive 60 per cent discount for the first year Certis SDB rental.

To enjoy this promotion, all you have to do is visit any of their three branches and quote “SDBMothership” when you sign up. Hurry! This promotion is only available until 3 May, 2022, terms and conditions apply*.

Visit their Facebook page here to learn more about the promotion and stay updated on their news!

Alternatively, visit their website here to learn more about their features.

*For full T&Cs, please visit www.bit.ly/SDBmothership.

This sponsored article in collaboration with Certis Safe Deposit Box made the writer realise the importance of safeguarding my precious items.

Top photo adapted from Certis Safe Deposit Box