We left a 4,500-square foot house five years ago, giving away or selling furniture, kitchenware, books. We put some books, files, artwork and tchotchkes we had picked up in our travels in storage and took off in a Sprinter van. It was liberating to never go into a gift shop to pick up a memento from the national parks and other beautiful places we experienced traveling for the next four years. Or to discard a piece of clothing every time I got something new. Only recently we rented a home and took our stuff out of storage. Now I have to fight the urge, as you describe, to fill up our empty space with unnecessary stuff. Good luck in your packing!