Impending Move - YIKES

[venturous]

Dear intrepid Unclutterers:

I am facing an impending move, end of October!
I downsized radically two years ago, so there is much less to deal with. But I am also a bit less mobile due to knee pain. I cant power through like I used to .

Planning is required. Here's where I could really benefit from suggestions.

The way I used to approach it:

• clipboard + sharpie
• 1 page per room or closet
• pitch/give away/keep

This time, I'm actually starting with a minimum basic list of KEEP. I'm hoping to pare it down even further. that means a lot of what came with me will need to be released.

STORAGE ugh
I know what happens with storage - I have friends who have struggled to pay for storage for years and never done anything with their stuff. or worse. but.....

ART STUDIO That is the part of life its always been a struggle to afford, and is dearest to my heart. I have several big peices (the flat file is the most precious, followed by an enamel top table, then a sturdy canvas storage shelf built of plywood, and a tall metal cabinet - things useful and expensive to replace)


all ideas and encouragement accepted!
BOOKS I reduced my library by 70% last move, and still have 16 liquor boxes (the best for books - small & sturdy!) of art books.

Comments

[finch]

I'd say go through everything else first and be ruthless - ask yourself if you love that thing or need it more than your studio pieces, and if the answer is no, it goes to make sure you have room for more studio things. Then you can evaluate your studio stuff in light of what you have left.

Storage units, IMO, should only be used if you have a specific, scheduled end date for needing to leave things there. Staying in a hotel or with a friend for a month between apartments? Moving for six months but planning to return? Then it's worth considering. Just don't have space but hope you will someday? No, that's dangerous territory.

As for your art books, could you go through and evaluate which you love or reference all of and which you keep for specific pieces? Sixteen boxes is enough that I suspect you will find there are at least a few you could scan the useful/beautiful pictures from and declutter.

[venturous]

thanks for telling me the blunt truth. friend with storage unit, hasnt seen for years, has spent $5k on it. *gulp* that's why that business is such a good investment

[finch]

I've done the "storage unit for a month between apartments" thing myself and it's a perfectly reasonable choice. But I think it's just human nature to fall into "out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to storage. IMO it's better to make the hard choices consciously up front than to have them made for you a year or two down the road and lose something really precious.