What to keep out when everything goes into storage?

[TiaTheTulipFairy]

Starting to panic! We are moving in about 8 weeks' time but the new place won't be ready for a further 4 weeks so everything will have to go into storage.

We'll be staying part of the time with family and the rest in a holiday cottage so will at least have kitchen and washing facilities.

The car will already be fairly full with 5 of us (youngest almost 1 so all the usual baby paraphernalia too), but what other things ought I to make sure go with us in the car rather than into storage?

[poocatcherchampion]

basics for cleaning the house when you get in? lightbulbs?

[specialsubject]

if it is self-storage (i.e. you can get to it), then box up the stuff you will need and label it 'keep to front'. Discuss with your movers and they can arrange things accordingly. So that 'needed the first night in the new house' box can be kept handy.

don't put valuables in storage - keep passports, driving licences etc with you.

the holiday cottage will have everything you need, just take what you would take on holiday such as clothes and toiletries. In fact, pack as if for a holiday for the whole time - clothes, toys, books etc. And then just buy flowers and chocs for the family.

[Jan49]

I moved everything into storage last year. It was supposed to be for a few months but ended up being 5 months in a holiday flat. We moved by train so were very careful about what we left out of storage as we had to carry it.

Basically, we kept clothing for summer and winter, and documents like passports and all documents relating to the house sale. I kept some documents which proved things like bank account details but put most of the excess paperwork in storage. It might be easier if your vacuum cleaner is in the car as you can then clean the new house when it's empty, before the removers arrive with your stuff. You can buy other cleaning stuff if necessary.

The items I regretted not having with us were the computer (which I obviously couldn't carry) and my ds's slippers (size bloody 15, hard to replace but would need a suitcase on their own!).

[TiaTheTulipFairy]

Thanks all for your replies. It's going into removal company storage so definitely not accessible but on the plus side it will be summer (at least, it should be, if summer ever decides to arrive!) so not so much needed in the way of bulky outerwear and footwear at least.

Not having had to do this before I think the thought now that we'll be without all but a carload of our stuff is quite overwhelming. When it comes to it though I expect a month "on holiday" without all our life's clutter could actually turn out to be quite liberating, just as long as we remember all the bits and pieces that we do actually need.

Cleaning stuff I can buy once we're there. Will probably do a supermarket delivery since we'll need food anyway so that covers most things. May or may not manage to fit hoover in the car alongside travel cot and all the rest. Computer is laptop so that's easy, and thankfully we all have small feet so no size 15 slippers to worry about

In terms of paperwork I will have to start putting together a list. General headings I've scribbled down are
Personal (birth certs., passports, exam certs etc)
Financial
Car
Health

[Jan49]

Putting almost everything in storage felt a little bit scary but was fine. We actually found it was OK being in a holiday flat with mainly just our clothing for 5 months. My ds missed his computer. I missed being able to get out family photos and look at them. I put an envelope of randomly selected old photos in my luggage out of fear that the storage unit might burn down and I'd lose all my irreplaceable childhood photos.

We used the holiday flat's towels, sheets and kitchen stuff. We ended up buying a few extra kitchen items and dressing gowns. But if we'd lost all our belongings in storage forever, I don't think we'd have missed much. That's made me more determined than ever to keep decluttering.

[specialsubject]

as it is only a month, would it be worth renting a small self-storage unit near where you will be for things like the hoover, extra clothes etc?

or maybe not. There are always shops!

[PigletJohn]

kettle; mugs; shampoo; towels; favourite toy; "contraceptive apparatus;" medicines; address book; diary/notebook.

[Callmecordelia]

We did this. It was meant to be for a few weeks, but actually turned out to be a year! We were moving in with my Mum and Dad into one room, in a house with very little storage.

We kept out our TV and DVD player, and got a Lovefilm subscription so that we could stay in our bedroom and not bother my Mum and Dad downstairs every evening (Old house, only one TV aerial point in the place). We also kept out some old bedside chests of drawers and bought some cheap clothes rails.

Everything except clothes and important paperwork went into storage.

On the plus side, I fell in love with lots of things again when I got them out. I realised how much I liked some of my stuff, especially my pictures. I also immediately threw out a lot of rubbish that we'd stored because I realised I didn't need it. I don't think I've ever felt the same way about keeping things just in case ever again. I wish it had had the same effect on my hoarding DH.