no subject

[taimatsu]

If you were going to reduce your belongings to the absolute minimum, with extra stuff being stored for you, what would you put on the list of stuff to keep? Consider the problem as analogous to going into student halls, and focus on *winter* stuff. All thoughts very welcome. I have a list but I'm trying to work out if I've left anything off it.

Comments

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Keep with you: Warm clothes, pyjamas, bedding, blankets, slippers, hot water bottle, bedding, towels, cooking equipment, coat/hat/scarf/gloves, something to keep you amused in dark evenings (knitting, beads, some books, etc), course books, PC

How accessible is your storage solution?

[taimatsu]

My dad's garage, so several hours by train, several layers of plastic wrap. Not very, but enough for every-few-months stuff.

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Aaah - so not superpractical to only keep a small supply of books with you and pop back regularly to swap for new reading material.

Rats.

[liv]

That's a tough question. My main vice in terms of hoarding is books; I "need" several hundred books just to make home feel like home. But apart from that, I'm reasonably frugal, I think.

Computer. (I can live without a TV easily, and without a phone fairly easily, though phones don't really take up a lot of room. I can use my computer to play music if I don't have space or money for a proper hifi. But if I don't have an internet connection I can't manage my social life, I can't find information I need, and most importantly I am deprived of both social contact and cheap, convenient entertainment.)

Kitchen equipment. I'm not a fantastic cook but I have to be able to prepare my own (basic) meals or I'll go mad. What do I consider essentials?

Two medium-sized saucepans
Frying pan (less essential but would prefer not to have to live without it)
Oven proof baking dish
Kettle and teapot
Wooden spoon
Tin opener
Lots of tupperware or equivalent sealable storage containers
Grater
Decent kitchen knife (can be small as long as it's sharp)
Bread knife
Kitchen scale
Measuring jug
Colander
Toaster if at all possible
Cutlery, crockery and mugs for at least three or four people (if I'm living in a tiny place I can't invite more than that at a time anyway!)

I'm not picky about my own furniture; if I rent a furnished place that has the basics like a bed, a desk and at least some semblance of closet space that's good enough. Obviously if those are not provided then I would need them. Chairs are good, but not absolutely essential; if I were in a tiny tiny place I'd sit on the bed. Some sort of night table so I can put my glasses, alarm clock and asthma medicine within reach of my bed.

Clothes, hm, let's see, I think I need a range of different warmths which I can layer if necessary, but not very many examples of each type (eg t-shirts, light long-sleeved tops, jumpers, summer skirts, heavier skirts). As much underwear and socks as I can get away with. If I'm working somewhere with a dress code then three or four formal outfits, otherwise at least one. A couple of party dresses or equivalent. One coat and one pair of shoes.

Personally, I don't care about either ornaments or pictures. Curtains are essential if they are not provided.

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

Having just lugged all my kitchen stuff and bedding up three flights of stairs into my new flat, only to discover that pots, crockery and bedding were already provided, I'd like to suggest that you find out exactly what's in the flat already before you pack up any of the things in the parent post! But if we're being minimalist, you can cut some stuff off that list anyway - you can live without baking for a few months, you can make tea in the mug rather than the pot (uncivilised, yes), you need at most two or three tupperware boxes, you can buy sliced bread rather than unsliced (again, uncivilised, I know). You don't need a measuring jug and a set of scales - the Internet is remarkably good at knowing the densities of things. Or (since you're not going to be doing anything like baking which requires precision measurement) pass on the specialised measuring gear entirely and just measure things in a mug, like I do.

Take about half the number of clothes you think you need. You can wear things for longer and/or do more frequent washes - in the sink if necessary - to compensate. Layers Are Your Friends. You'll need something waterproof (including shoes) - this is Britain, after all.

Keep books to the minimum you need for your course. Reading books can be obtained from the library. I'm not a musician, but I imagine you'll need at least one instrument. If you have a choice, take the smallest :-)

[liv]

Sensible points indeed. Good thought about measuring ingredients by volume! I forgot to mention bedding, which was a bit stupid; obviously you need a couple of changes of sheets and a duvet! For me personally, a teapot really is essential; I can't feel at home if I am reduced to making tea in mugs. But of course everybody's MMV.

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

I've been known to use a saucepan as a makeshift teapot, but it's definitely non-ideal, and I wouldn't like to do it for more than a few days. A teapot's one of the first non-essentials I'd want to take.

Bedding: yes, it's important, but check if there's some there already! :-) A sleeping bag may work as an alternative (at least, as an alternative to extra winter bedding - I've used mine like that before).

[taimatsu]

I don't drink tea (or coffee) so it's a non-issue for me, happily :)

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

BURN THE HERETIC! BURN IT WITH FIRE!

[envoy.livejournal.com]

I would take a weekend and pack up literally *everything* that I have. Then, over the course of a month, see which items get pulled out and used. Those are the ones you need to keep. Once you've done that. *then* see how much 'spare' space you've got left over, and, armed with the knowledge of what you had to pull out and what could be left, think about what possible extra items you'd need if it was colder outside (mostly it's going to be the same thing, I expect.)

you can get a less effective version of this by simply walking around your current living environment and pulling out all objects you've touched within the last month.

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

I have a post in preparation about this idea :-) Basically, I disagree - some items are essential, but used less than once a month. Zipf's Law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipf's_Law) and all that. Conversely, some items will be used frequently if available, but their absence can be worked around.

OTOH, this procedure would give you a good first approximation to what you do need to take.

[envoy.livejournal.com]

Yes, but items that are useful less than once a month are a small but elusive enough subset that it might be past that point where the effort to determine them is greater than the effort to simply replace/acquire them anew at the time of need.

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

I shall be addressing all of this :-)

I was thinking of things like suits - I use my suit only a few times a year, but I wouldn't want to buy a new one (or even hire a new one, given the hassle involved) every time I go to a wedding. And they don't take up much space when unused.

[sfred]

My recorder, or, if space was REALLY tight, just an ocarina. I suspect this translates as 'guitar' in your language.
A pack of cards (for versatility).
Favourite dressy-uppy clothes.
A bank statement, passport, a utility bill, nhs card, a payslip.

[sfred]

Oh, and a lion.

[taimatsu]

Thank you for the point about important documents - that is something I'd left off the list!

[mistress-carrot.livejournal.com]

To me essentials are:

Favourite soft toys/cushions/throws
Music
Computer
All my clothes, I never know when I'll need them
RPGs
Some card games
Manga
Pens, paper, glitter, wool and general crafty things

*hugs*

If you need to escape your house you are always welcome here.

[j4.livejournal.com]

Absolute minimum (assuming we're taking things like toiletries as read):

* clothes which can be combined/layered, which wash easily, & which don't need ironed
* kettle & mug
* course books
* laptop (which contains tons of music, reading material, games, and TEH INTERNETS)
* a badger :)

One of the above may not actually be necessary for anybody other than me. :)

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

Kettle may be provided. Then again, it may not - I had to go out and buy one last week.

[ludy]

never be without a bunny, some fun brain-empting books, some think-y and consoloing books, knitting and the matirals to make pictures.
I'm still half-living out of boxes from my move last year - the things oi've neede weren't necessarly the ones i predicted beforehand. So i'd prolly suggest going with envoy's idea. But make sure you keep at least one frivolous thing and something that holds good memorys so you don't feel too cut off from the rest of your life.

[tartful-dodger.livejournal.com]

Hmmm....

A handbag and a big over night bag or rucksack, should be added to the list!

Also... I definitely second a teddy. :)

Oh, and an umbrella.

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

I thought about mentioning the bags, but then thought "she's going to need them anyway to move her stuff in" :-)

[taimatsu]

My list does already include the suitcases I will be using anyway, the rucksack, my shoulder bag and a handbag. :)

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I'd think twice about hanging on to the suitcases - unless you're using them for keeping things in, they'll just take up space.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

A pooter, a sketchpad and a biro should be enough to keep me happy on the non-essential side.

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

While it breaks my heart, I'd store all the books, except for a handful of designated security blanket books. Libraries are friendly that way.

When I moved out here I could only bring the contents of two suitcases. So, there were warm clothes, a bathrobe that's essentially a well-designed blanket, a saucepan, a bowl, a plate, a spoon, a fork, a knife, a glass. (that was it for cooking supplies). Towel, coat and gloves, my laptop, no more than ten books, and a small stuffed animal. *lots* of warm socks.

[medland.livejournal.com]

I agree about the clothing that can be layered. When I moved to America with a backpack I made myself a little album of photos - it had at least one photo of everyone I loved in it. It saved me dragging tons of photos around with me but I still had it to look at.