How did this happen?
In its infancy, the storage unit industry was mainly used for households in between homes or under renovation. In other words, short-term storage solutions. But as the industry matured, and the cost of goods went down while incomes went up, the lowly storage unit suddenly had a new purpose: storing Stuff that households just couldn’t bear to throw away.
Admittedly, some of the Stuff came from the homes of aging parents who, for whatever reason, couldn’t bear to part with their Stuff. Adult children acquiesced and did as they were told; they kept their parents Stuff – but not in their homes where there was no room. Thus begins the long slide into having Stuff in storage for years, not months.
So, I suppose you could blame some of this storage unit use on sentiment. Storing furniture you grew up with still provides a link to that bygone time. But at some point, you have to look at the cost to store that sentiment with the reality of possible use. If you’re falling into the “I’m never going to put that into my house” camp, maybe it’s time to consider allowing someone else to use it.
A second reason for the glut of storage unit use is our insatiable desire for more. Granted, the recession put the kibosh on some of the frivolous consumer spending, but not all. We’ve been programmed to think more is better. I don’t know about you, but I dearly love Costco! I can get three times the amount for the same price. WOW. I marvel at how quickly it adds up at the register. How on earth did I manage to spend $320 on Stuff? More, more, more!
Up-to-date is necessary. Latest-and-greatest keeps us ahead of the game. Instead of selling this mishmash of items, we store it, perhaps with the intention of using it elsewhere, saving it for a child to use (who probably won’t want it because it’s out-of-date), or selling it at a premium. Whatever the reason, have you really considered the cost to store your stuff?
Here’s an exercise for you:
- Look at your monthly storage unit cost.
- Now go take an inventory of your Stuff in storage. Don’t sort it, just catalog it.
- Look over your list. Does the amount you pay each month make sense for the Stuff you’re storing?
- If yes, then storage costs for you are probably a non-issue.
- If no, then use the de-cluttering technique of “Keep, Toss or Give Away.” Sort your Stuff into these three piles. Hopefully, the Toss and Give Away piles are the biggest. With unwanted things out of the way, you’re in a much better position to determine if the Stuff you want to keep can be stored at home, or if you still need a storage unit (hopefully a much smaller unit, at least).
Since I already have to pay for a warehouse for all the business Stuff, the storage of my own personal Stuff doesn’t cost me any extra money. But if you’re paying even $50 a month for your storage, that’s $600 a year! Can you think of better ways to spend that money?
P.S. Let me be clear. I’m not saying you have to part with your Stuff….just that you evaluate whether or not it’s important enough to you to keep it. Personally, I’ve decided to TAKE ACTION. I’m going to call my local Amvets center and have them come to my office and pick up all my great Stuff so someone else can enjoy it.
