Have You Been Considering Self-Storage As an Option to Solve Your Clutter Problem?

Have you weighed the pros and cons of seeking self-storage for your treasures?

Most of us seem to buy more than we need.  This might be great for the economy, but it is not necessarily a good thing for our homes.  Too much of anything presents a problem of clutter if you don’t have enough space to store.  Therefore, you eventually have two options of downsizing some items or storing possessions elsewhere to keep stress levels down.

Of course, no one likes to part with their treasures, especially if they have sentimental value such as your grandmother’s set of china or a sizeable teapot collection from your dearly beloved aunt.  Ask yourself though how often or if you ever you plan to use those things first or just keep them on a shelf or packaged in a box.  After all, grandmothers’ china may be beautifully ornate and a part of your family’s history, but do you trust the glaze to be lead-free to be safe to eat from now? As to your favorite aunt’s teapot collection, you might be admiring them in a china cabinet, perhaps, but ask yourself if you’re really a tea drinker or mostly prefer coffee or soda?  These are the questions that you need to consider when examining your belongings, if you intend to keep your sanity.

My recommendation is to pick and choose items based on their practical use in your life.  Gather what you can’t live without in one section of the room and then place the other items on the opposite side.

The hard part comes next.  From the items you want to keep but don’t really have room for, try to sort out the essentials from the nonessentials but keepsake items.  Some of the nonessentials are ones that aren’t really important to you that may want to donate to charity.  Others are ideal for a garage sale.

Now ask yourself the importance of each nonessential keepsake by hanging onto it.  Is the cost of monthly storage justified or would it be cheaper and more to your benefit to sell it?  

Memories are one thing, but they also can be costly for self-storage or looking into buying a larger home. Saving one item from that cherished, departed relative over many may be more practical for your budget and stress reduction. 

By now, the pile of items that you’re keeping has decreased.  The items still dear to you that do not fit in your home will need self-storage.  Write down every piece and then start calling self-storage facilities to compare their prices.  Depending on the business and the square footage of space that you’ll need, you can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $400 per month.  Furthermore, you might even need to have additional  insurance beyond your homeowner’s or rental insurance for theft, water damage, fire, etc.  

The price might be within your budget.  Yet, can you afford this monthly fee regularly in the future?

I knew someone that has a passion for collecting cookbooks.  Cookbooks dominated every room of her home, including the garage.  Their cars and boat eventually had to be parked outdoors until moving them to self-storage.  One unit soon became two and a good part of this woman’s monthly salary went toward self-storage of these cookbooks, packed in boxes that were so jammed in these storage units that once inside, rarely saw the light of day.  Yet, what others may consider a money pit was worth it to this particular woman. Can you say the same?

Personally, I think self-storage is better as a temporary solution.  You could be remodeling your home, moving, going through a divorce, etc. that calls for changing your life. How do you feel on the subject?