It's the beginning of a new year, a natural time to make a fresh start. Lots of new things came into our house over the holidays so some kind of organizing is in order. I've made an initial pass at our closets, bookshelves, kitchen cabinets, and toy bins but still more needs to go.
The solution for me is to rent a storage space. Although there have been a few times in the past that I've come close to renting a storage space, I've ended up not going through with it. So this will be my first time and I consider it a major step.
Since having kids, I've become more sentimental and there are special clothes and other items that I just don't want to give away. There is artwork I want to keep, more and more projects like special Christmas ornaments and Mother's day gifts that I could never let go of. Seasonal sports equipment that I have limited room for in the house. My answer, at least temporarily is a storage space.
But I am not proceeding without caution. My biggest concern is that it will become a way for me to justify the purchase of things - big things - that I don't really need. That I will want to fill it to the brim. I'm envisioning that the storage space plus some more purging and organization will get me that much closer to the more minimalist style I'm striving for at home.
If you use a storage space for your belongings, please let me know how it's going in the comments.
So, if all goes according to plan, I will be going to the storage space with the first load - all of our holiday ornaments and decoration neatly packed in containers - next weekend.
(Image: Storage Works)
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Cant wait to see the comments on this! I am debating as well.
Ashley
ourbklyn.com
Have you never seen that show where they auction off old storage units?? I vote no. Keep the important things, take pics of the bigger things and purge! I had to use one in college when my things didn't fit to come home for my semester abroad, but it's a dark, slippery hole!
We finally broke down and got a storage unit about 6 months ago. So far, it's only holding the items we know we will use again, but just don't have room to store. Winter clothes that only get used every couple of years, a queen size bed, baby clothes (we aren't done have kids), and other baby gear... We got a pretty small one so that I would have to be selective about what goes in. Also, I find that because I have to load it, drive it, unload, carry etc-- usually accompanied by 1 or 2 kids I'm less likely to just drop off any old box of stuff. So far it's been great!
we don't have a ton of storage space, but I'm against a storage unit (for us). I do think (again, for us) that space encourages buying more stuff that we could really do without. For example, when I've lived places with less kitchen cabinets and drawers, I was much more hesitant to buy small applicances (waffle makers and such). The same thing goes for larger-scale items. I buy less toys for my daughter (who already has WAY more than enough) because of space restraints.
I swore I'd never get one, but our tiny condo can't handle the outgrown kids' clothes & such. My criteria for what can go in storage: seasonal (Christmas decorations/camping gear); clothes & baby gear to be handed down (in clearly labeled bins, by size/age); or a select few heirloom-type items I inherited (these are small); bikes (shoved in during winter months only). No toys, or things I "might use someday". We don't have to go very often & it's been a good thing. I'm getting closer all the time to the uncluttered look I want at home (as uncluttered as one can be with 2 little kids).
We had one when we were in a small (no, tiny) condo but had lots of camping gear, mementos, and furniture that would have been expensive or impossible to replace when we moved to a house. The storage unit was worth every penny.
But we don’t have one now that we’re in a house. Although it’s a small house, we’re going to be here for a while. So furniture that didn’t work and belongings that we’d forgotten we’d even owned and had never missed found a new home.
They are great if the living situation or storage needs are temporary (such as baby items between pregnancies), but I wouldn’t want one permanently. At some point, you just have to live within your storage means.
We are in the process of cleaning out our public storage unit (as we have moved to a larger house with more storage space), and I am really going to miss it. It enabled us to live for a long while in a smaller house that otherwise might have been uncomfortably crammed (and was a lot cheaper than a bigger house would have been). (And as I go through the process of cleaning out the space, I am realizing that there is very little in there that I regret holding onto).
Don't let Storage Wars freak you out as long as you plan to pay your bill :)
I got a storage unit several years ago. My house is tiny (725 sq ft, four rooms, no basement). I use the unit to store things like camping gear, seasonal decorations, seasonal clothing, and large kitchen items (like appliances that aren't used often, and entertaining pieces like platters and glassware).
When I put my house on the market, I got a second, smaller, unit so that I could seriously declutter and just throw boxes of anything into. My house didn't sell as quickly as I wanted, so I was very glad that I had taken time to label those boxes as they were packed!
My advice? Purge. Goodwill, Salvation Army are your best friends (and you're helping someone in dire need)
We had one for awhile while we finished remodeling our house. The best thing I can say is use a big sharpie to number all your boxes and then keep a detailed box inventory on the computer. So much easier to see a big number than words when digging around the unit. I used to just take a print out with me. We had over 150 boxes and plastic bins with everything in them, so this inventory kept my sanity!