Today’s Tell Us Tuesday is inspired by a comment that Nicole made on Facebook: she wants some more room in her apartment, so she’s considering renting a storage unit with friends.
What do you think- should she?
Tell Us Tuesday: Storage
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{ 13 comments }
No! I’ve done that — twice–before and after a transatlantic move. When I got my stuff back I threw half of it away.
.-= rachella´s last blog .. =-.
Like Rachelle said, that is a common problem. Once things end up in a storage unit, when you get them back you realize you don’t need them. I would suggest first downsizing your life a bit.
Sell off the things you would even consider placing into storage, before renting a unit. If after that, you still have too much stuff, consider storage.
.-= Jesse´s last blog ..The Worlds Worst Credit Card Spenders =-.
No, don’t do it! Get rid of the “stuff”. If you are willing to put it in offsite storage, how much do you really need it anyway?
I have to go with the ‘no’s. If you can keep it in a storage unit, that probably means you don’t use it. So do you even need it? Probably not.
No. I’m guessing Suzie Orman would say no, too 😉
1) It’s a good way to lose friends. 2) She’s wasting time, money, and energy, on moving stuff, that’s hidden away (out of site, out of mind). Wasn’t it purchased in the first place to use and view. What is she saving it for, and at what cost? Time to clean house and have a rummage sale. Watch the Oprah shows about hoarding. It can be cured.
The late comedian, George Carlin, had a funny routine called, “A Place For My Stuff”.
There’s a youtube video of it.
Hate to jump on the “don’t do it” bandwagon, but… don’t do it. I’ve spent a lot of money on storage in my life, and, while it can solve problems, I think it’s an indicator that something about your life isn’t scaling appropriately. One thing that it can be good for is psychologically, if you absolutely can’t get rid of something, you can put it in the storage and see how you get along without it. This exercise can be worth the money for people dealing with hoarding-spectrum stuff.
I’m going to say no…
It’s amazing how much hidden storage you can find in small spaces with functional furniture, over-the-door storage, and under-the bed boxes.
That, and having your stuff split between two or more places is just annoying!
My vote is: downsize, look for hidden storage, and adopt a 1-in-1-out rule.
.-= Kayla K at Kayla K’s Thrifty Ways´s last blog ..Guilt-Free Brownie Delicious-ness! =-.
Learn from my (repeated) mistake: don’t rent storage. It alwys stays in longer than you expect and you end up spending far more than the item is worth. Imagine you are moving overseas: what do you love enough to schlep at great cost? Find a place for that and get rid of the rest.
Give it to Goodwill and take a tax write off or post an add on Craig’s list or your apartment bulletin board . Your stuff is probably worth something, but if you are going to put it in storage do you really even need it?
.-= Jay´s last blog ..Free Coffee Samples =-.
declutter. If its not loved enough to keep out in your everyday space why keep it?
OK, I hear what you’re saying but here’s a bit more background:
I have one closet.
I have a lot of outdoor equipment I can’t easily replace but use seasonally: a mountain bike, downhill skis, cross country skis, snowshoes, SCUBA gear, a bike rack for my car, etc.
I have no garage, basement, or attic.
As much as I love my thousands of dollars worth of sports equipment, I don’t want to look at it every day. It makes my house feel like a dorm room. And I can’t afford to replace it should I chose to sell it for a few dollars on Craig’s List. Also, I do actually use it; I’m very outdoorsy. Just check out my Facebook page. :^)
Does that change people’s answers? I don’t live an excessive life; I just live in a very small house with no storage!
Well, that does certainly change perspective a bit. I still wouldn’t suggest going straight for a storage unit, if at all possible, though if the cost was split between several people it shouldn’t be too bad.
Maybe you can find a relative with a spare shed, or something like that.
.-= Jesse´s last blog ..How To Avoid A Traffic Ticket =-.
Depends. I had a storage unit for almost 6 years when I moved back to New England. I think I paid something like $3000 in storage fees for things that I pretty much ended up throwing out/gave away/put on freecyle. I could have put up a spiffy garden shed at my small house for that amount of money and kept my clutter local. Some items in storage were things I just can’t part with. I have a very small house, no basement, no attic, no garage. In hindsight I should have invested the storage fees into a new on site storage shed. That is actually this years goal, get a new shed and go through the last of my boxes.
If Nicole uses these items, yes it is worth it to get a storage unit.