If you’re like most of us, you’ve looked around the house and thought, “When did I collect all this stuff?” It’s that moment we promise ourselves we’re not going to buy anything else and we’re going to purge ourselves of everything we don’t use. But the reality is, “We like our stuff.” We spent our hard earned money on it, and with every item we pick up, intent on throwing it away, a memory hits us and our resolve withers away. And that my friends, is why storage units are a great way to organize the stuff we don’t use every day, but aren’t ready to let go of.
Trash vs. Treasure
When we have one of these epiphanies, everything seems like useless trash, but as our emotions settle down we begin to see the value in our treasures. One of the worst things we can do is to believe we can get rid of everything we don’t use very often. This is because the idea of buying a replacement or borrowing one when you do need it reinforces our need to keep everything within reach at all times. That sort of thinking leads to the clutter that made you want to purge in the first place. Self-storage lets you use rational thought to organize your home based on an item’s usefulness instead of your current emotional state.
Organize and Store by Use and Function
Everyone organizes differently depending on what’s important to them, but all organization should start with clearly defined categories. If you’re new to the idea, start with something easy like seasonal items, summer vs. winter or if you’re someone who dresses up the house and yard, sort by holidays. Use this opportunity to sort, pack, and label the items you’re going to store in a manner that’s easy to retrieve. You don’t need to keep the Christmas stuff handy all year long and all the patriotic décor you have for the summer can be stored in the winter. Most storage facilities also sell boxes and packing supplies making it super simple to get all the same size boxes for easy organizing, and with an adjustable shelving unit, you don’t have to worry about moving boxes around to get to the box you need.
Why Rent a Storage Unit if You Have a Garage?
This is probably the question that is asked the most, but also likely to be given the least amount of consideration. Stop and think about what you plan to store, and then ask yourself if you would want to replace those items if they were ruined due to irregular climate conditions? Very few people have fully enclosed and ventilated garages, even fewer have the luxury of a climate controlled garage.
Get Your Living Space Back
There are plenty of reasons why a self-storage unit is a wise option for decluttering your home and garage, but the best reason is to give you your living space back without purging yourself of things that still hold value for you.
