Get Creative With Home Storage and Ditch the Costly Storage Unit!

Have you ever sat down and figured out the annual cost of renting your storage unit?  It is ridiculous the money we spend to store our stuff!  There are so many ways to get creative with home storage, so you can ditch the costly storage unit for good!

Storage Unit Facts

On a recent drive into the city, my husband and I passed at least five storage unit facilities.  Three were within a five-mile radius of one another.  Two were “climate controlled.”  All I could think was, “wow, am I in the wrong business!”  Upon our return home, I did a Google search to find out the monthly cost of storage unit rentals.  Here’s what I found:

• Climate controlled storage costs a minimum of $49/month for a 5×5 unit.  A large unit, 10 x 30, is $245/month!
• Standard outdoor storage units range from $19/month to $110/month, although I had some difficulty finding anything in the $19/range.

If you live in the city, expect to pay more.  The prices above were researched in the suburbs.  Rural areas were similar, although climate controlled units were difficult to find.

Home Storage

Take the time to go through your home and declutter.   Get creative with options:

• Attic.  If you are fortunate enough to have an accessible attic, you are already ahead of the game!   Keep in mind, attics get very hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  Make sure the items you store in your attic won’t get ruined in extreme temperature conditions.
• Basement.  I have cleaned out my basement and reorganized it more times than I can count.  Investing in shelving units was worthwhile to hold larger items and to keep things off of the floor.  We used bookcases as room dividers to hold books, games, framed photos, and decorative items.  The best part about that?  The bookcases were free (a friend was going to throw them away) and fit perfectly from floor to ceiling.  Not only were they a great storage solution, they aesthetically improved the space dramatically!
• Storage under staircases.  When we purchased our home, the basement stairs were closed in.  My husband removed some paneling and we gained a decent amount of square footage.  Our goal is to frame it out and install a small door (which we did in a former home).  Doing this on both sides of the staircase keeps boxes easily accessible but hidden.  I have lofty ideas about built-in cabinetry under that staircase, but for now, this works.

• Revamp closets.  We doubled the closet space in our bedroom to increase our storage capabilities!  Read “How To Raise The Bar In Your Closet” to find out more.

• Storage containers.  Large plastic totes are a functional storage option to protect things from water and dust, but their cumbersome size makes storage a challenge!  Cost can be an issue too.  Copy paper boxes are excellent because of their size and removable lid.  Sometimes, it’s refreshing to think outside the box!  Collapsible storage bins are nice and decorative for anything visible.  Another benefit:   they fit neatly on shelves and are available in multiple sizes.  Using baskets is another way to store smaller items.  Also, they can be painted to compliment any decor.

When It Makes Sense To Rent A Storage Unit

If you rent storage space outside your home, what are you storing there and why?  Sometimes, paying for storage is inevitable and necessary.

• Temporary Housing.  If you are relocating and in transition, renting a storage unit can be a great option!   Selling all of your furniture and buying new can be a costly endeavor.   Weigh the options.  How long will you need to rent a unit?  What is the cost?  How much do you love (or hate) the furniture you need to store?  Then, get a unit large enough to hold the items you need to store.
• New construction.  If you are building a new shed, garage, or home addition, it makes sense to temporarily rent a storage unit to protect your belongings.  More than likely, it’s a necessity!
• Selling your home.  As a former Realtor, I can tell you that the temporary investment to rent a unit to store excess furniture and personal belongings can pay huge dividends!  When Realtors tell you to get rid of the clutter, they mean it!  A buyer needs to be able to see themselves living in your home.  Not everyone has the vision to see past your family heirlooms and photos.  Heck, some people can’t see past the paint color on the wall!  Moving things to a storage unit temporarily to make your home look more spacious and increase the appeal to potential buyers can be the key to fetching top dollar!  Just remember, when you are packing those boxes, do not keep things that you don’t have a use for.  Have a yard sale before you rent outside storage!

Personal Experience

I have had two storage units in my life.

1. In my twenties, I relocated across the state to start a new life.  I transferred to another location with the company I was working for and had to move out of my apartment.  Since I was going to live with a friend in the area until I found my own place, I rented a storage unit to store everything I couldn’t fit into a small bedroom.  The storage unit next to mine caught on fire.  Fortunately, my loss was minimal, because I didn’t purchase rental insurance.
2. My husband and I purchased a home in a new development.  We put our house on the market and it sold in a week.  Construction on the new house had barely just begun.  We had to move into an apartment and rent a storage unit.  That was a learning experience and I would not recommend it to anyone.  Between the cost of the apartment and the cost of storing our beloved “stuff,” we had stretched our budget to the max.  It poured rain the day we moved.  Guess what?  Some things got moldy.  By the time we moved into our house five months later and retrieved our belongings from storage, we ended up having to throw things away.  I was livid.

When we emptied the unit and finally unpacked, we realized we hadn’t missed most of that stuff.  Why did I feel the need to pack it, move it, store it, move it again, and find a place for it (not once, but twice)?  Had I known then what I know now, things would have been handled a lot differently!

Tips

• If you must rent a storage unit, get insurance!
• Plan ahead and choose the right size.  If you pack the storage unit full, good luck having access to anything you might need.  While you don’t want a huge unit with wasted space (you should not be able to set up a table and chairs to hang out and play cards), you also don’t want one too small.
• A seasonal purge is not just for clothes.  I evaluate my Christmas decorations annually to condense the things I need to store.  Decorations that are no longer used get donated or sold.
• Whether you find space in your home, garage, or shed, finding the space to store items on your property will save you a lot of money.

What will you do with the newfound cash every month?  The choice is yours.

Until next time,

April

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