var json_comments = new Array("
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theblackdog
September 8, 2009 2:22 PM
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There should be an option for \"I have a storage unit in the basement\" because I do have some stuff stored in the basement of my apartment building, but the unit came with the apartment, not a separate fee.

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DoodlestheGreat
September 9, 2009 4:20 AM
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@theblackdog_BackToWork: I wouldn't count that as the same, since it's not an additional payment made to store stuff, but space provided already. It's like the garage you get when you rent a typical house.

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tbax929
September 8, 2009 5:37 PM
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@theblackdog_BackToWork:
I had to downsize temporarily (for about 5 months) and had almost all of my stuff in storage during that time.


When I moved into my new place, it was like Christmas! There was a lot of stuff I'd forgotten I had. Good times.

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Etoiles
September 8, 2009 3:28 PM
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@theblackdog_EnjoysDaysOff: We get a small basement storage unit with our apartment, too. It's primarily full of boxes -- I know we won't live in this apartment forever, and I had to shell out a lot of money for good moving boxes and bubble wrap when I came down here, so those (along with the box our HDTV came in) and my Christmas tree are down in the cellar.

I can understand having to store things for a finite period of time (say, if you know you're living in a studio apartment for one year between houses, you store your furniture) but I can't understand just putting more and more junk in a place you'll forget about.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 2:26 PM
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@theblackdog_EnjoysDaysOff: Mine's an additional fee, which sucks. But like I said, I really do store useful things.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 2:23 PM
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I don't really have an answer that fits the poll. I do pay to store things, but I really do need to store things. Where else am I going to put Christmas decorations and out-of-season clothing? My apartment isn't big enough for a Christmas tree, four giant tupperware bins of decorations and another four tupperware bins of winter clothing and boots.

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P=mv
September 8, 2009 2:58 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Yeah, the decorations go with storing a bunch of junk.

I live in an apartment and I manage to be festive without the rented storage space. I have a small tupperware container for XMas stuff. It includes a small string of red XMas lights to make my candelabra festive, some stickers for the windows, and a couple small festive posters rolled up. You don't actually need a 7ft tree complete with decorations for XMas. You just want it.

The winter clothing, however, is needed. I see your point with that one. The bottom of my closet is lined with winter clothing and we made a hanging closet out of a recessed corner for our coats. It feels cramped.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 3:53 PM
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@AshCatScram: True, I want Christmas decorations, not need Christmas decorations. However, I defend my decorations because I love Christmas. I didn't have decorations when I first moved out of college. I had a sad little tree that tilted strangely and some dollar store garland. Such a sad, sad, little tree. I have a lot of Christmas stuff because the ornaments are all neatly preserved in their little boxes and wrappers and stuff because I refuse to buy brand new ones every year.


And we have one tupperware bin just for Christmas bags and wrapping paper we save every year to use for the next year. I think I've spent a total of $3 on Christmas wrapping.

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ogsoleysol
September 9, 2009 5:12 AM
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@pecan 3.14159265: But how much have you paid to store that $3 worth of wrapping paper?

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
September 8, 2009 4:13 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: I have to buy wrapping paper every year.. I like my presents to be wrapped and my husband seems to use a roll and a half of wrapping paper and two rolls of tape on my one present he buys me..


It's quite amusing actually. One year I was out shopping for Christmas and he called me on the phone to ask me where the tape was:


Him: Hey um.. where do we keep the tape?
Me: I left the tape with the wrapping paper for you on the table.
Him: I need more tape.
Me: MORE tape? That was a brand new roll!
Him: Well I'm out, do we have more?
Me: Uh.. yeah.. in the tool box.
Him: OkThanksBye! *Click*


I had to buy more tape while I was out because he used ALL the second roll of tape as well.


Last year he wrapped my Ipod touch in a large moving box. That was a roll and a half of wrapping paper (two colors!) and another roll of tape.


I do love that man..

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Rachacha
September 8, 2009 6:54 PM
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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: Beeh...I make all my wrapping paper at home. Color me impressed when he can fit something the size of a refrigerator* into a shirt box, or better yet a ring box. :-) (JK)


* Note I said something the SIZE of a refrigerator because every man knows that unless he wants to spend a month sleeping on the couch that he never buys his wife a refrigerator for Christmas, unless she actually asked for a new refrigerator, and it comes with a nice diamond ring in the crisper drawer.

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JulesNoctambule
September 8, 2009 9:33 PM
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@Rachacha: To hell with the diamond -- I'll take the fridge!

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
September 8, 2009 8:34 PM
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@Rachacha: I can agree with that.. usually if we were to buy something like that we would consider it a \"Together gift\" like when we bought \"eachother\" the Wii year before last.


If I get a diamond ring I don't care what it comes in! Lol.


Actually.. I take that back.. if it comes in a Frosty while doing a Frosty eating contest I probably wouldn't be too happy. A digging a ring out of poo kinda kills the whole thing for me.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 4:17 PM
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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: Hahahahahaha! We wrap all of our gifts, but we always end up with more wrapping paper than we need. We go to the dollar store and we can usually get two big tubes of paper for a dollar. Mr. Pi is pretty good about the wrapping paper, but he usually leaves it to me unless it's a gift for me. I can always tell which ones are supposed to be for me, though, because the corners are slightly wrinkled and the wrapping job is a little loose. And there's usually more tape than necessary, though I think that's more to deter me from unwrapping the gift gingerly to find out what it is.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
September 8, 2009 5:12 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Oh.. it goes without saying that I wrap everything we get for other people. His one job is to wrap whatever he gets for me.. lol.


I think he does it to throw me off as well. I had a sneeking suspicion that it was an iPod, but I was holding out hope that it could have been jewelery.


I guess he did the right thing though.. I use that iPod every day.


I am leery about ultra cheap wrapping paper. I used to wrap all the gifts that my dad would get for our family (grandparents, cousins.) and one year he said he got the best deal on wrapping paper. It was wrapping paper made by Scrooge himself to inspire very Grinchy behavior.


Solid red.. which was fine.. but it was so thin that if you scooched anything over to adjust it would rip holes in it. AND once you got it wrapped it was so thin that you could see through it. So useless and infuriating.


After this, I told him I would be happy to wrap for him if he left the wrapping paper selection up to me.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 5:32 PM
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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: The dollar store paper we got worked out really well for the gifts that just sat under the tree. The ones we take when we have to travel to visit relatives will probably be wrapped in the cheap paper, then put into bags, or it'll be wrapped in the better paper this year. They did well last year, but we did notice some of the corners getting a little thin by the time we got to our destination.


My method of combatting wrapping paper that is so thin, it's practically transparent, is to use paper that has a really bold pattern, and is a darker color, like red, green or blue. Those tend to be much more saturated and will cover up the box underneath.

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bravo369
September 8, 2009 2:27 PM
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I know people who have storage units but it's not even for sentimental items. Personally, I hate clutter so when i have excess stuff, it becomes available on craigslist. if no one wants it there and friends/family don't want it, it's thrown out. i actually just threw out a perfectly good lamp and a single chair this past week after it's been sitting in my basement for the last 6 months and no one wanted it.

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EarlNowak
September 8, 2009 5:34 PM
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@bravo369: My local u-haul storage center does auctions of units that are unpaid and unclaimed after six months. The auctions are silent and almost blind, they open the door and you can look in, but can't enter unless you're the winning bidder.

I've heard stories from those auctions. My favorite is the $150 a month climate controlled unit they opened to find three garbage bags of dirty clothing. Went for $5.

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catskyfire
September 8, 2009 2:56 PM
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@bravo369: Have you tried Craigslist or donating to something like Goodwill?

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P=mv
September 8, 2009 3:07 PM
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@catskyfire: Goodwill gets all my extra stuff. If they decide to throw it away, well at least the resale business had a shot at it.

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outoftheblew
September 8, 2009 2:56 PM
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@bravo369: No thrift stores near you to donate it to?

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syzygy
September 8, 2009 2:28 PM
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If you need to pay someone to store a bunch of your stuff, especially if you haven't set eyes on any of it for 3 months or more, you have too much stuff. Last time I moved, to a much smaller (though much better) place, I ditched over half my stuff, using this rule. If it had been in a box, gathering dust, and had no intrinsic monetary or emotional value, it went to Goodwill or the recycling center. Cathartic is an understatement.

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mmmsoap
September 8, 2009 6:11 PM
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@syzygy: I'll agree with you, to a point. However, there's definitely clothing that I don't see for 6 mos at a time, then swap out for the other 6 mos. Also, photo albums and other mementos from my parents that I don't look at regularly, but would never want to give up.

On the other hand, there are plenty of textbooks from my college days that I thought would make a nice \"reference library\", when in fact the internet does a better job of that. I try my best to give away or chuck clothing that I haven't worn all season, when I'm doing my change of season switch-a-roo, so that I don't store crap for 6 mos.

Then there's the matter of all those CDs I own, that I use digitally on my computer. Should I chuck them? Where's the proof that I own them? If I give away or resell them, am I violating the spirit and/or letter of the RIAA's expectations for me and my music?

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Trai_Dep
September 8, 2009 7:03 PM
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@mmmsoap: If you donate them to your local library, I'd say the karmic gods would be sated. :)

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P=mv
September 8, 2009 3:09 PM
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@syzygy: My husband and I are both in college and as a result it is not unknown for us to move every year. Since we borrow pickup trucks from our friends we often end up throwing away or donating most of our stuff. It is highly cathartic and I often don't notice something is gone. It has helped my husband realize the value of considering a purchase.

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dragonfire81
September 8, 2009 3:14 PM
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@AshCatScram: We do have storage, when I got married and my wife and I moved away, we also had to combine two households since we didn't live together until after marriage.

We did get rid of a lot of stuff before the move, but some of still ended up in storage. Her family already had the storage unit, most of what's in there is not mine.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
September 8, 2009 2:59 PM
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@syzygy: I agree. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't. There are a few things I'm willing to store and move with until such time as I have a chance to put them on display in a larger house. But my husband has, like, a zillion things.

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Real Cheese Flavor
September 8, 2009 2:45 PM
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@syzygy: I've had to to this a couple of times and you're right -- it's very cathartic once you get over the initial trauma of getting rid of things that you've had for years.

It does take a hell of a lot of willpower to do though.

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
September 8, 2009 2:41 PM
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@syzygy: When we moved to our new house in '98, we packed up much stuff we intended never to unpack. There are boxes in our attic of stuff we want to keep for sentimental value (my old toys, etc) But.. considering I'm not really going to have kids and they won't want the boring toys I had we really should just chuck them. I feel bad enough I don't remember any of their names any more.

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copious28
September 8, 2009 2:32 PM
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We have a storage, but with good reason. When I married my wife, we combined all our junk into my tiny (1065 sq ft) house with a dearth of closet space. It was so unruly that we obtained space in a climate controlled storage building...to which is organized and nearly full. I am happy to pay for storage instead of utilities on a 3000sq ft monstrosity here in Texas.

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
September 8, 2009 2:39 PM
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@copious28: When my parents and I lived in our 1200 sq foot home we had a smallish storage unit. When we moved to a 2000 sq foot house we closed out the unit and now have our \"storage\" room.

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MostlyHarmless
September 8, 2009 2:35 PM
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@copious28: Good thing you married your wife. Would have been absolutely sucky if you had married someone who turned out not to be your wife.

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Applekid
September 8, 2009 3:22 PM
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@copious28: By contrast, everyone loves polygamy jokes.

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MostlyHarmless
September 8, 2009 3:13 PM
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@copious28: It is more of a semantics critique. It is apparently funnier when done in person. Though online you have less chance of getting smacked.

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MissPeacock
September 8, 2009 2:34 PM
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I am the kind of person who buys a lot of clothes. Every six months or so I go through my closet and put things in a big pile to give to charity. I am ruthless; if it doesn't fit any more or if I haven't worn it the previous season, out it goes. Same thing for books I no longer want (instead I go to the library now for most of my books), shoes, DVDs, you name it. Makes room for new stuff!

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calquist
September 8, 2009 6:19 PM
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@MissPeacock: I too go through phases where I just want all the junk out! Then I accumulate more stuff and then out it all goes. I'm pretty frugal, but I still manage to always find things to get rid of. I just moved in with the BF and he has this large collection of books that I just really really really want to ebay.

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stanner
September 8, 2009 2:37 PM
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We combined two households and put much stuff into storage. It took us years to finally let go of all the redundancy. I have no idea why. Once we did, it felt like a burden was lifted, finally getting our physical things under control. Less really is more.

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 3:29 PM
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@stanner: Being a packrat runs in my family. It does have its advantages. When I moved out, my dad used the opportunity to unload some housewares onto me. He said he didn't care what I did with it, just don't bring it back. He got rid of some stuff stored for years, and I got needed things for free.

My wife's family took a slightly different approach. When she moved out, her mom gave her the furniture in the living room, along with the dishes and silverware from the kitchen. We got more free needed stuff, and her mom had a great excuse to go shopping for new dishes, silverware, and living room furniture.

It took me years to let go of some stuff. For me, it's just realizing that not only have I not used it, but that after all this time, I'm probably not going to use it.

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calquist
September 8, 2009 6:21 PM
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@Ragman: Packrats run in my family too. I used to keep more junk around, but when grandma died and I experienced my parents cleaning out her house, I have cursed junk for good. Cleaning out years and years of old stuff is pretty quick wake-up call for yourself as well.

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nybiker
September 8, 2009 8:24 PM
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@calquist: Not only am I sure there is a packrat gene, but there is a 'I-don't-care-about-clutter' gene and a procrastination gene. So, I will clean up my house tomorrow. And unpack some of the boxes in the attic (that are in there from 2000) the day after. And two days from tomorrow, I will clear off my dining room tabletop (I eat in the kitchen or off of a dinner tray - ah the joys of bachelorhood).

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become
September 8, 2009 2:38 PM
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I have a small storage area off the patio in my apartment. Its only about 3x5 but its large enough to hold a few extra lamps and boxes for my microwave and bread maker. When I move, the boxes will go back around the stuff and I'm going to sell or trash the lamps.

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SolDeBarber
September 8, 2009 2:40 PM
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We have a storage room in our apartment house. When we first moved in we put the things we didn't want to get rid of but also didn't want to live with there. Years later when we went looking for those things we found out they were gone. We then realize that other tenants used that room as a \"free\" garage sale for things they wanted!

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CountryJustice
September 8, 2009 8:01 PM
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@SolDeBarber: Years later? Not to make an argument that anyone should have open access to your stuff, but it sounds to me like they did you a favor. :D

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 2:44 PM
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@SolDeBarber: This makes me happy that we have a gigantic lock on our storage unit.

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MaxSmart32
September 8, 2009 2:41 PM
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I've got a damp basement. Where should I store Christmas decorations, winter clothes, and the like? Oh...maybe I'll just throw them out every year and buy new ones?

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Taed
September 8, 2009 6:57 PM
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@MaxSmart32: I learned early on that the key rule in storage is to never put anything on the floor due to water accidents (seepage, mini-flood, water heater leak, etc.). So, I've always put stuff up on 2x4s or the ilk. It's saved my stuff from water damage a few times in the last 30 years.

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samurailynn
September 8, 2009 3:21 PM
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@MaxSmart32: We did what Lel said and got a dehumidifier plus some shelves. We do get some water on the floor, so having the boxes and stuff up on shelves keeps it safe. Also, those big plastic bins with lids help keep stuff safe and dry.

When we lived in apartments we didn't have that much stuff to store. Now that we're in a house, we've ended up buying tools and stuff that are not in every day use, but are definitely worth it to keep around.

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Powerlurker
September 8, 2009 6:40 PM
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@samurailynn:

Definitely get a dehumidifier, they're cheap and they work. Just make sure to empty it periodically. When my parents put shelving up in their basement, they got big piles of Gorm shelves from Ikea which are really cheap and pretty heavy duty, enough to almost circle the perimeter of the basement. It's simple, strong, unfinished wood-plank shelving that can be put together in pretty much any configuration you want.

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ohnoes
September 8, 2009 3:16 PM
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@Lel: Agreed. Damp can also promote mold growth which can be hazardous to your health. It'll also damage the walls and encourage pests.

By figuring out why your basement is damp and ameliorating that problem you're avoiding a bunch of headaches (literally if you have mold allergies like mine) down the road.

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danger the pirate
September 8, 2009 2:54 PM
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@MaxSmart32: this stuff is awesome. either that or seal the stuff in those big ziplocks. its stupid to pay for storage if you have a basement.

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TouchMyMonkey
September 8, 2009 2:49 PM
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A lot of my still-usable but no longer needed crap gets set out to the curb. Somebody will come along in a pickup truck and take it off my hands. That and a resolution to at least try not to buy any more crap like that kind of keeps my clutter to a minimum.

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Starfury
September 8, 2009 4:35 PM
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@HurtsSoGood:

As we go through stuff (mostly kids clothing they outgrow) it'll accumulate in the garage. Once the pile is big enough I do a garage sale. I'll pocket $100 or so, then the rest to the goodwill. Sometimes if the garage sale leftovers aren't much they'll be on the curb with a FREE sign. No matter what's out there someone picks it up inside of 3 hours.

As for storage units: I don't have one. My parents were pack rats and I've managed to (mostly) break that habit. When the back yard is re-done I'll be adding a shed but that is for a wheelbarrow, lawn mower, and other outdoor items that don't need to be in the garage.

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u1itn0w2day
September 8, 2009 2:51 PM
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Funny thing how the internet was mentioned in the OP. Half my storage is text & reference books and notes . I have since found reference materiel in smaller books AND the internet . Lots of magazines as well . I think it's ' the sweat equity ' on time & money on buying the books and doing the assignments .


I have reduced my storage unit size over the years and basically could abandoned the unit and stuff in an emergency . But it also gives a place to store in an emergency .


And if you use storage set up shelves don't just throw stuff in there in piles of boxes . If it's organized you are more likely to use the stuff and won't dred going to storage to find it . It's easier to keep clean as well .


Also if a concrete floor try to avoid setting cardboard boxes on floor -attracts moisture . Use plastic totes or elevate on wood blocks or use shelving .

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
September 8, 2009 2:56 PM
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I am actually considering getting a storage unit. We are suffering from \"both our grandmothers died right before we got married and so everyone thought we should get all their extra stuff.\" Our house is little; definitely not big enough for our stuff plus two sets of grandmas' stuffs, and we've already been through and culled everything that's really get-rid-of-able.

It wasn't so bad before but now that we have the baby, I feel like the storage space in our house is bursting at the seams and when we start storing baby stuff as this one outgrows it and until a potential sibling needs it, we will be absolutely crammed in here.

We are loosely pondering moving, which would probably have to happen if we had a second kid, but I sort-of feel like paying a small amount for a small monthly storage unit would be cheaper than buying a new house before we need it, or at least allow us to take our time in finding the right house.

(Also, a lot of the stuff that's left is my husband's ... and he is too sentimental to get rid of ANYTHING. Getting it down to where it is now was a six year battle and the rest isn't going anywhere. I'm resigned to living with it as a condition of my happy marriage, so getting rid of more isn't an option right now. As for me, it's either in use, or it's confined to a single small box of sentimental stuff. My husband has tubs and tubs of sentimental stuff that has no use.)

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 3:36 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): My wife had me take pics of some of her keepsakes and old things, like high school award plaques, certificates, and old records. That way she can have a reminder without having to store all that bulky stuff. I've been doing that with my stuff as well.

It was nice once we decided we weren't going to have another baby and we could get rid of the old baby stuff. We really did not want to buy all that stuff again if we had another one. :-)

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u1itn0w2day
September 8, 2009 3:17 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I can't emphasize enough to stay organized/use shelves for non furniture type itemns . If you just pile it in there you'll stop looking for it and using it .


It took me a couple of years to realize that . Like an idiot I had un-used cabinets & shelves in there under the premise I would be moving shortly -pffttt , never happend . And if you do have important papers make sure there in an envelope or small box even if in cabinet . An inconsistent or humid enviorment plays havoc with paper and cardboard . Cover stuff as well .


DON'T pile it in there .

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
September 8, 2009 3:45 PM
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@u1itn0w2day: We have many shelves. And labeled tupperware tubs stacked in a dedicated corner.

@Ragman: We've already done a lot of that stuff -- I turned some of his old T-shirts into a T-shirt quilt, we sorted through until he had just the MOST meaningful reminder of event X, we discussed whether his grandmother would want him to keep a hat she gave him when he was eight that he never wore or whether she'd want it to keep another child warm ... and still, there's SO MUCH STUFF and it's like pulling teeth. Stupid little tchotchke? \"Oh, but I got that when we were on our third date to the art fair!\" \"But you MARRIED me, you don't need a tchotchke that reminds you of me!\" \"But it was our third date!\"

The man saves voicemails so he can listen to my voice from two years ago. It's hard to fight. :P

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
September 8, 2009 4:32 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I just have to say this:


Awwww... he is really sweet. It makes you want to squeeze him like an old childhood teddy bear.


/Sappyness


On the other hand.. I could also see you wanting to strangle him.. like an old childhood teddy bear.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
September 8, 2009 5:03 PM
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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: That's just about it exactly. :) It's one of the most intensely frustrating things for me, all the PILES OF CRAP, but I realize that if that's the worst problem he has? That's a good thing. And that it's an expression of his love for various people, even if it's not an expression I'd go with.

So I try to be zen about it and come up with compromises and solutions, but the next house we buy is going to have, like, a bonus room over the garage or something to be his man cave and it will allllllll go in there and I will never go in there. :)

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
September 8, 2009 5:28 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): It was the thing about the voicemails that made me go \"awww\" the most.. That's just really sweet and it doesn't take up any real space.


I guess I'm like that about a lot of things.. I still have some chat logs saved from when my husband and I met (We met online.) and other things like that. I like keeping my \"digital clutter\".


I'm a reformed packrat myself. One step at a time.

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nybiker
September 8, 2009 8:31 PM
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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: I'd ask you what you did to break the packrat habit, but then I'd probably just store the info on my pc somewhere and forget about it. But if you have a simple rule you followed, I'm sure all of us, who haven't gotten through the rehab yet, would like to know it.

TIA.

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 6:56 PM
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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: I'm with you on digital packrating. At least that way you can indulge the OCD tendencies without the worry of a camera crew showing up and the words \"mayhem\" and \"foolishness\" being bandied about. And you can take it all with you to the nursing home.

\"What do you mean you need ANOTHER 1.5 TB disk drive!?\"

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh
September 8, 2009 8:40 PM
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@Ragman: Your comment made me Lol : P I'm more of a Clean Sweep fan myself, but they seem to have canceled that show : ( I guess people like Neicey better than Peter Walsh.


I still have a few hangups when it comes to real clutter, but I am much.. much better than I used to be. Like I said.. One step at a time.

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 7:54 PM
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@Ragman: Ahh, digital packratting. I still have old college papers that I have saved simply because I got an A+ on them.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
September 8, 2009 5:08 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): It's not hoarding, btw. Just general pack-rattery. If it were hoarding it'd be a different conversation.

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 4:32 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): T-shirt quilts rock - my ma-in-law quilts.

I do have a habit of keeping old clothing mementos. Lots of tshirts with designs. I just have to sit down and decide if a pic of the item will work for me, or if it's a tactile kind of thing.

In the past few years I finally sold off my old Atari 2600 system and my first computer (TRS-80 CoCo2). I kept the pics of them I put on eBay and find that they work fine as mementos. Especially since I didn't have any desire to actually mess around with that stuff again.

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TCama
September 8, 2009 2:58 PM
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I've only used self-storage once. It was the last summer of college, and if you live in the dorms, there's no way to store your stuff during the summer. So instead of lugging it all home and back, I just got a storage unit locally.

Other than that, no, I don't pay to store a bunch of junk.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
September 8, 2009 3:11 PM
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@TCama: At my college, where students stayed in the same dorm all four years (unless they moved off campus), each dorm would rent a semi truck container and you'd pay per share to store things like couches, boxes, etc. -- $30 a couch, $5 a box -- which was worked out to combined pay for the container, transportation, and summer storage at a local place.

It was enormously convenient except that it came about a week before finals (to encourage us to move out sooner) so during finals week you'd be living like a monk if you stored most of your stuff!

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pecan 3.14159265
September 8, 2009 3:55 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): A friend of mine was reduced to sleeping in the closet because all of her stuff was in storage and her clothes had already been packed up!

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CFinWV
September 8, 2009 3:00 PM
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After my father died I needed a storage unit for his antiques, I lived in a hobbit-sized apartment so whatever didn't fit I had to put in storage. It was useful for the amount of time it took for me to buy a house, but I couldn't have stuff in storage long term. Too much could go wrong, in fact some mice ate through my antique rugs during the 5 months I had them in storage.

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Trai_Dep
September 8, 2009 3:01 PM
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There's a simple clarity to shopping when, if I look at something, I know I'll have to throw something out back at home if I buy it. Like Jacob Marley screeching on my shoulder every Christmas Eve, it's saved me from buying many a waterbed.
Discard your temp storage pods, good readers, and you'll be amazed at the vim & vigor it provides your consuming discipline.

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MostlyHarmless
September 8, 2009 3:17 PM
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@Trai_Dep: Exactly the thing keeping me from buying a new TV, and 5 new computers.

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boomerang86
September 8, 2009 3:01 PM
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I live in a townhome community where about 2/3 of the homeowners use their single attached garage for... you guessed it, storing stuff. Some are packed to the gills too.


MY garage is for parking a car, and what little space remains around it is used to sore a reasonable amount of stuff.

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ARP
September 8, 2009 3:04 PM
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There is a website entirely dedicated to organizing and decluttering, even for those with kids, small spaces, etc.


[unclutterer.com]


Full disclosure: I don't work for them, I'm just a fan.

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MostlyHarmless
September 8, 2009 3:17 PM
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@ARP: ASTROTURFING!!! You filthy little declutterer you...

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PLATTWORX
September 8, 2009 3:07 PM
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My closets are clean, my basement is empty and my car is the only thing in my garage. What I don't use that is worthwhile is given to charity twice a year and written off on the taxes.


Why people store so much stuff escapes me. I have a friend who can barely walk in his house. Why?

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ChuckECheese
September 8, 2009 4:19 PM
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@PLATTWORX: People overvalue their stuff. Their stuff holds too much significance, and some people claim their stuff has near-sentient qualities. For hoarders and people with OCD, this overwrought overvaluation of objects becomes extreme, and in the worst cases, nothing can be relinquished.

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Rachacha
September 8, 2009 4:02 PM
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@PLATTWORX: For some it is a disease where they can't throw anything away even though it is clearly broken or no longer needed. I suffer from it to an extent where I no longer need something but save some of the parts (like the external power supplies for a cordless phone or a baby monitor) \"just in case\" I need one. There have been some times where I was able to re-purpose these old things, but I usually get to a point and say after 6-9 months and never needing this thing it is gone. I do however have relatives who have to hire someone to help them make the decision to throw things away, sell them, or give them to Charity because they can't make the decision on their own. For example, a relative dies, and they inherit all of their belongings, but can't bear to get rid of a 30 year old couch with bad springs because it belonged to \"Cousin Fred\" (along with his mixer, and refrigerator, and his blue velvet suits from the 1970s and his...)


I personally however have an attic full of baby items (swings, walkers, play yards etc) that we are saving because we are not completely sure that we are done with our family, so that takes up a lot of space. I would love to clean out that storage space so I could store infrequently used, but still needed items up there.

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nybiker
September 8, 2009 8:33 PM
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@Rachacha: Thanks for answering the question for me. Saved me the trouble of writing it all down for them.


And a side note: What's wrong with blue velvet suits? ;-)

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 3:09 PM
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When I first moved out on my own, I ended up having to get a 2 bedroom apt. That turned out to be better, since I ended up with a 12x12 climate controlled onsite storage room for $30/month. My mom was renting a climate controlled 3x5 closet for $50/month at the same time from a storage place.

When we bought our house, we made sure there was a room we could use for storage. I like to park in my garage. :-)

I'm currently going through old reference books, textbooks, technical magazines, and throwing them out. I've realized that I don't use them anymore since I can Google up answers faster then I can dig through reference books. I also find it more convenient to have any reference material I want to keep stored as softcopy on my PC.

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aswearengen
September 8, 2009 3:13 PM
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If you aren't using your stuff, you might as well save the storage fees and just sell the stuff. For example, a friend of mine got divorced young and moved back in with his parents until he could buy his own place. He put all his furniture and what not in storage. I think he was paying upwards of $200 a month storage. Well, he finally moved out 4 years later, so he spent upwards of $9600 to store furniture that cost maybe $4000k. He could have sold it for $1000 up front, saved the $9600 storage, and just bought new furniture for $5000 when he got a new place - he would have saved himself over $5600.

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floraposte
September 8, 2009 3:18 PM
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I'm lucky, in that I have a basement, and I've been seeing enough end-of-life massive tossouts that I'm starting to weed out. But it's a real luxury, and I'm unreasonably attached to so many of possessions that I'm glad I can take my time the uncluttering, live in a perfectly civilized house, and avoid paying for external storage.

In short--there but for the grace of a basement go I.

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Colonel Jack O'Neill
September 8, 2009 3:26 PM
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I don't get why people put stuff in storage. If you aren't going to use something, why keep it. Especially antique furniture, that kind of stuff should be used, not in some storage where no one can see it or it's never gonna be used. Doesn't make any sense.

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johnfrombrooklyn
September 8, 2009 3:29 PM
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If you struggle with getting rid of stuff you don't need, watch a few episodes of Hoarders which can be seen in the US on A&E channel. That will set you on a \"getting rid of stuff\" path.

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drjayphd
September 8, 2009 5:18 PM
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@johnfrombrooklyn: As soon as I saw that show was on, I set the timer, then just left it on in hopes that it might rub off on my mother. Alas, didn't seem to work yet. Maybe it's time to sign us up?

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 3:45 PM
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@johnfrombrooklyn: My wife got into \"Clean House\" this year, and it's got us giving our stuff a more critical eye than in the past.

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johnfrombrooklyn
September 8, 2009 4:04 PM
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Clean House is good too but Hoarders takes it to a whole new level. Clean House avoids the garbage, dirt, feces, animal skeletons, and everything else that triggers the gag reflex. Hoarders doesn't shy away. The folks in Hoarders actually border on mentally ill; Clean House could be most of us.@Ragman:

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 4:44 PM
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@johnfrombrooklyn: If it triggers the gag reflex, I wouldn't say it \"borders\" on mentally ill.

We aren't as bad as those on \"Clean House\", but the way they have people make decisions about good, usable stuff is more applicable to us.

I may be a packrat, but I'm also quite organized. I may have a lot of stuff, but for the majority of it, I know what's in it and where it's at.

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mnicolson
September 8, 2009 3:33 PM
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Recycle the crap then take the good things and ship them to countries in need.

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Pixel
September 8, 2009 3:48 PM
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I rented a storage unit for a few months when I was between housing. I had an apartment's worth of furniture/books/dishware/etc. and was renting one small bedroom from a friend. So it all went into storage, then as soon as I got a place of my own it all came out.

I'm prone to clutter by nature, so I have to watch myself. I use every move as a reason to sort & purge. And everything that I think is clutter and/or I haven't touched goes into boxes together to be stashed in a closet or something in the new place. 6-12mths later I'll pull those boxes out and reevaluate everything in them. On average I keep 4-5small items out of each big box.

I'm already pondering/planning the storage system for my future house. Since I won't have moving to keep my junk is check I'm goign to need a way to know what I have and how much to make it harder to lose track of, and easier to toss.

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 4:49 PM
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@Pixel: We used moving to sort & purge as well. I always thought of every load carried down the stairs for goodwill/etc as one less round trip on the stairs come moving day.

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Rachacha
September 8, 2009 3:49 PM
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The one and only time that I had a storage unit was when I was in an apartment right after I got married, and we were combining 2 households. Many of my belongingw I was going to give to my Brother who was just starting out, so I put it into storage until I could transport it to him out of state. After we cleaned out that stuff, we purchased a home, and had to wait a couple of months before we could move into it. We acquired things as they were going on sale (lawnmower 50% of, and some other furniture that we wanted to have in the house, but that would not fit in the apartment) The net result was that we were paying $30/month for a small storage unit, and saved probably $200 on purchases, for a net savings of about $100. As soon as we were able to move into the house, we stopped renting a storage area.

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msquier
September 8, 2009 3:57 PM
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I do accumulate things; mainly other people's old things by buying used stuff but I live in a 1600 square foot plus hatch attic, mostly empty ranch house. Unless the hubby and I have a couple of kids, I don't think storage space will ever really be any sort of a problem.

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H3ion
September 8, 2009 4:05 PM
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We have a basement in our house. I don't think we have very much stored there but our children use it as they would use Public Storage. If we ever move, they're going to have some problems.

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elysse
September 8, 2009 4:16 PM
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sounds like all these people need jonesbigasstruckrentalandstorage.com!

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ModernTenshi04
September 8, 2009 4:21 PM
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I'm working to de-clutter my life.

My family moved to our current home back in 1995, and we still have boxes we haven't even opened or really gone through to see what's in them. You'd think we'd have enough room since the house we're in now is larger than the one we came from, but here we stand.

I think you never realize how much crap you have in your life that you don't really need until you move.

I'm also constantly baffled at people who use their garages as large storage areas instead of a place to keep their cars. Our neighbors across the street have so much crap in their garage it's insane. They live on the corner, so they have plenty of curb to park their numerous cars (it's a large family), yet they still occasionally park in front of our house.

Only people I know of who now don't seem to park their cars in their garage keeps their dirt bikes in there, bu they have a wider driveway with plenty of room for all four of their cars to pull in and out without problems, but at the very least they're storing vehicles in the garage.

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drjayphd
September 8, 2009 5:24 PM
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@ModernTenshi04: I'm also constantly baffled at people who use their garages as large storage areas instead of a place to keep their cars.

Easy. Our garage is too narrow for modern cars.

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Ragman
September 8, 2009 5:02 PM
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@ModernTenshi04: I told my wife when we moved into our house that EVERY box would be unpacked - even the keepsake/mementos. Then we would repack the mementos and put them in the closet. I had spent the previous decade moving between parent's homes, college, and apartments across 3 states. I never was able to fully unpack because I knew that a move was inevitable at some point, and I would also keep all my moving and packing materials.

Once we got in our house, ALL of the moving boxes were given away to friends and coworkers that were moving. It was my way of saying I was done moving and was not planning on doing so again.

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Daveed
September 8, 2009 4:46 PM
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I have things still stored at my parents house when I moved out 9 years ago.

I've told them, it's been long enough that they can probably safely throw it away. Just don't let me see it before hand because I may be overcome with nostalgia and want it. Which I definitely don't have space for.

That being said, that's my picture on the post, yay!

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econobiker
September 8, 2009 4:52 PM
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Storage units are usefull if you have certain temporary or permanent situations- a long distance move and need to drop stuff while you look for a good apartment/house, renovating a home, moving an older relative into your house/assisted living and clearing their home for sale, live in an apartment and have no where to store tools or a collectible vehicle, divorcing and need to clear half a home worth of furniture quickly, etc.


Key thing is to store actual valuable items- not junk, and to organize the storage unit. I had to clear out a full house footprint basement 2 -car garage full of vintage motorcycles and support items when I went through my divorce several years ago.


I now have a 10x30 unit (with an actual 12x30 foot print area) that I had about 15 vintage motorcycles stored in along with multiple parts, tools, work benches, spare engines, etc. stored in.

Figure on getting some pallets to lift boxes off the ground -if it is an indoor unit you might be able to use just 2x4 pieces. Realize that even indoor units may be affected if the next door neighbor has something leak out and under the wall to your items.


I built a huge shelf out of long skinny pallets for parts tubs - ie Rubbermaid tubs- stacked three tall below and two tall on the shelf- full of parts. I also hung wood planks from the units structural steel using chains (kind of like dog chain on steroids) to stack lighter items on. I was able to score some free scrap industrial shelving and have put alot of items on this since getting it set up.


One rule of thumb is that your items will take 2x the actual size needed to store them if not organized well. I ended up with 2 units 10x30 for three months as I organized the unit I intended to keep at nights after work.


I spend $100 a month (I figured in this amount being part of my household rent which was a $599 apartment at that time I got the unit- more now) on this unit which is due to it being in a rural area outside of Nashville, TN and the storage business being kind of second rate. It lacks amenities like inside lights, accessable power outlets, has a gravel lot- though the lot is pin # controlled and there are lights in the driveways/ parking lot.


I had to put some caulking and spray foam into the units corners and seams but it has been pretty dry since doing that. I got around the lack of lights inside the unit by hitting the u-pull-it junk yard and cutting out three 12 volt brake light sockets with lights from older model cars which I ran inside the unit hanging from the structural steel. I have an extra 10' of cord with two alligator clamps that I run to my car's or truck's battery posts and this gives me enough light to safely move around at night time.


My 2nd spouse and I have been slowly moving out some of the non-essential items and I have sold down about 5 of the vintage motorcycles as we are working the amount of items stored down. Having a garage again for my workbenches and tools helps now. The manager/owner of the place has told me that the bad economy is hitting him too with more defaults along with more people clearing homes in foreclosures- who he figures will eventually default on the storage in larger than usual percentages.

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Powerlurker
September 8, 2009 7:06 PM
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@econobiker:

Yeah, the only time I've ever rented storage was when I needed some place to store my stuff during the summer when I was in college. My parents rented a unit for a while when they were having some renovations done to the house and needed to store the contents of a room during this time. Also, a lot of the REALLY large units 10'x30'+ are frequently rented by businesses. When chatting with the manager of the place I stored my crap in college, they mentioned that, for example, one of their big units was rented by a local law firm that would store wrecked autos for lawsuits involving accidents with said cars. For another example, a family friend rents a big unit for his business because a change in regulations required him to retain records for longer than he previously was. Since his business barely had enough space on the premises to store the records he was already keeping, he decided to move record storage to a 10x30 unit at a local self storage.

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Omir The Storyteller
September 8, 2009 4:57 PM
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We moved all of our junk out of a storage unit earlier this year and are now storing it in our garage and a couple of spare rooms in the house. Not only do we not have to pay $200/mo to store all that junk, when we get ambitious we can go to the garage, grab a few boxes, sort through them and wonder how and why it was we ended up with so much . . . junk. Any why we paid so long to store it.

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misslisa
September 8, 2009 5:19 PM
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Never before have I felt so grateful to have a 2.5 car garage & a huge utility room as now, after reading this.

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u1itn0w2day
September 8, 2009 6:01 PM
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Somethings to consider when shopping for a storage unit . First proximity , the closer it is the more frequently you'll go there . Then I'd say worry about cost unless a GREAT deal .


Be aware of introductory offers like a months rent for free those storage units tend to raise the rent every single year if not twice a year . I've found the places with no intro offer have fewer increases .


Also if you are being offered a second floor unit make sure it's enviormentally controlled . Second floors can get really hot or really cold and damp let alone a potential roof leak . A lot of in and out of your unit might not be convenient . I like ground floor units because your car is always near by .


Make sure you have access to a dumpster . Although most places make you break up bulky trash to avoid straight out dumping or abandoning .

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haunted
September 8, 2009 6:47 PM
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freecycle.org - find people to come over who can use the stuff and take it away with them! So far I've put two pairs of mules and an electric fireplace back into circulation and someone gave me a flat of cat food.
It's such a great feeling that I'm not just throwing something in the trash that others could use or might need. It makes it so easy to let go of all these things.
They certainly don't need to be in my apartment collecting dust and sucking up space.

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SteveBMD
September 8, 2009 7:40 PM
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\"Meanwhile, the price of much of what we were buying plunged...\"

I was just thinking about this the other day... When I was a kid in the 70s-80s, I had a massive collection of Atari 2600 games, probably costing $30-40 (in 1980s dollars) apiece. Now, as a father, I see that my kid is just as happy with a 99-cent iPod game (and it's a better game, too, IMHO).

Same goes for other consumer electronics, and even books and board games. In all, I think I'm only paying a fraction of what my parents paid for \"fun stuff.\"

And I'm making probably twice the money that my parents did! Makes me wonder where the rest of my money is going... Maybe I don't want to know, lol.

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SugarMag
September 8, 2009 7:43 PM
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I don't plan on paying for storage simply b/c I wanted to keep the amount of junk in my life to a minimum.


I live in a small apt with two small closets. Storage is $40 extra a month. I have no linen closet nor a pantry even. It keeps me from accumlating too much stuff, which I see as positive (since I lean towards the pack rat ways of my parents)


If I did need storage I assume my parents' four bedroom empty nester house has some room for my junk.

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lajoan
September 8, 2009 7:53 PM
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I know a real estate investor--also a minimalist--who has made a fortune off of buying storage unit facilities. He's making money off these poor suckers who pay money to store crap that they probably didn't have the money to buy it with in the first place. Better return than the stock market.

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CountryJustice
September 8, 2009 8:14 PM
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The only thing I won't get rid of is reference material. I'm convinced that one day in my future house I will have an impressive library room in which to store and display my impressive collection of knowledge. Did I mention I'm a bit of a Jeffersonian?

The trouble is that because I value them so much I refuse to store them somewhere remotely. So I have a whole spare bedroom full of boxed books and journals that I can't yet properly shelve. My cross to bear, I guess.

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Ben_Q2
September 8, 2009 9:21 PM
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When my ex-wife clean out my house that was the best thing she could do. I have a 5 bedroom plus home with so much stuff in it (before). She was paying over $200 a month when I lock it on her. Turn out it was full of junk stuff.

I also own a 22ft locker on my land. All Holiday stuff. Rule is, if I need to pack it away, I trash it.

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KelbornCmd
September 8, 2009 9:46 PM
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All I can say is, this reminds me of the main character in Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, who lived in a self-storage unit. If my student debt is too high, I may end up following a similar path...

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nacoran
September 9, 2009 2:35 AM
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I built a shed at my mother's house.

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u1itn0w2day
September 9, 2009 3:02 AM
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I've already mentioned this before but I think one of th main reasons that storage use is dropping is that many of the big corporate storage companies gouge you by trying to raise rates at least once a year . I had to take my stuff out of Extra Space Storage . They used to be Storage USA . Storage USA was OK . There was still wiggle room in price increases - they were happy to keep you as a tenant and get AN increase even if it was 5$ per month per year .


Extra Space Storage had a take it or leave the premises rent increase policy based on what they thought they could get in the area . Too me steady occupancy/payments is just as important as a rent increase but they didn't get it .

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BarkingLeopard
September 9, 2009 3:58 AM
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There's storage, and then there's organization, and then there's just getting off your butt and actually touching your stuff.

Case in point: My girlfriend was helping her landlord organize the landlord's stuff, and came across a wedding gift... from the landlord's wedding 10 years ago... that was STILL WRAPPED! No joke.

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kaleberg
September 9, 2009 4:29 AM
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We use our garage for storage and have a lot of seasonal stuff for Christmas, Halloween, our Hawaiian luau, Halloween, lobster season, our rental business and so on. About 2/3 of it gets used annually. One hard and fast rule. If we've thrown it out once and then bought a replacement, we keep it. That mainly goes for books, DVDs, tools and cooking gear.

We should note that it is often hard to get rid of things. What do you do with old financial records? I wound up paying to get them shredded, but it was an ordeal finding someone to handle this. I did notice one new business in Seattle:

[www.kaleberg.com]

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phate
September 9, 2009 8:17 AM
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I currently keep my Arcade Cabs in storage. I actually wish I had the room to keep them with me where I am at now. But no, 2 candy cabs, a Neo Geo, and a bunch of pcbs just don't fit at my place.

Hopefully soon I can get a bigger place and ditch the storage.

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Propaniac
September 9, 2009 4:54 PM
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My storage unit is my parents' basement.

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alshultz
September 10, 2009 6:20 AM
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I've actually been to a storage unit sale. Most of them work like this: Individual stops paying rent for his storage unit; storage company continuously notifies individual about paying the rent; if the storage company can prove they attempted to contact the individual several times with no success, they open up the storage unit doors and have a big garage sale of whatever is inside.

The garage sale I went through was just sad. You're going through people's lives. No holds barred either. I mean most of these storage units were just filled with personal information like office papers, bills, credit card information, the works.

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