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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become

October 7, 2009 2:37 PM

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Wow. Remind me never to buy a storage unit. I may *have* to if I move to keep my washer and dryer until I move into a place where they will go. But that is a guaranteed thing.
I just need to cull my apartment so I don't HAVE extra possesions before I move.

3 replies

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henneko

October 7, 2009 2:56 PM

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@Oranges w/ Cheese needs guidance: \"I may *have* to if I move to keep my washer and dryer until I move into a place where they will go\"

Look at the cost of storing them (for months? Years?) vs. the cost of just buying a new washer and dryer minus donating the old set for a deduction.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

October 7, 2009 7:00 PM

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@henneko: this - i stored mine off and on for months every once and a while in between places but the last time i moved it was supposed to be for a couple of years [although it turned out to be 7 months] to a place where i wouldn't need them.
i sold the washer, donated the dryer.
i had stored quite a few possessions in a storage unit for those months but i would have had to pay $30 a month more for a unit large enough to hold the washer and dryer. $210 - my washer and dryer were of an age and style where i could have replaced both of them for $150 off craigslist.

*i ended up buying a house with w/d included

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*

October 7, 2009 5:38 PM

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@henneko: also take into account the energy savings of new models

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become

October 8, 2009 4:04 PM

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@gStein: They are new - front loaders both. I got them for a STEAL at a scratch and dent place.

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AustinTXProgrammer

October 7, 2009 2:44 PM

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I just rented two climate controlled storage units, and they collectively cost a lot of money. But my mother passed away and I wanted to get her home on the market as quickly as possible. It is a perfect entry level home and the tax credit has that sector booming in my region, but we would have to find a buyer in the next 3-4 weeks to close in time.

Now the hard part will be to avoid falling into the trap of keeping it there for a long time. There is so much stuff!

1 replies

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*

October 7, 2009 5:41 PM

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@AustinTXProgrammer: after my grandfather passed away, we had a construction-sized dumpster delivered to his house.
He had lived in that house for 25 years, and was a tinkerer. which meant that when something broke, he'd buy a new one, and keep the old one, either to \"fix later\" or \"use for parts\".
(we filled what must have been a 20' dumpster)
The 5 kids took most of the furniture, tools, dishes, books... and a fair amount of it was sold in the estate auction

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j-o-h-n

October 7, 2009 2:51 PM

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Paying $1000/mo for 4 years (so far) to keep your crap in storage. Wow. Bad plan.

We have an old pop-up camper we take on vacations and at one point I thought about renting a storage unit for it -- it would literally be cheaper for me to blow it up and buy another one every year -- so in the driveway it sits.

1 replies

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*

October 7, 2009 5:41 PM

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@j-o-h-n: and you can use it as a storage unit!

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October 7, 2009 2:58 PM

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My parents and I share a storage unit, but it has actually been necessary/useful. I didn't plan on going to grad school when I got an apartment my senior year of college, so I thought I'd never have to move to smaller place again. Think again. Of course, I decided I wanted to go to grad school (and thus, forgo the getting a nice place that goes along with having a swanky engineering job) AFTER I had amassed a bunch of furniture and kitchen appliances and random crap. So it's all sitting in a storage unit, neatly organized and ready to go. I actually stopped by the other day to say hi to my entertainment unit and coffee table and swap out my summer clothes for my winter clothes. I definitely won't give that up. Plus, my parents seem to have forgotten that I said I'd pitch in and pay for it...and given that the storage unit and my health care are the only ways I'm not fully self-supporting...I'll let that one slide. :)

2 replies

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh

October 7, 2009 3:22 PM

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@katstermonster: I hear that. The only thing I have left that isn't self supporting is mine and my husband's cellphones. My dad has us on his family plan and he said we can stay on it as long as we want to.

He likes being able to call me whenever he wants to. I think him paying the bill leaves him feeling entitled to do so. lol. I don't mind.

Recently he added internet to my phone and I told him not to.. but he insisted. I love my dad : )

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October 7, 2009 6:09 PM

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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: Aw, my cellphone, too. I've been offering to take over paying that for YEARS, and my parents have said no. I'm kind of glad, though....I can't live without my Crackberry, and that's a $30/month data plan. That plus texting plus minutes...it would be bad. I'm not much of a texter or a talker, especially since a lot of my friends have Crackberries and we use BBM, but it still adds up.

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October 7, 2009 3:41 PM

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I rented storage for a few months between closing on the house I sold and being able to move into the house that was still under construction (I was living in a small/cheap apartment.) I think the total ended up being 4 months, it didn't cost nearly what the woman in the article was paying, I was flush with cash (because I hadn't rolled the cash from house 1 into the down payment on house 2) and it STILL grated on my nerves every month I paid that check. If we have to move where we can only afford a tiny place for my partner's residency, we'll sell/donate what we can't fit, renting a junkApartment for my possessions doesn't work for me.

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October 7, 2009 3:42 PM

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RE: Bartering, barter with yourself (no, seriously) you want something new? Get rid of something old - post it on Craigslist or E-Bay and save the proceeds till you can use them to pay for the new shiny thing you'll forget about by January.

2 replies

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pecan 3.14159265

October 7, 2009 3:53 PM

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@MickeyMoo: This is effective only when you need something new to replace something you already have. And only if someone would actually ever buy the thing you're trying to sell.

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October 7, 2009 5:04 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: You'd be absolutely amazed at the junk people will buy on Craigslist, as long as you set a realistic price for it. I've sold old lawn mowers that barely run, a bicycle a former roommate trashed and had a half-ass repair job done on so that it was never particularly good anymore, etc. All items were advertised honestly as to their condition and utility, and people are still willing to pay something for them and keep my garage capable of sheltering automobiles instead of just junk.

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