Are you fed up with the belongings that you don’t use on a day-to-day basis taking up space in your home? You want your spare room back so you can transform it into something useful rather than simply using it for storage. Tripping over the running machine you bought on a whim stresses you out each and every time you do it. And, you really don’t need all your summery things taking up space during winter and vice versa.
But, while using a storage unit is a great idea, you need to ask yourself a few questions about what you plan to put in there first. You may find that you end up with less that actually needs storing, which means you can get a smaller unit and therefore save yourself some money.
Question 1: Do I need this?
Do you really need it – when was the last time you used it? If you haven’t used it over the last year it is unlikely you will ever use it again. Perhaps that exercise bike you bought with the intention of getting fit has just sat in the corner of the room and become a clothes hanger. If this goes in a unit, will you ever get it out and if you do will it just end up covered in clothes again? Rather than buying bigger storage than you need, to get this out of the home, why not sell it and get at least some of your money back?
Question 2: Do I like it?
Tastes change over the years and something that was perfect for your home a few years ago may not be right for it now. If that is the case, will it ever be? Probably not. So, again there really isn’t any point putting this into storage. Pop these items onto eBay or have a car boot sale and you may find you make enough money to put towards paying for your storage unit.
Question 3: Does it work?
If it doesn’t work or it is old and tatty and you have no intention of fixing it up – which if you are putting into storage is unlikely – then it should be going in the bin, not sitting in your storage unit taking up extra space that you don’t need to be paying for.
Question 4: Is it yours?
We accumulate so many items that aren’t ours – things perhaps borrowed off friends or family and never returned. Well, whether you are planning to put it in the unit or it will remain in your house taking up space, now is the time to return it.
Question 5: Can it be stored in your home?
There are so many quirky hacks that provide you with storage in space you never thought possible using items you may not have considered. So make sure you research these and see if there are any that would fit in your home and help you find the space you need.
Question 6: How are you going to store it?
Out of the items you are going to store, what are you most likely to need access to? These need to be at the front and the items you use the least can be at the back. You may want to consider putting these in clear stacker boxes and make sure you label everything so no matter how long it is until you need it, you can quickly and easily find what you need.
