Sorry Derrel, it’s nothing personal. Part of my disappointment in seeing your “Here we grow again!” sign in our community was that they aren’t replanting an orchard where the orange trees once grew. You’re “growing” a mini storage facility instead.
According to Neighbor.com, self storage is a growing industry. The US 2019 annual revenue topped $39 billion with 1.7 billion square feet of rentable space at an average of $88/unit/month (about $1,000/year).
In my business, when clients are ready to empty their storage, they’ve often spent thousands of dollars storing what ends up being mostly donations and trash. Things they could live without, but didn’t.
Let’s look at some Timely Tips that validate the storage industry, show where the pitfalls lie and how to avoid them.
Timely Tips for self storage
Business Storage
Self storage is a valid option for businesses with minimal warehousing needs:
Products
Supplies
Archived records
Pitfalls:
No one responsible for monitoring contents
The risk of running out or purchasing too much higher since not on site
Poorly labeled archives or no “Destroy After” dates, cause a buildup and need for additional storage
Solutions:
Establish a system and person responsible for monitoring inventory
Check with legal/tax professionals to determine “Destroy After” dates for archived documents
Label and date boxes accordingly
As you bring in a new year of archived docs, remove those ready for shredding
RV/Boat Storage
Offsite storage for large RVs and boats is necessary for most city folk
Some facilities offer:
Covered spaces
Wash racks
Dump stations
Alternative: rent space from a neighbor www.neighbor.com/rv-storage-near-me
If you have a single spot that you frequent on RV trips, consider renting a space in that location to save gas money
Pitfalls:
Interests, activities, and abilities change through the seasons of life
If using your RV or boat is a seldom if ever occasion, the cost of upkeep and storage may outweigh the benefit
Solution: Do the math to decide if you want to continue your investment
Personal Storage "I'll just put this here for now"
Valid needs--I'll just...
store a few things while the house is for sale
move some things to storage during our remodel
put Grandma’s things in storage until we decide who gets what
store my stuff until after we combine households and see what we need
Pitfalls:
No urgency in retrieving the items since they're not things you use every day
The kids might want it someday
You might have a yard sale
What's out of sight is out of mind
Short-term turns into long-term storage
Easier to write a check than to sort through all those boxes (feels overwhelming)
As storage costs increase, the value of your belongings decreases
Solutions:
Before you choose to store things “for now,” research the cost of storage and ensure the value of your belongings supports the expense--(If they're things you can live without for now, maybe you can just live without them)
Ask the kids before your store
Have the yard sale before you store
Decide up front how much money (months) you want to invest and make plans to empty your unit by the date you determine
Create a list of things you'd rather spend your money on than storing stuff
If you’ve already invested more than enough in storage costs and are looking for help emptying your unit, visit my blog “What’s behind door #1213?” or contact me (559) 871-3314.
Whether your life is an organizational nightmare, or you're simply looking for some tips to help you fine-tune things, this course provides practical tools to establish order and regain control of your home, office, and life. Topics include:
What to do with the endless paper flow
Organizing your space
How to manage your time
Instructor, Brenda McElroy, is a Board Certified Professional Organizer with NAPO and owns her own business Organized By Choice.
You can take the steps necessary to experience the freedom of life beyond clutter and chaos.
February 2, 9, and 16, 2023
Three-night course 6:30 - 8:30 PM
1452 David E Cook Way Clovis, CA 93611
For more info: call (559) 327-2876 or visit cloviscommunityed.com
Wise Words
If you can live without it—do! -Brenda McElroy