Thinking Through the True Cost of Storage

First, a few fascinating statistics, followed by 4 questions to help you assess your need for storage:

• 1 in 10 US households rents self-storage space, up from 1 in 17 in 1995.
• Yet the average American house increased in size from 1,660 sq ft in 1973 to 2,400 sq ft in 2004.
• The average rental period is 15 months.
• Total self storage space in the US is 2.2 billion square feet - more than 78 square miles of rentable self storage space, under roof – or an area more than 3 times the size of Manhattan Island.

Although there are cases where storage may be necessary (two that come to mind are between a move that will occur soon, or to allow grieving time after the death of a loved one before sorting their possessions), here are stategies to help you manage the true cost of storage:

• At $200 to $350/mo storage unit rent, when is it cheaper to donate your possessions (or throw everything away) and replace at a later date?
• If you are saving furniture for your adult children, ask them to pay for the storage. They may not value your heirlooms as much as you think.
• Tell loved ones a great birthday/mother’s day/father’s day/Christmas gift is their time to help you purge your storage unit.
• If you died today, would your heirs consider it a wonderful experience to go through your storage unit?

For more tips on clearing the clutter in your life, I will be presenting “A Complete Guide to Organizing Your Home, Workspace and Paper” beginning Wednesday, February 13 at the Camarillo Health Care District. This is a three workshop series. Call 805-382-4920 for more info or to register. Gift certificates for the classes are available.

statistic sources:

1. self storage industry fact sheet at http://www.selfstorage.org/
2. Self-Storage Nation: Americans are storing more stuff than ever, by Tom Vanderbilt at http://www.slate.com/
3. National Association of Homebuilders