Cleaning out the storage unit was kind of terrible but we made it through. We never anticipated having a storage unit for long but month after month (and 1 1/2 years later) we found we were still shelling out $77 every month for it (!). So we paid $1,386 to store our crap. Talk about a waste of money! *head shakes with disgust*
I justified it just like it's so easy to do with so many other things. These were the reasons I decided we needed the storage unit back when we got it:
- “I need this stuff!”
- “These things are cute!
- “These things cost money!”
- “I don't waste things!”
- “I'm not going to get rid of this thing if we'll just need to re-buy it again! Why do that!?!”
- “We won't have the storage unit for long, it's not going to be a long-term thing…”
- “I'm just not ready to part with this stuff.”
- “Um, this thing is part of my memories and if I give this up then I might gradually start forgetting my life. I don't want to forget my life.”
- “I need these old Domino magazines because I might need to paint or decorate something someday and I need them for reference, d'uh.”
- “We don't have the space to store all this stuff in our place so OBVIOUSLY a storage unit is needed!”
You know how this story ends. It ends with the stuff still sitting there not being used and gathering up a soft velvety blanket of dust. I was finally at the point where I was ready to DE-CLUTTER, DO WITHOUT and TAKE ACTION!
Well, let's not get rash… I wasn't ready to get rid of ALL of it but I was ready to down-size on the crap. I made piles and put a lot of it in a “Yard Sale” box, and even put some of it right into the trash if I thought no one would be able to get any use out of it. I went through all of my childhood and high school stuff and that was a very large process. You know that stuff that is just automatically transported from place to place because it is easier to do that than to actually you know, GO THROUGH IT FOR REAL? That stuff- I actually dealt with it- old notes, old photos, old schoolwork, old certificates, old paperwork, old knick-knacks, old everything.
It was time to clear out and it was time to take this “responsibility thing” up another notch.
Luckily, we have a little itty bitty and free (!) storage unit that came along with our place. We used to keep our bikes in it but we re-thought that and decided to use it for what it was intended for – you know, storage! D'oh.
We got a few of those plastic stackable bins (so we could be done with the cardboard boxes that tear and get buggy) and we got ourselves organized. It's such a nice feeling to have it all in one (free) place BUT the absolute BEST part is to not be spending that crazy amount of money every month! That means more money is getting saved and that is an awesome feeling!
Next, it's time to get a Yard Sale together, and it's time to try to make some cash from my junk. Now… does anyone need an instant trophy collection or an instant vintage fan collection? 😉
Do you have a storage unit? If you do have a storage unit have you calculated how much it has cost over the years? Is it more than you thought it was?
P.S. Looking to declutter and minimize? CLICK HERE to learn about the Fearless Minimalist Guide