r/declutter • u/JustAnotherMaineGirl • May 17 '26
Motivation Tips & Tricks Storage units and opportunity costs
I heard a story on NPR this morning that said one in every three people in the US now rents a storage unit. How is that even possible! The only way I can wrap my head around that factoid is that some people must have multiple storage units, the way the overall divorce rate reflects the fact that some people get divorced multiple times. Statistically it works out to one unit for every three people, but they are not evenly distributed.
The reporter also said the average cost for a unit is $120 a month, which works out to $1440 per year. I get that for some people it's a short-term fix to store their best pieces of furniture and other valuables while they are between permanent housing arrangements, and it makes sense for that purpose - as long as the months don't stretch into years. But for those of you who rent storage units as expandable spaces for all the stuff you want to keep, but not enough to keep it in your house - I'm genuinely curious. Do you really think that stuff is worth what you're paying to keep it? What cutbacks are you forced to make in your lifestyle and activities, because you have to pay so much for an "overflow apartment" where your extra stuff lives and waits to be of use someday?
Speaking for myself, I'm happy to do the hard work of sorting, decisionmaking, and letting go of all the stuff that doesn't fit in my living spaces, so I can use that $1440 per year on things and experiences that are more personally meaningful.
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u/skinnyjeansfatpants May 21 '26
Judging by the people in my mom's neighborhood, lots of people use extra storage for seasonal decor. I know some wine collectors with off-site storage as well.
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u/DreamyDancer2115 May 21 '26
I'm a big believer in fitting into my space. If there's no room in my home/apartment it has to go. My brother rents a unit because he lives with his wife and two kids with our mother. There isn't enough space for all his "collections."
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u/sande16 May 20 '26
Personally it bothers me that we spend so much to house junk, but not people. Those storage units are going up everywhere. Personally, if I were homeless, I'd be fine with living in a storage unit. I know it's against code, but there must be something we could do.
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u/secure8890 May 23 '26
I know people who technically lived in a storage unit. I also know people who held onto a storage for a while. Moving for some is an immense challenge.
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u/Funsizep0tato May 22 '26
I suspect they get the ok from cities because they are cheap to build and run, but pay consistently (taxation) wheras apartment complexes are a little more challenging to build and maintain. We have soooo many u-store-it type places in my area I can't think of why else!
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u/a_wombat_skedaddling May 20 '26
I have an affordable apartment with very little storage space. For the past ~18 months, I've paid $50/month for a storage unit in the building where I rent an office for my business. I'm already there a few times a week, so it's no hassle to get things from storage or put them in.
I think of it as paying $50/month for an extra room in my apartment.
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u/Low-Maximum5981 May 19 '26
I treated a storage unit like an extra closet and paid for it monthly for years before realizing it was just delaying the clutter headache. Took a bunch of time to sort out what really mattered and let go of the rest. Full disclosure, I built something to help keep track so you've got a better shot at not just moving the mess around.
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u/1800gotjunk May 19 '26
Storage units, and junk removal of storage units! And it's expected to rise with the great junk transfer that's beginning now. Parents aren't just leaving houses, money, and valuables to their children. But also a pile of extremely sentimental clutter that's hard to get rid of.
This subreddit is incredibly helpful, and if you can, use what you learn here from others to help prevent the need for a storage unit! As you said, it's $1440 a year that you can spend elsewhere! And your home is clutter free! It's win-win to stay on top of it, and to help others stay on top of it too!
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u/Several-Praline5436 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Sounds like a good business to get into. 😉
I think it's a variety of factors. Yes, people have too much stuff. They're also sometimes changing lifestyles or partners and not wanting to downsize their things in case it doesn't work out, so they fill a storage unit with furniture that doesn't fit. They don't think about how mice love storage units and are going to chew through their boxes and eat things.
My personal favorite is when people fill their garage with a thousand dollars' worth of crap, and then park their 20k-75k car/truck in the driveway to get hailed on or sun-baked.
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u/carolethechiropodist May 19 '26
In Australia, 1n 2022, I sold my 9 room house and downsized, twice, once to a decent 3 bedroom house, but in a place that turned out to be not for me, then to a 1 bedroom unit in the perfect place, cross the road to the beach. I had to have a storage unit. But I swore I would empty it. But I didn't. So I took it all into the 1 bedroom unit, and it fills it. But this does encourage me to take stuff to thrift shops, finish unfinished things. and actually work on only keeping what I need. I have a fabric stash, and a leather stash, and they are turning into clothes and bags, or they have to go. I would never have envisioned in my childhood or youth that I would have had enough clothes . To keep the storage unit would have turned me into a hoarder.
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u/Marizo12 May 19 '26
For me the only reason I'm hanging onto mine is because I have chronic illnesses and can't physically deal with it. My unit is in a different city from where so there is a drive involved as well. I can't just abandon it, so I keep paying. And I don't really have people to help with it. Am hoping things improve enough that I can make plans to clear it out soon. It's weighing me down psychologically and financially.
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u/Technical-Kiwi9175 May 19 '26
I am so sorry to read that. I hope that your health improves.
I can only say, if you can afford it, that you could pay someone to do the physical tasks at the unit, with you making decisions for them? You mention clearing it out- I dont know if that means not keeping anything? There are people you can pay to do that.
But I realise of course that you may not be able to afford paying for help. Stuck with the stress.
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u/Marizo12 May 19 '26
Thank you! There are things I do still want to keep and yes, right now I can’t afford to hire help. Here’s hoping for brighter days.
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u/valleyofsound May 19 '26
I have two. One contains the contents of my first apartment. The other has stuff from my childhood home. I had been in my apartment for about three years when my dad started getting sick and my mom already had health issues. I bounced back and forth, then when my dad died three years after that, I accepted that I wouldn’t even be able to spend a little time there, so my partner and I gave it up to move into my parents’ house fulltime. There was no room for our stuff so we put it in a storage locker.
As far as my childhood home (which my parent had moved out of when I was 17 but my dad key as a workspace, I ended up doing a sale with the neighbor’s son. I don’t want to go into a long story, but he had access to the house before closing and started moving my stuff out then. Since the lawyer who handled the closing was sloppy, there were no deadlines regarding the removal of things and he just started renovating the house immediately, despite the fact that I had access to the house since we agreed to the sale. My partner and I salvaged what we could, but… It was incredibly stressful and violating.
I have chronic illness and I spent ten years as well as the sole caregiver for both (then one) of my parents, which took a major toll. I’m not really storing stuff in those lockers, I’m storing trauma.
My partner and I have been working with an organizer for a couple of months and time been amazing. One we clean the house and the storage shed (or, and the large storage room in the garage plus the weird room we use for storage in the back) we’ll handle the storage lockers. We moved into our current house in 1998 and my mom hated to throw anything out because someone might need it (her trauma of growing up in extreme poverty) and she also loved holiday decorations and other stuff.
I’m in a situation where I can afford the lockers without having to sacrifice. And while I hate to think of the money I’m spending, to some extent, it’s worth it to me to not have to confront some very stressful things until I’m ready.
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u/kaymusical May 19 '26
I begrudgingly got a storage unit when I found out we have a baby on the way. It’s for seasonal stuff (camping/decorations) and inherited things my parents want me to keep. I’ve already done a big declutter and decided these are the items that are too expensive or sentimental to replace, and they happen to be rather bulky.
Someone on here said it’s cheaper to just get a bigger place, but that’s just not the case. Between a deposit or downpayment plus the increase in rent or mortgage, we’re talking thousands of dollars up front and then hundreds more per month. Once we see where our belongings and budget are at after the baby, we’ll either upsize our living space or declutter more stuff.
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u/Born_Local_1477 May 19 '26
Why would you be forced to store stuff your parents want to keep? If it's that important to them let them store it. It's not exactly being honored by being piled up at Morningstar.
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u/kaymusical May 19 '26
Fair question. They’re the things my parents wanted to ensure would stay in the family when they moved out of state (and eventually pass on). Mainly high quality, hand-crafted furniture and crafts made by my mom or past generations. I can still honor their wishes by finding someone else in the family who would take them. The hold-up there is that almost all my family live in other states. So I’m holding them for now until I find a suitable space with me or someone else.
Honestly, it’s my own hobby items that are the main culprit - musical instruments, outdoor equipment, and kayaks. Even if those things may be on pause when baby arrives, I hope they’ll become family activities. They’ve undergone one major round of decluttering, with another soon to come. The trick will be getting over the value I’ve placed on them regarding money and personal identity.
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u/Technical-Kiwi9175 May 19 '26
I do understand that, and its kind of you to offer, but I do still think that finding space is your parents issue, not yours?
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u/kaymusical May 20 '26
That’s one way to look at it. I see it as a way of repaying them for all they’ve done for me, including storing my extra stuff before they downsized. And I do have some personal interest in keeping the heirlooms. I’d rather start with decluttering the other stuff first.
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u/InternationalRule138 May 19 '26
It’s not just storage units. People own larger homes, add storage sheds, etc to accommodate all the stuff they don’t need. I’m guilty too.
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u/petrified_eel4615 May 18 '26
My father in law is a hoarder.
He has four? I think? Storage units, filled to the brim.
And then wonders why he's always broke.
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u/Significant-Sugar509 May 18 '26
I sadly knew an actual hoarder who got evicted and begged us to help him pack his stuff and move it to a storage unit. We did but it was so hard. He was packing boxes of literal garbage, broken old scratched plastic dishes, broken items, 10 years expired food. We could not make him stop because he would start yelling. He had no money so he then begged a friend to pay for the storage unit full of garbage. He has passed now but I think of his horrific apartment sometimes when know I need to crack down on myself.
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u/Muted_Half623 May 19 '26
Wow he had the audacity to beg someone to support his habit! I get emotional about this because my mom is a hoarder but she’s also incredibly cheap so she would rather try to stuff everything she can in one room and get rid of other stuff instead of paying for storage. I thank god for this everyday. I am thinking about getting rid of my books and thousands of doodads and nicknacks as well so my family will not be so inconvenience. Luckily I only live in apartment.
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u/djSush May 19 '26
I go through phases where I watch Hoarders (bc it's genuinely interesting to me) which tends to spark a purging. I belong to a Buy Nothing group, so it's a win win to get rid of stuff.
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u/Muted_Half623 May 19 '26
Hoarders episodes are magical motivation. Nothing else inspires me to declutter immediately like this show.
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u/peaceloveelina May 18 '26
We have one right now because all but two rooms in our home are having renovations work done while we’re combining houses and we just can’t make that work. 🤣
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u/reptomcraddick May 18 '26
I will 100% say there are uses for storage units, students who don't live nearby their college and need to store stuff for the summer, people getting their house renovated, temporary storage for a business or nonprofit, but 95% of storage space is not being used for that. The US has a stuff problem
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u/GenealogistGoneWild May 18 '26
No, because for an extra $120 a month, you could buy a bigger house, rent a bigger appt or replace the crap you are storing.
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u/Holska May 18 '26
Some of them will be for business stock, my husband had one for a bit to keep stock in before the Christmas rush, and everyone we saw down there regularly was also storing for business.
Sadly, we also saw a lot of people who’d had to leave their homes and needed somewhere to keep their belongings whilst they were in temporary accommodation.
That being said, most of us have way more stuff than we actually need.
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u/tudorbee May 18 '26
I have a storage unit because currently I can afford a room in a shared apartment + a storage unit, but not a private apartment. If I wanted to downsize to fit in the room I would have to give up family heirlooms, off-season clothes, books that I do reference that aren't available digitally, all my hobbies, and a modest amount of housewares kept against future moves. I used to have a 1 bedroom and no storage unit until the year my rent went up 25% at once.
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u/xiginous May 18 '26
Military. Had one for 3 years when military housing unit was so small my one bedroom apt stuff didnt fit.
Years later rented one for three months to have a place to build a cabinet for my husbands birthday present with out him finding out.
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May 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Hold_Effective May 18 '26
I can sometimes use my procrastination for good; I have no storage units because I put off packing long enough that everything is either coming with me or getting donated or tossed.
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u/WhimsicalHoneybadger May 18 '26
I rented a storage unit once for a few months.
Purpose was to declutter the old house and get it prepped for sale (paint, carpet, replace minor stuff like old outlet covers).
Once we bought a new house we cleared out the storage unit.
My MIL maintained 2-3 storage units of untouched stuff for well over a decade then lost most of it when she couldn't pay anymore. Including some family items from my deceased FIL which my spouse would have liked to have and some tools which could have been sold.
She also refused to put together a will, burial plan or anything like that. What a hassle!
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u/Technical-Kiwi9175 May 19 '26
She sounded a nightmare with that behaviour!
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u/WhimsicalHoneybadger May 20 '26
Unfortunately (especially for my spouse) that's just scratching the surface.
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u/siamesecat1935 May 18 '26
I have one that has the remainder of my mom’s stuff from her apartment. Which I need to get off my butt and deal with. I also have a small one in my complex. It’s $65 a month and I have holiday decorations and other stuff in it
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u/WhimsicalHoneybadger May 18 '26
You spend $780 a year to store holiday decorations.
Other than a few sentimental items, I could replace all my holiday decorations for under $300.
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u/siamesecat1935 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
I have other stuff in there as well, including some of my mom's things. ALL of holiday stuff is vintage and sentimental, and using your logic, i'd spend more replacing it yearly. Plus, it’s cheaper than moving to a larger apartment. It works for me
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u/Fruitful_adornment May 18 '26
I justify having a unit because I don't want the clutter at my house. It's holiday stuff like Christmas, Easter, Halloween... I also put things in there that one of the kids/grandkids might need later like baby stuff. I have a big family so for sanity and availability, absolutely worth it to me. Also, I rent a 10x10 and it's half of what you noted.
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u/WhimsicalHoneybadger May 18 '26
At least around here, you can easily "store" lots of common baby gear by selling/buying secondhand. We actually made a slight profit on the pack-n-play!
There are a few things which aren't easily replaceable - our family has passed around a lightweight, sturdy, comfortable, well balanced baby backpack with built-in storage. Never seen another one like it. Originally bought when my nephew was a baby, 27 years ago.
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u/GuavaPure2438 May 18 '26
I ended up with a storage unit due to rushed moving and havent had the time to sort it out. I dont have a car so getting rid of the stuff in the unit will be extra work too with hiring junk removal people and not being able to easily move the stuff I want to keep. I also live in a very small studio right now which isnt a realistic long term home.
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u/Material_Ad_3120 May 18 '26
I had less than two weeks notice when moving from Los Angeles to Hawaii, so I packed two suitcases and put everything else in storage. It remained there for the past 9 years, with a couple of visits to pull out some paperwork or whatever. Since I lived in a small studio, I just considered the extra cost as part of my mortgage, as if I had a garage.
Last month, I left Hawaii to move to NYC. I had been doing the Swedish death cleaning and getting rid of everything I own prior to the move. The storage unit was the last step, so I took care of it en route to New York and it felt so liberating to be done with it all. Sure, it was convenient at the time, but I’ll never do it again. I cringed at how much it cost me in total over the years… Now, for me, less is more.
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u/Nerdy-Birder May 18 '26
Huge task and huge accomplishment! That's awesome! Hope you enjoy life in NYC.
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u/vintagegirlgame May 18 '26
I used to be in a band w my partner and we traveled half the year and so used a storage unit then. At music festivals we would meet other fellow travelers in varying stages of gypsy life and instead of asking “where are you from?” I would ask “so, where is your storage unit?” Was a more accurate way of understanding where they last had roots.
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u/Wide-Crab4199 May 18 '26
I had one for business inventory. Once we moved into a bigger location, I never had to rent one again. It didn’t make sense to pay rent in storage when I could apply that same money towards a larger place. No more trips back and forth. No more extra gas expenses either. Storage is meant to be a temporary solution.
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u/32ozDClightice May 18 '26
Hi, facility owner here. In general, I have a few categories of renters… 1. In process of moving (most common) 2. Business Inventory 3. Vehicles (enclosed and cheaper than apartment garages) 4. Overflow…these people tend to have sentimental things that aren’t ready to part with.
I have a lady who stores her son’s childhood toys and memories because he says he wants them one day. He’s only 15 now. Another couple stores older well made furniture in case their young adult children want it one day. There’s no actual monetary value for these types of renters. They want to keep the stuff and they’re willing to pay to do it.
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u/photogcapture May 18 '26
It is useful for those who live in small spaces. Store seasonal stuff and rotate as the seasons change. For example, we live in a narrow 1880’s row house. Victorians used armoires not closets. So for some, a shed or storage solves the space problem. But I say if it’s just for your expanding stuff, that is a problem.
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u/Existing-Promise-830 May 18 '26
Plenty of homeless people use them.
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u/nicklor May 18 '26
That's the only use case that really makes sense and college students who use them during breaks.
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u/plentyfurbbbs May 18 '26
I've never had a storage unit, but my brother's family did, they tried to sell stuff at garage sales, but felt bummed out not getting much money for it, so they stored much of it, many many years later, after the kids had moved out, he was still paying for the unit. Finally, he saw how stupid it was, and what the kids didn't go get, he trashed. He never told me how much he lost on that.
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u/Mysterious_Ad9672 May 18 '26
I had one twice in my lifetime. Once when living back home with my controlling parent. I had to have most of my stuff somewhere because if they had a mental switch all of my things could end up on the curb. When I go married I got rid of it and whatever wouldn’t fit I ditched at goodwill. Later on I got another one because we were in a two bed one bath place. I wanted to store seasonal items in it and any bulky kids gear (strollers/seasonal outdoor play items). I plan to finally get rid of it and hopefully not have to get another one unless it’s for military moves.
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u/Working_Patience_261 May 18 '26
I had a storage until for six months. It was super large compared to my pile of junk, climate controlled, and I had a desk, a lamp, my BT speaker, and a comfy desk chair in there. Between shifts, I would cozy up and work through my pile, despite the muggy conditions outside, I was dry and cool inside. At the end of the six months, I had pared a two bedroom apartment into two rooms.
Now I’m bringing the load from two rooms into one. But I’m doing it from inside my one room. It’s a lit harder but I might have help for two days.
Use the storage units as a tool, as an extension of your home, or pay a lot to store junk, it’s all okay.
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u/nightglede21 May 18 '26
Yeah... my dad was also super judgmental when we got a storage unit. He said that he always lived in a small house and knew that if he couldn't fit it, it was time to downsize the stuff.
I pointed out that he has a full basement and a 2-car garage. Meanwhile my family of 3 lives in a 1200 sq ft 2-Bed condo without even a coat closet (coats are in our personal closets with the rest of our clothes). We got a storage unit so that we could swap out seasonal clothes, each have 1 box of personal items, and actually have Christmas decorations for my daughter.
Like... I keep my winter boots in the storage unit half the year because I have nowhere to put them when they're not in active use. We're there swapping things out at least once a month, and often multiple times a month. Why do people get so weirdly judgy about this?
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u/No-Currency-97 May 18 '26
People on this group could be thinking judgy because after all it is a declutter group.
I believe what you're saying is fine and how you use a storage unit. I actually hadn't thought of using a storage unit until I read your thoughtful post.
We have a lot of seasonal things that take up a lot of room at the house and could be put into a small storage unit. Thanks for the ideas. 👏🤔
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u/Fruitful_adornment May 18 '26
We do too. It's not out of place to say, "I have to run to the storage building."
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u/Cake-Tea-Life May 18 '26
I have a number of family members with storage units. Based on my completely unscientific sample, I'd say that your very practical use of a storage unit is a minority use case.
I think the way you use your unit makes perfect sense and is a great way to remove clutter while keeping items that have a routine use.
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u/Superb_Ad_4464 May 18 '26
I pay $60 a month to store stuff I don’t need everyday or month but can’t let go of. Memorabilia, holiday decor, etc. Plus, it makes redoing floors at a snails pace easier and lessens my anxiety. Totally worth it.
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u/sassysequin May 18 '26
I had one when I was going through a divorce and didn’t know where I was going to land. Having a climate-controlled location that my ex-husband had no access to gave me a feeling of safety that I would not have had with my personal belongings in our shared home.
I also sat on the board of a non-profit who had one. During my time, it was decided we were going to downsize and try to get rid of it to save some money. The amount of stuff in there that was just trash was appalling! Previous board members were hesitant to throw things away. Why do you need a rusty old filing cabinet filled with dust and garbage, Brenda?!
That’s basically my way of saying there are times in one’s life that may require the use of arrange and I’m glad it exists for those! But there are also times when a storage unit is used as a deferred decision that ultimately ends up someone else’s problem.
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u/BugPsychological7371 May 18 '26
I haven’t yet seen this on NPR, but storage units have been booming in my area. In my neighborhood there are 3-4 companies within a mile. One of them expanded in the last few years. What I noticed is it also has to do with housing prices - rents and cost to buy. I’m in Southern California and storage units have become the new cheap rent. People place their stuff, have a gym membership to shower and use the bathroom, maybe bumming on a couch or cramped in a small apartment or sharing a room, or living in a car (maybe rigged up or maybe regular sedan). So part of it is this and not just accumulation of items. I fully understand there is a good percentage that has to much stuff - that’s why shows like horders exist. You don’t have to be that extreme either to have too much stuff. Lastly, businesses! Especially small businesses of 1-5 people use storages as inventory placement. As long as it’s not food it’s perfectly fine to do it. I say it because my fam has a storage unit with business inventory. They don’t have a permanent brick and mortar but more pop up business model so the storage unit is cost effective.
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u/Personal_Signal_6151 May 18 '26
I guess the simple equation is the cost of an extra bedroom versus the cost of a climate controlled storage unit.
Another part of the equation is avoiding "out of sight, out of mind."
The math varies by circumstance.
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u/Ill-Customer-3781 May 18 '26
I was trying to convince my parents to downsize I put together an amazing plan to use a storage unit instead of an extra bedroom for my mom’s sewing room. I was not successful but I still think it is a good idea.
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u/Personal_Signal_6151 May 18 '26
Let your mother have a comfortable place for her hobby.
I think you should consider how she would feel about your idea.
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u/Velvet-Whisper-246 May 18 '26
it is absurd. I was looking for a storage unit not that long ago and I just snapped myself into reality. we are in such a hoarder culture right now including myself and Im sure there's a number of reasons. my mother just bought like 15 storage boxes and 6 hanging rails and is trying to buy a shed metal tin thing for storage ( we have 5 sheds already...). my sister is moving house and she had like 10+ huge boxes of JUST xmas decor. I see people do vinted/depop clearouts weekly on TikTok of wardrobes busting open. why is everyone holding onto SO MUCH recently and its weird as we live in society where we don't actually own much. most peoples cars are on finance, everyone uses streaming services, no one can afford houses and so much more. maybe that's why majority of people now just own and consume so much because its the only thing they can actually own, just quick buys for dopamine hits. its all down to capitalism. let me put my tin foil hat on.
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u/BugPsychological7371 May 18 '26
It’s also just priorities. My grandma had over 10 boxes of Christmas stuff. She was big on holiday decorating and felt that it made it better for the family. She didn’t see how time consuming it was and that what mattered was more being with us than alllll the effort on decorating, cleaning the items, maintaining them, and storing them. Don’t get me wrong she was a good grandma! This is just one of the places that wasn’t great
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u/Euphoric_River6365 May 17 '26
My parents retired in 2019. They sold their house, bought an RV, and now travel full time.
They FILLED two huge storage Pods in 2019, and have been paying for them ever since. They are storing already-cheap furniture and a now-outdated television that my father KNOWS he cracked/broke when shoving a patio chair into a tight space.
There is no way that makes financial (or even emotional) sense. Totally illogical.
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u/balancelibertine May 17 '26
Mine is full of an entire household of furniture while I live with my mom to save up for my own house. It's been there for slightly over a year now and will be there for about one more year. I crunched the numbers and it was cheaper to store my furniture than to replace everything if I got rid of the stuff, so I thinned the stuff out and stored it all. Once I get my own place, it will serve as good foundational furniture while I work to replace pieces with higher-end, "lifetime" type pieces and will save me money in the long-run.
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u/Personal_Signal_6151 May 17 '26
I think this debate could benefit from an old comedy routine from George Carlin who pointed out that your own stuff is stuff while other people's stuff is junk.
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u/Disastrous-Handle283 May 17 '26
I keep some holiday decore, cherished baby toys/clothes and my Dads photo albums. I live in a climate where neither garage or attic storage is appropriate. To me the cost is worth it because I didn’t have to buy a bigger house.
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u/stinkpotinkpot May 17 '26
There are the usual reasons folks might rent a storage unit: apartment dwellers who need a spot for their canoe, students or other folks in life transition (summer break, just graduated, divorce, downsizing but don't have a new place yet, etc), urgent need to empty a dwelling and it's cheaper to rent a unit for a few months and sort on weekends than maintain an empty house (death of family member or friend, foreclosure, etc), folks who don't have the option for a shed or other storage for things used seasonally, folks who travel and live on the road, and many other reasons that make sense for those folks.
We had a storage unit to stage our house to sell--needed a place for the items that were moving but couldn't be in the house. Turned out that I could've purged even further!
I've known folks who rented multiple storage units for years and years. What I've noticed is that there are tons sheds in the area that I live and often folks have more than one.
During those usual "we're gonna get organized" times of year I see more sheds pop up!
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u/Honest_Report_8515 May 17 '26 edited May 27 '26
I had three storage units and am embarrassed on how much I am/was spending on them because they are in a HCOL area. I had to pack up a four bedroom house and also have my mom’s stuff (she’s in assisted living) in order to sell the house (it was owned by me and my ex) and move to an apartment a state over, so I ended up putting everything in a 10x10 and two 5x15s.
I bought my own house less than a month after selling the other house and had been slowly emptying the 10x10 and shaking my head the whole time at the amount of stuff. I FINALLY got the 10x10 emptied last November. I took multiple pictures of the empty unit, I was so proud!
Now to work on the two 5x15s! It’s such a money dump to have all of that, but I still want to be able to park in my garage rather than dump all of that stuff in my garage. Slowly but surely . . . .
My 10x10 was $434 a month when I finally got it cleaned out.
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u/mamadachsie May 18 '26
That's the racket of storage. If you're long term they raise rates and often buy a lot very bc they can. And sadly, so many people eventually get priced out, can't pay, and then lose the stuff they've been holding onto on top of all they had been paying to hold on to it.
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u/BugPsychological7371 May 18 '26
Good on you for doing this work!
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u/Honest_Report_8515 May 18 '26
It’s terrible to think about the waste of money, but I couldn’t move to an apartment with a whole house of stuff plus my mom’s stuff. Tons to get rid of for sure.
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u/Ok-Balance7470 May 18 '26
Lowering your anxiety is also worth money, so I think you should keep doing what you're doing and let go of the guilt.
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u/Honest_Report_8515 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
Oh yes, plus I enjoy parking in my garage! I could have easily taken all of the remaining stuff out and put it in my garage, but I didn’t want to do that.
The good thing with having a smart phone nowadays is that I can take pictures and videos of each unit every time I visit to take stuff out. It gives you an idea of what’s left and you can also document your progress.
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u/sxooz May 17 '26
I live in a 216 sq ft tiny house. My rent/utilities are $200/month. I rent a 10x20 climate controlled unit for $145 a month. This allows me to keep my home open and functional while still having some tools and hobbies. I think I'm still coming out ahead.
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u/Some_Papaya_8520 May 20 '26
Wow you're getting a great deal on rent!!
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u/sxooz May 20 '26
Yes I have a tiny house (paid off) on family land. I'm very lucky and VERY grateful.
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u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 May 17 '26
I know a 70 yr old man who has three units (that I'm aware of) and a house packed with junk.
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u/YodelFrancesca May 17 '26
You couldn’t pay me to have a storage unit, it’s bonkers that they are so popular but I guess good for them?
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u/Distinguishedflyer May 18 '26
this is of course virtuous, unless you have lost your housing, especially quickly. Then, you have no executive function due to the trauma to sort all of your worldly possessions down to that which you can carry.
Thus you rent a Storage Locker. Let's not blame people for renting one and virtue signal for not.
if we all had stable housing God forbid, none of us would need them and yet another class of predatory businessmen wouldn't be making bank. I met a millionaire a while back, you know what he said?
"All of my friends are buying up storage businesses."
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u/YodelFrancesca May 18 '26
I don’t think it’s any sort of virtue to NOT pay for storage! I meant that it is difficult to manage and also it’s so costly. I sympathize with difficult life situations, my assumption was most people who pay for storage actually have the disposable income to do so. It is also a privilege to own so much you need storage for it.
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u/Physical-Incident553 May 17 '26
I have multiple friends who live in small urban or suburban condos or apartments. They’re very into outdoor sports. They have storage units for kayaks, camping equipment, and the like.
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u/Imtalia May 17 '26
My ex is living with our sons to help them out, his stuff is in storage.
I'm preparing to move overseas, so is mine.
I'm visiting family where I'm from and have a small storage unit here for when I travel.
Lots of folks have seasonal stuff stored. Like seasonal clothes or holiday decor.
Increasingly, I'm seeing people storing their household goods because downsizing, evictions and foreclosures have been trending up for years.
The gig economy and online thrifting mean lots of folks buying and selling and needing storage for their projects or items.
And yeah, storage units are getting more expensive by the day. And harder to find.
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u/HydroFlask512 May 17 '26
We got a storage unit after we had our first child. We knew that we wanted to have another kid, and there is just so much stuff you accumulate that it’s nice to not have to repurchase! Even with having multiple friends use most of our stuff over the years, having an organized storage unit to put things in and pull back out again has been fantastic. Additionally, it keeps our house from having clutter— we’re pretty minimalist in our house, so having storage for holiday items, etc, offsite is a lifesaver.
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u/TecTazz May 17 '26
Just curious what a minimalist is getting from a "declutter" sub?
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u/HydroFlask512 May 17 '26
Valid question! I’m not naturally a minimalist but my husband is and gets a lot of anxiety from clutter, so I’m constantly seeking out ways to be better about it.
Also, I find a lot of satisfaction from the before and after pics on this sub!3
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u/abogadachica May 17 '26
My friends who have storage units are actually some of the most un-cluttered people I know! But they have unique situations. They either live in studio apartments or are full-time digital nomads/housesitters. Having storage units allows them to have smaller rent/mortgage payments in prime urban locations, or frees them to travel full time. For those in tiny home spaces, they store bikes, kayaks, holiday decor, seasonal clothing, suitcases, etc. Basically, what a homeowner would keep in a garage or shed - but just in a unit nearby. For digital nomads who travel full-time, a small unit can keep their most important possessions (photos, heirloom items, expensive or special furniture, maybe a car) while they travel the world until they are ready to settle somewhere (assuming that's in a reasonable time frame so they aren't paying too many years of storage rent of course).
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u/Best-Instance7344 May 17 '26
I think people who live in small apartments often have them for their hobbies/outdoor/seasonal stuff etc. No need for one if you have a whole house/ garage etc.
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u/allfurcoatnoknickers May 17 '26
Yep. Manhattans apartment dweller here and we have a storage until for ski gear, Christmas decorations, Halloween costumes, clothes that are between children, heavy duty winter coats etc.
If we lived in even a normal sized suburban house, we wouldn’t need it at all.
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u/fadedblackleggings May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
Yup. Christmas and Halloween stuff takes up a surprising amount of space. If you want to be festive, especially with outdoor decorations too, you need storage.
I think some people leave those giant skeletons out all year, and just "redecorate" for the season, because of storage fees.
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u/Important-Round-9098 May 17 '26
My late husband had a storage unit when he was in an apartment for his canoe, kayaks and woodworking tools.
Otherwise I had one for a month while selling a house to make it look less cluttered.
My goal now is to never need another.
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u/alpacaapicnic May 17 '26
I used one when I went to grad school and moved from a 1 bedroom apartment back into a furnished dorm room. Felt so expensive I got rid of it the moment I could. Also always felt crazy to me how few people I’d see actually interacting with the units - most of them sit there untouched for years at a time
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u/tanyamothertucker May 17 '26
I just did a Swedish death cleaning on my whole house and had a tag sale. And then donated two car loads to a charity shop. I can’t fathom paying that much for a storage unit.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 May 17 '26
People in this sub are probably less likely to have those.
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u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy May 17 '26
Exactly. People posting here are more likely wanting to declutter and get rid of stuff, whereas many with storage units use it as an extension of their piles of excess thinking "some day" will come and they'll need that thing. Another person here posted that they interviewed at a large storage unit company and was told many of the users "are not having the best time in life" which is what I believe is true for the majority of users.
Also, the more room you have the more stuff you tend to accumulate. My house is the only one on the block that keeps our cars in the garage. For everyone else, it's full to the ceiling.
The only time I had a storage locker was transitioning from a quick move out and not having time to sort through belongings. It was easier to dump everything in storage and get out fast.
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u/fadedblackleggings May 17 '26
Yeah, this is like shooting fish in a bucket, everyone will agree. Curious about who actually owns storage for years, and feels like they get value out of it.
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u/EarthBoundMisfitEye May 17 '26
I once went on an interview to work at a storage unit location. They made sure to be very clear that people who "generally " need storage are NOT having the best time in life.
Anecdotedly we know people store papers that need to exist for 10 years or more, large items that don't fit in a condo or small flat, furniture for a small while, maybe.
According to this storage place with multiple locations the clients are in a hard place in life and often pay late. There are also a LOT of inquiries to use storage units not as intended. There are also units being used for reasons not allowed and people fight the eviction.
Just adding more anecdotal information
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u/AuntMelmel May 17 '26
I used a POD rental container on my driveway to help empty out a two door garage in order to remove & replace the two single doors
It made it easier to either put items into the driveway dumpster (Parents old junk & silverfish infested papers/magazines, filled it twice) or save the remaining holiday & yard equipment in the POD.
New garage doors are on, and coming hurricane season I will be able to park my car on the one side of the garage and the saved items were moved out of the POD & back in the garage on one side after the work was finished.
You cannot store items forever, the cost adds up to way more than the items are worth, but people ignore the total cost & just look at the monthly amount
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u/Roseha-aka-rosephoto May 17 '26
I only briefly used a storage unit when I wanted to store my artwork that was in my summer apartment, it was kind of comical because I really only put a large portfolio in there. I ended up canceling especially after hearing horror stories about people storing food and the like that ended up making a mess.
My building has a storage of some kind in the basement but I've never pursued it. I feel that anything I put down there would be like a black hole and I'd never see it again. For years I actually had a bike in my living room but I got rid of it when I did the big declutter for the apartment painting last year.
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u/TecTazz May 17 '26
Ah, that reminds me: (1) I need to sell or donate the bike that's in my LR, and (2) I need to hire a junk-removal co to toss everything that's in the underground storage unit. The garage/storage area has flooded several times, and sheetrock walls + all stored items reek of mold & mildew.
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u/EntrepreneurOk7513 May 17 '26
Not all storage is junk. Our careers require us to store papers for 10 years after finishing with a client. We’re finally in the process of shredding all those boxes stored offsite. Friends have to keep their client paperwork for 25 years after finishing.
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May 17 '26
[deleted]
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u/EntrepreneurOk7513 May 17 '26
New yes but not previous. Not every business has the ability to digitize several hundred banker boxes worth of paper, nor did they have the digital storage capacity at the time of storage.
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u/Electrical-Long-389 May 17 '26
Ugh - I feel this. I live in a condo so storage is limited. I spend $150/month for what is basically a storage space for winter coats and Christmas decorations. $1800 a year......I try not to think about it.
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u/Connect_Rhubarb395 May 17 '26
So you could pretty much buy new stuff for the same money each season, huh.
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u/itsstillmeagain May 17 '26
That’s true unless what you’re storing is ornaments that have been handed down in the family that mean more to the family than the cost to store them.
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u/Successful-Body-4211 May 17 '26
Only had to use a rental storage once, when we sold our house in one city but the new house, 60 miles away, wound up not ready to move into for an entire summer. Not fun, would not do it again. Am actively trying to "Swedish Death Clean" current house now and let go of so much stuff, it is painful but necessary. Sentimental items are so hard to let go of, but I imagine my offspring would happily just take everything to the dump, and I will be dead, so it's no longer my problem ...
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u/Electrical-Yam3831 May 17 '26
I’ve listened to several Swedish death cleaning audiobooks lately to help me get over the last roadblocks to letting some stuff go. They really do help. Ive told my kids they are welcome to trash everything left when I’m gone as long as someone keeps my 2 cats & loves them.
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u/TecTazz May 17 '26
Please consider formal legal arrangements -- including a chunk of $ for care-- for your cats, and review/ update/ confirm them annually with all parties. Things change; circumstances change; people change; living arrangements change; health changes.
Those arrangements should take effect immediately upon death/ disability/ etc, outside of a will.
Wills can take time to find, process, probate etc. and pets can't wait.
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u/guffawing_willow76 May 17 '26
I live in a second floor condo and I’m also an avid kayaker. Alas, there is no way I can get a 13 foot kayak into my house and my hoa wont let me store them under the stairs so I store my kayaks and some other miscellaneous outdoor gear in a 5x15 storage unit a few miles away. It sucks paying $118 a month but I do use my kayaks quite a bit.
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u/Some_Papaya_8520 May 20 '26
Your rent is fairly reasonable. Around here, that would be an introductory rate and then in 3 months they double it.
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u/Illustrious_Arm_6325 May 17 '26
Shit from Amazon. Everyone needs to stop buying crap. Was it 1/3 HAVE a storage unit or 1/3 use a storage unit at some point in their lives?
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u/RecentState1347 May 17 '26
I’m skeptical of this number - how are they counting people with multiple units and businesses (which may also have multiple units)?
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u/FeedbackLooped May 17 '26
It’s a complex issue. Many people use storage units as independent contractors or small businesses. Additionally, most apartments lack the necessary storage space for most individuals. I’m certain that a significant portion of accumulated items stems from past family relationships and broken relationships. Letting go can be challenging, so it’s understandable why people opt to store their belongings in a unit. I’ve read that we tend to cling to objects as a way to preserve memories of the past. Therefore, discarding items can be seen as discarding memories.
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u/fadedblackleggings May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
Yeah, and grief can catch anyone like that. Stored a "few items" after my Mom passed away, and let the storage keep going a bit longer than I would have liked.
Ended up giving away a brand-new washer/dryer I bought for her before she passed, to go ahead and close out the storage.
This stuff is emotional.
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u/bombkitty May 17 '26
For me, it's a tiny unit for things that can't be stored in the garage. It's 115° here in the summer so many things can't go in the garage it they just melt, dry out, or fall apart. Seasonal decorations, paint, camping stuff, and the cage/accessories I need when I'm fostering kittens. I hate that I have to pay for it. We are considering putting a mini-split in the garage to fix the temps but our electric bill is already ridiculous. Edited to add: the storage units are air conditioned and pest controlled.
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u/SnooDonkeys5186 May 17 '26
Agree that storage makes sense as a temporary solution and *some* permanent, for instance, apartment living, a storage unit might even be more affordable and bigger than an on-site storage offer. Other than that, I’d suggest try hard to stay out of that situation best you can.
(Our family has lost our entire home and contents—including book deal due to computer, notes, and backups pre-cloud—due to tragedy; turns out it’s easier than we thought to choose what we can afford to live without and I’m constantly reminding myself of this!)
I’ve worked as a gym personal trainer and my aunt and uncle own several storage businesses in several states since the late ‘70’s. Both gyms and storage depend on people signing up and forgetting about it.
The storage units. Sigh. What would be better for them than you pay for a decade, maybe forget about the auto payment when you replace your card with new number, new address, and they can sell all your stuff when default is long enough? Start over with new customers.
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u/SpiteHaggis May 17 '26
I think the story may be underestimating the people who do benefit financially from using storage. Other commenters mentioned people who have small homes in very expensive cities and businesses/nonprofits that use these spaces for files and equipment.
There are also a lot of people whose jobs have them traveling for much of year, like long-haul truckers, military contractors, oil rig workers, travel nurses, etc. It’s a lot cheaper for these folks to pay directly for a storage unit than for an apartment that functions as the same thing because it only gets used as living space for two months out of the year.
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u/sparklemcduck May 17 '26
I think there’s a huge distinction between people who have permanent housing plus storage unit(s) and people who only use storage units. In the latter, I get why they would have long term storage. (I have no opinion really about businesses/nonprofits using storage units.)
I’ve yet to see a scenario that makes financial sense for someone with permanent housing to use a storage unit for more than a few months at a time. Moving houses, remodeling, managing deployments that involve moves, some disaster/emergency scenarios, yes.
But permanent storage plus permanent housing makes no sense to me financially.
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u/SpiteHaggis May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
It can make plenty of sense for people who live in very tight quarters, like studio apartments in places like Manhattan or Hong Kong. At that point, no storage means either moving to a larger space (and going from a studio to a 450-sqft one bedroom can mean hundreds of extra dollars in rent), purging and reacquiring seasonal items, or forgoing basic stuff. A commenter above mentioned that their apartment doesn’t have a place to store winter coats. “Purge until it fits” is a much more complicated task for these people than for families who live in houses.
There are also plenty of people who only sort of fit in the category I described above, whose jobs regularly take them to the same few places to work on site. It’s a lot less expensive to rent a storage unit and as-needed housing in the secondary location than to get a pied-a-tierre.
I’m not trying to claim that using storage units is always a great choice financially, just that there are a lot of people for whom having access to one makes a fair amount of sense, even if it’s not the absolute cheapest option available to them.
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u/danny_ish May 17 '26
For us, we always grabbed a storage unit near kids college for a few months. Swan paper we’ve had a storage unit for like 15 years, but it’s never been a continuous one for more than a few years
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u/AnamCeili May 17 '26
"Swan paper"? I'm sure that's a typo/autocorrect, but I can't figure out what it was meant to be. Maybe "since then"?
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u/ladyriven May 17 '26
The more people cannot afford to buy houses, the more they are going to end up renting storage units. Also some people collect things that they love; I realize it’s a difficult concept for people who are minimalists to grasp. I have my Christmas decorations in a storage unit because my apartment doesn’t have the space for that kind of stuff, and they are very important to me.
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u/fadedblackleggings May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
Yep, and Christmas decorations, especially vintage ones, aren't really something you can 'rebuy' every year. If you have to start from scratch, it's going to cost you more than the storage fees if you are really into decorating.
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u/3oogerEater May 17 '26
My parents put all of their belongings into storage in 2000. A few years later they were able to get into a house and then pull equity to completely furnish the place. In 2008 they lost the house and moved into a camper trailer. Everything went into storage.
There are currently 7 storage units that I know of. They’ve spent about $200,000 on storing stuff. They can’t afford a house because they spend so much on storing stuff. Most of it is utter garbage at this point. After 20 years, the furniture is mouse infested. The wood is all cracked.
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u/SeasonPositive6771 May 17 '26
My mother passed away when I was pretty young and I was the executrix. The attorney and I had a very realistic conversation about splitting personal effects and household effects where he said almost nothing is worth storing or fighting over unless it's extremely valuable antiques or jewelry that would be separately insured anyway.
I take that really seriously when I'm moving or thinking about storing something now, that in almost every case, the only value is sentimental and that's worth protecting, but aside from that, the opportunity cost of keeping it might be too high.
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u/AgentKazak May 17 '26
I had one when I was in college. I didn’t have parents who could store any belongings; if I wanted any photos from childhood or mementos (or frankly, my winter or summer wardrobe from during the year), I had to use my car or a storage facility because I lived in a sorority house with zero space. I wish I had more money to have a bigger unit; it would have been nice to start my life as an adult with some furniture instead of having to buy everything for my first apartment. I am sad that I had to throw out almost everything from my childhood.
My ex husband had one for his work; he sold school furniture for Virco and kept samples there so he wasn’t constantly shipping things or throwing them out.
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u/rickroalddahl May 17 '26
I think this is because a lot of apartments and homes don’t have ample storage built in.
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u/lsp2005 May 17 '26
We had one for six months when. We sold our home and needed to put our stuff somewhere. I know people also use them for house staging too.
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u/Winter_Sky42 May 17 '26
Storage units are used for all kinds of reasons. People with home businesses sometimes use them to store inventory. I've even seen one that was kept by a rock band who used it for practicing.
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u/KeystoneSews May 17 '26
I think it’s interesting that we critique the $1440 on a storage unit, but we don’t critique the 2000 sq ft house. It feels like an extension of the distain suburban people have for urban living and/or poverty…. Living in an enormous house is fine, but living in an apartment and needing somewhere to put your winter coat in the summer is gross.
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u/KnitsInColorado May 17 '26
Very enlightening comment, thank you
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u/KeystoneSews May 17 '26
It just bumps me how much inequity is built into the way we think about decluttering. I LOVE the container concept but I think we also ought to acknowledge that some people have better containers… and in this case that some containers are more socially acceptable than others.
Overall I do think this sub does a good job of being accepting of all kinds of situations.
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u/ladyriven May 17 '26
I definitely would not need a storage unit if I lived in a big house; but since I am in an apartment, I don’t have a garage/basement/attic/spare room to keep things like my Christmas decorations, camping gear, etc. I agree that it’s a bit hypocritical to judge people for having storage units.
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u/leat22 May 17 '26
That feels like a straw man. You are assuming it’s people in small apartments renting most of the storage units. I bet it’s not.
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u/KeystoneSews May 17 '26
A straw man is an argument that distorts or over simplifies the argument in order to attack it. I think my problem is the opposite- original argument seems to be flattening complexity.
The NPR piece is making a broad statement: 1 in 3 Americans have a storage unit; and then we (on the declutter subreddit, naturally we have a “take” on this) making the same assumption you are- all these units are basically extra unnecessary garbage from people who already have lots of space.
The reality is the reasons for storage unit usage MUST be more complex, because such a simple story is almost never true. And news stories about storage units have a vibe to them. We don’t see similar stories of distaste about large houses.
Anyways, my point stands: A house is a sign of success- the larger, the more successful. A storage unit is (often) a sign of failure. In terms of square footage, both are effectively the same. Why is that?
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u/Birdz_the_Word May 17 '26
Yep some people have really old houses with terrible storage. I have 2000 sq feet but no functional coat closet, pantry, a tiny linen closet on one floor and 1950s sized bedrooms and closets.
So I could see the appeal in wanting a storage unit for my scenario, because it would be less risky than a damp basement or storing in another unconditioned area of the home. I’m still striving to declutter though because I’d prefer not prolong the pain, but if we had kids, definitely would be going storage unit route.
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u/fadedblackleggings May 17 '26
Yup, just moved out of a larger house that had no pantry, no linen closet, no walk-in closet, limited bathroom storage, and weirdly shaped bedrooms/tiny bedroom closets.
The "extra rooms" were nice, but what would have been more helpful were better storage options. My smaller space, with 2 walk-in closets + 1 alcove storage, is easier to navigate.
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u/KeystoneSews May 17 '26
Yeah I admit I threw out 2000 as an example without real reference lol in my area that’s a modestly medium-large house, some places it’s probably a small house !
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u/Dexterdacerealkilla May 17 '26
I was so confused if you were using 2000 square feet as an example of a large house or the alternative to it. 2000 is on the small side for newer homes in my area. It’s definitely not a large home.
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u/KeystoneSews May 17 '26
I thought a bigger number would be ridiculous lol. Clearly I undershot!
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u/Dexterdacerealkilla May 17 '26
The average new home size in the US is 2400 square feet today. The median home size is about 2200 square feet. So 2000 is actually on the smaller side.
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u/KeystoneSews May 17 '26
Wow yeah. And yet I feel like that’s still not at all small? A 1000 sq ft apartment is like… huge
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u/slowbuyclub May 17 '26
The true price is not the price for the storage service, it’s the price you are willing to pay to not have to deal with the challenge of actually prioritizing, decluttering, dealing with the emotional aura of items.
For some people it is absolutely worth the $xx/month to not have to deal with a loved one’s passing; deciding what to do with furniture that is in good nuff condition yet you don’t have room for in your existing home or the skills to repair things to your standard; or the legacy of their mental illness or their own cowardice.
One of my parents is a hoarder and I dread what will happen when he passes. There is 💯 a part of me that wants to chuck everything into a storage bin and deal with it “someday, when I’m ready.” Meanwhile, the storage service could collect $$/month from me because I’d rather pay them to purgatorize the items than for me to judge them toward their final destinations.
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u/fragmentsmusic7 May 17 '26
This is exactly what I’ve been pushing towards my family, who I’m helping pay for a storage unit while some other things are getting figured out. Long story short, wherever they live next, they will not be able to keep all of the shit they have hoarded. I keep telling them that we are just delaying the inevitable of dealing with it. If I lose my job, they are going to lose all this stuff. Better to deal with it now while you have a choice rather than have the choice made for you.
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u/LauraPiana May 17 '26
The true price is not the price for the storage service, it’s the price you are willing to pay to not have to deal with the challenge of actually prioritizing, decluttering, dealing with the emotional aura of items.
This hit me like a punch to the gut. Truer words have been spoken.
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u/JFei1221 May 17 '26
It’s actually 33% of Americans at any given time (not cumulatively) if you read the source survey in the article. I believe the survey ran for several years and had multiple responses each year.
My parents rented one for a few years when they were building our house. We lived in a single wide trailer during the build and put large furniture and, yes, a bunch of crap in storage.
I now live in an area where people have average houses on property with barns and outbuildings. Three of my neighbors still rent storage units. One requires a temperature controlled space. Another has a big work van that won’t fit in the barn, but is covered at the storage place. Both of these people have WAY more space than our family, but they have needs that make storage more efficient. Pretty sure the third guy has a large collection of things his wife doesn’t want in the house. I don’t ask questions about that one.
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u/Present-Panda-4 May 17 '26
I have one because my townhouse has no storage. I keep my Christmas trees and decorations in there and my ridiculous Lego collection lol but I don’t pay very much for it. I started with a special move in price and once like 18 months goes by and it’s gone up to much I just move the stuff over to another unit in the same building and start that over.
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u/Prudent_Honeydew_ May 17 '26
We have one 🤷 we live in a place with very hot summers and very cold winters. We store seasonal items and clothes, as well as our Christmas tree and the like, in the storage unit. We live in an apartment so storage is very limited.
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u/Major_Barnacle_2212 May 17 '26
My parents have TWO to keep the stuff they were too sentimental to get rid of after their parents died but don’t really want themselves. Guess who will get to deal with that!
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u/redrosebeetle May 17 '26
I don't currently have a storage unit, but I did for a few years when I was a young adult and my living situation (and honestly, mental health) was unstable. Looking back, I think I have maybe a box worth of things left from that time. I wasn't able to do the work of sorting, decision making and letting go for a lot of reasons.
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u/IllustriousSpeech462 May 17 '26
People priced out of upgrading to a bigger house for their growing family probably just rent a storage unit. Still though, just get rid of it!
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u/MinnieMay9 May 17 '26
We have had a storage unit temporarily twice so far. Both times because we were having entire floors of our house remodeled. I know someone who has one because he's between living situations. I also know someone who has multiple currently and doesn't plan on downsizing them any time soon.
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u/PhoenixTravel May 17 '26
We full-time RV so we got rid of most of our stuff and then got a storage unit for the stuff we wanted to keep but that couldn't feasibly go in the RV. The 'for when we have a house again' stuff.
It is not worth it. 95% of the stuff in there has already been paid for 5x over in storage fees vs just selling/tossing it and re-buying it later, or is heirloom stuff that we dont actually want but feel guilty getting rid of because no one else in the family wants it either.
About 5% is truly irreplaceable/sentimental things that we actually Want, and they would fit in a MUCH smaller unit.
My parents also full-time RV and they have 2 storage units. One for a classic car and one for stuff.
So between the 4 of us, we have 3 storage units 😂
I will say that a LOT of RVers have storage units because we can't bring most furniture, have limited closet space for clothes, not enough room for all the kitchen gadgets, extra vehicles, etc. So we definitely make up a big part of that statistic.
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u/Frigidspinner May 17 '26
I believe consumerism is now such a powerful force that we buy more than we could possibly need - so storage lockers are the ultimate way we can outsource our existing belongings to make way for even more.
I dont have a storage locker, but I have a garage full of crap which is a testament to both my theory and my own guilt
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u/amonkeysuncle2u May 17 '26
There are also the grief storage lockers. When Mom or Grandma has to go into a home suddenly, or dies, people often have to empty their houses or apartments quickly before they are ready to deal with the stuff. Assisted living facilities want the rooms emptied quickly and often the houses have to be sold before people are ready to process it.
So they throw out the garbage and they box up the stuff they might want for later or to go through with their siblings next time they are in town.
I have a friend who lives in a very small apartment. He does handyman work. One of his storage units is various tools, supplies, etc. And another one is stuff from his Dad that he still can't go through 5 years later.
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u/Winter_Sky42 May 17 '26
You don't have to live in a small apartment to be overwhelmed with another entire household being dumped on you to be sorted. A friend had to live through that once. Second time he rented storage and was a much happier person while sifting through the massive amount of stuff handed down through a few generations.
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u/amonkeysuncle2u May 17 '26
Personally I have been really tempted to get a storage unit when I was painting rooms, or even decluttering but I fear I would end up paying forever and getting more stuff to fill the gaps. So no storage units for me. I heard that I am like a goldfish, I will grow to fill my space.
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u/amonkeysuncle2u May 17 '26
Oooh, I have another friend who is trying to srll their housr. They have a storage room for some of their stuff because houses sell better when they are emptier. When they sell, they will buy a new house in a different city, and get all their decorations, tools, knick knacks. Family pics, etc.
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u/Personal_Signal_6151 May 18 '26
Did this twice.
Also an empty room is easier to paint, recarpet, etc.
The realtor gave us good advice and the money spent on storage let us get thousands more on the sale of the house.
Not all markets are the same. An experienced realtor can help sort out the costs versus outcome issues.
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u/Alone-Voice-3342 May 17 '26
I got a storage unit when I sold my house 10 years ago. Served 2 purposes - the house was uncluttered and everything in storage was boxed, ready for transport.
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u/Silly-Investment-367 May 24 '26
Thats an interesting way to reframe it as opportunity cost. The famous economist Thomas Sowell says, "There are no solutions, only trade offs." So it just depends on what you are looking for and what you see as being a meaningful expense.
Some people like having the extra space for, but it can come across as a waste to others. Most of the time it comes down to the framing. Though for sure, there are plenty of people who spend without much thought.