So my buddy Dave called me last week. Total mess.
His mom just passed away. Really sudden. She was fine one day and then just gone the next.
Now Dave’s got a two-bedroom apartment and his mom’s house is packed full of stuff. Furniture. Clothes. Dishes. Boxes of photos. Her sewing machine. The big hutch she always kept in the dining room. All of it.
He had like two weeks to clear the house out before he had to hand over the keys. And he’s got nowhere to put any of this stuff. His apartment is already full. He’s got a storage unit but it’s small. Just holds his winter tires and some camping gear.
So he’s freaking out. Calling me at like 9pm on a Tuesday. Asking what he should do.
And I’m like, Dave, chill. We’ll figure it out. But first, let me tell you what’s gonna happen.
The First Thing
The first thing that happens when your storage needs change is you panic.
I’m not being funny. You just do. Your brain goes into overdrive. You start thinking about all the stuff you have to do. You start thinking about how you don’t have enough time. You start thinking about how you don’t have enough money. You start thinking about how this is gonna ruin your whole life.
And none of that is true. But your brain doesn’t know that. Your brain just knows there’s a problem and you need to fix it now.
So you start making calls. Rushing around. Making decisions without really thinking about them.
That’s how people end up with storage units that are too small. Or too big. Or in the wrong location. Or without climate control. Or with really inconvenient access hours.
They didn’t think. They just acted.
What You Actually Need to Think About
Okay, so let’s slow down for a second.
When your storage needs change, you need to ask yourself some questions.
First, what are you storing? Like actually. Not just “furniture.” What kind of furniture? A couch? A bed? A dining table? All of them?
Is it valuable? I’m not asking to be nosy. I’m asking because if it’s valuable, you might need climate control. Heat and cold can mess up wood. Can mess up fabric. Can mess up electronics.
Second, how much stuff are we talking? Is it a few boxes? Is it a whole house worth of stuff? Is it a business worth of stuff?
You gotta be realistic. People always underestimate. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had someone tell me they just need a 5×5 and then I see their stuff and it’s clearly a 10×15 situation.
Third, how often are you gonna need to get to it? Every day? Once a week? Once a year?
If you need it every day, you want drive-up access. You want to be able to pull your car right up to the door and load up. If you need it once a year, you can park farther away. It doesn’t matter as much.
Fourth, how long are you gonna need this? A month? A year? Five years?
If it’s short term, you can get away with a cheaper unit. If it’s long term, you want something better. Something that’s gonna protect your stuff.
The Moving Part
This is the part nobody likes.
If you’re changing units, you gotta move your stuff. And moving your stuff is a pain in the ass.
You gotta get a truck. Or a van. Or borrow your buddy’s pickup.
You gotta pack everything up. Which means you gotta have boxes. And tape. And markers. And bubble wrap if you’ve got breakable stuff.
You gotta actually lift all the boxes. And the furniture. And the heavy stuff. And then you gotta carry it to the truck. Then you gotta drive to the new place. Then you gotta unload it all.
It’s exhausting. It takes forever. And your back is gonna hurt for like three days after.
But here’s the thing. Nobody else is gonna do it for you. So you just gotta suck it up and do it.
Unless you want to hire movers. Which costs money. But if you’ve got a lot of stuff, it might be worth it.
When You’re Upsizing
So you need a bigger unit. You’ve got more stuff than you used to have.
This is the easier of the two situations.
You just get a bigger unit and move your stuff from the old one to the new one. Same stuff. Just more room.
But here’s the thing. You’re also paying more now. So you gotta ask yourself if it’s worth it.
Is the extra stuff worth the extra money? If it’s just random junk you don’t really need, maybe you should think about getting rid of some stuff instead of paying to store it.
I’m not judging. I’ve got junk too. We all do. But I’m just saying, think about it.
When You’re Downsizing
This one is harder.
You got a smaller unit. You need to get rid of stuff. Or move it somewhere else. Or just not store it anymore.
But you’re paying for a unit that’s too big. And that’s throwing money away. So you gotta do something.
The hard part is deciding what goes.
You look at your stuff and you think, well I can’t get rid of that. That was my grandma’s. And I can’t get rid of that. I paid good money for it. And I can’t get rid of that. I might need it someday.
And before you know it, you haven’t gotten rid of anything. And you’re still paying for a unit you don’t need.
You gotta be tough with yourself.
If you haven’t used it in a year, you don’t need it. If you forgot you had it, you don’t need it. If you’re only keeping it because of guilt, you don’t need it.
Donate it. Sell it. Throw it away. Just get rid of it.
The Overlap Problem
Here’s something that’s always annoying.
When you switch units, you gotta deal with timing.
You can’t just move everything out of your old unit and into your new unit at the exact same time. It doesn’t work like that.
You gotta move your stuff to the truck. Then drive to the new unit. Then move your stuff into the new unit. And in between, your stuff is just sitting in a truck somewhere.
So you gotta make sure you have enough time. And enough help. And a truck that’s big enough.
And you gotta make sure your old unit is empty by the time your month ends. Or you’re gonna get charged another month. And you don’t want that.
Climate Control
I gotta talk about this.
Some stuff needs climate control. And some stuff doesn’t.
- If you’re storing furniture, especially wood furniture, you want climate control. Temperature changes can make wood crack. Can make it warp. Can make it split.
- If you’re storing electronics, you want climate control. Heat can fry circuits. Cold can make screens crack.
- If you’re storing photos or documents or artwork, you definitely want climate control. Humidity can ruin paper. Can make it moldy. Can make it yellow.
- If you’re just storing plastic bins full of Christmas decorations, you probably don’t need climate control. They’ll be fine.
So think about what you’re storing. And if it needs climate control, get a unit with climate control. It costs more. But it’s worth it.
The Stuff I’ve Seen
- I’ve been doing this for a while now. I’ve seen a lot.
- I’ve seen people store cars. Motorcycles. Boats. RVs. All kinds of vehicles.
- I’ve seen people store furniture worth more than my car. Antique stuff. Valuable stuff.
- I’ve seen people store all their stuff because they’re moving to another country for a year and they’ll be back.
- I’ve seen people store their business inventory. Like all of it. Thousands of dollars worth of product.
And I’ve seen people store just random junk. Like stuff they should have thrown away years ago.
The point is, everyone’s storage needs are different. And they change.
What We Do
Look, I’m not gonna give you a sales pitch. That’s not me.
But I will say this. We’ve got a lot of different units. Different sizes. Different features. Climate controlled. Drive-up. Ground floor. Upper floor.
We can usually find something that works for you. And if we can’t, we’ll tell you. We’re not gonna try to sell you something you don’t need.
You can come by and look at the units. See what you think. Ask questions. Whatever you need.
We’re not pushy. We just want to help you figure out your storage situation.
The Bottom Line
So look. Your storage needs are gonna change. It’s just a fact.
You might get more stuff. You might get less stuff. You might need climate control. You might not. You might need to get to your stuff every day. You might not need to get to it for years.
It changes. And you just gotta deal with it.
The important thing is to not panic. To think about what you actually need. And to take your time making decisions.
I know it’s stressful. I know it’s a pain. But it’s really not that complicated. You just gotta work through it.
If you’re in our area, come see us at Nearby Storage Rentals. We’re pretty easy to find. And we’re around if you need help.
Or just give us a call. We can talk through your situation and figure out what you need.
Either way, good luck with your stuff. And try not to let it stress you out too much.
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