Personal Storage

You are super excited, and you want a special nursery for your precious new baby. What are you going to do with all of the things that you have stored in that extra bedroom? Don’t overcrowd the nursery closet or shove them into a corner of your bedroom. Store those items safely until you are ready to move into that massive dream home with your seven kids, three dogs, two cats and a hyperactive ferret who likes to sleep in the dryer. By that time you won’t be worried about overcrowding and the next new baby will sleep in the dryer with the ferret.

This can be one of the most stressful, time-consuming, and problematic events that you will ever face. Don’t make it even more taxing by trying to maneuver around boxes, baskets, appliances, extra furniture, kids and pets. Yes, you could use your dishwasher as a plant stand or maybe an end table. If you’re crafty, create the first ever cardboard box curio cabinet…a great conversation piece but not really the best option. Store that stuff (and maybe one or two of the kids).

Until you have lived through the experience of moving a child to and from college for four to twelve years, you have no concept of the complexity of this task. Do you want to move all of that furniture, décor, books, and just plain junk into your garage? Fair warning…you will discover strange and scary things that you don’t remember seeing on the trip to college; and, we don’t mean moldy food and dirty clothes. Use your imagination. Let us store everything on a month to month lease. Don’t worry; we won’t be shocked. We’ve seen it all.

This can be traumatizing. We know that you’ll miss that large home in which you have accumulated enough clutter to fill several isles in Super Target. We know that you miss the worry, sleepless nights, financial ruin, and exhaustion that come with parenting. But, the time has come. Time to dispose of Jimmie’s chewed up, rotting pacifier and Janie’s Barbie doll that looks like she just took the “walk of shame.” Not to mention the exercise bike you’ve had since 1974. If you just cannot part with this debris, store it for a while (or forever) until you can come to terms with your new life.

This is another transition that can be unspeakably stressful. Having a place to store your belongings can alleviate some of the anxiety that accompanies this event. Trying to divide belongings during a thorny divorce has caused arguments that make WWII look like a bunch of toddlers fighting over a half-eaten, slobbery chocolate chip cookie. Look on the bright side. You can hide your “special things” in a climate-controlled storage space. We’ll never tell.

This can be unspeakably sad for your elderly parents who have remained in the same home for their entire lives. For them, leaving their home is like abandoning a loved one. Their memories are more vivid than their current lives. They try to give their belongings away, but can’t understand why these outdated, damaged, and mostly useless things aren’t desirable to their friends and family. Instead of calling a hauler or having an estate sale, store as many of their items as possible. Examine them at your leisure, and, if possible, involve your loved ones in deciding how they can best be disposed of.