Yahoo! Finance just recently published an article stating that 26% of Americans rent some form of storage unit. According to their survey, another 28% of people were planning on renting a storage unit in the future. This means over half of Americans feel like they have too much stuff to fit the space they currently occupy. That is a fascinating statistic. And a huge industry. Sparefoot, an “online marketplace that lets you find, compare, and reserve self-storage units” estimates that the storage industry is worth approximately 44.3 BILLION dollars in 2026. This is larger than the GDP of over 100 countries in the world, including mid-sized economies like Latvia. Let’s think about that for a moment.
This tells us that there is a problem, but I want you to take away two things from this. 1) If you are struggling with this, you are definitely not alone. 2) There is a solution. Now, I am a professional organizer and trained decluttering coach, so what I’m going to tell you will not shock you. But in this article I just want to focus on the math.
Declutter now, not later
If you are considering renting a storage unit to store things that don’t fit in your house, consider hiring a professional to help you declutter first. The average price of a 10×10 storage unit in a major market in the United States is approximately $120. Storage units are just delayed decisions. At some point, you are still going to have to decide what to do with all that stuff. It will actually save you money to decide now instead of later. Hiring a trained decluttering coach to help you go through your things and decide what you really want to keep and how to organize the things that are left will allow you to fit the things you need into the space you already have. The cost of hiring a professional up front will more than pay for itself in just a few months of savings from not renting that storage unit you were considering. It will also pay you back with peace of mind and a more functional home.
Cleaning out my storage unit
But what if you already have a storage unit? The money you have paid in the past is a sunk cost, but hiring a professional now can save you money in the future. I just finished helping a client clean out and shut down one of her several storage units. It was not an easy or cheap project. If she had hired me 10 years ago before she first rented the units, however, she would have saved herself over ten thousand dollars. As it is, she will make back my fees in less than 6 months of not having this storage unit.
Exceptions to the rule
Yes, there are times when storage units can actually be helpful. Maybe you have a child at an out-of-state college and it’s cheaper to rent a storage unit for the summer than haul his stuff back and forth. Perhaps you are deploying overseas and can’t take all of your things but want them when you return. What if you have a few weeks gap between when your current lease is up and you can move into your new place? These are all reasonable but time-controlled reasons for renting a storage space.
I would recommend against storage units for almost any long-term period with an open-ended time frame. If the items aren’t important enough to make room for in your house, they are usually not important enough to pay to store. Many of my clients find that when they do go back to those storage units, the majority of things that are there are not things they want to keep. And, unfortunately, despite best good-faith efforts, many things end up being damaged beyond repair by time, lack of climate control, and creatures.
So let’s reconsider the implications of self-storage. It seems like a solution, but in many cases, it is just postponing the problem-solving. Declutter yourself before you consider self-storage. You will most likely find that you can now find room for the things you really need in the space you have. And if you just don’t have the margin to start the process on your own, a trained professional can help. Hiring a professional organizer might cost less than you think, and you will make that money back quickly in the amount you save from not renting storage. If you want some advice on storage units and how to avoid or manage them, contact me today!
