By Daryl Ashley
Confusion Solution
How many times have we taken what we don’t want in the house, put those things in containers, and stored them in our attics, garages, or basements? Well, it’s more common than you might think. It’s so easy to free up our living spaces by using these extension rooms to house things without giving it a second thought, But, when it comes to making a move or wanting to use those spaces for cars, converting a basement into a family room, or just minimizing what we put in the attic, then we are left with the overwhelming job of actually seeing what’s inside those containers.
It’s the deciding part that keeps us from considering what and why before we put our things in storage. We say, “We might use it again,” or “It’s just holiday decorations,” or “I need more room, so I’ll get back to it later.” These are all realistic situations that just encourage us to purchase boxes or containers which will eventually take over the floor space in those particular areas.
So, what can we do to make the best use of storage space? Here are some ideas.
- When storing seasonal clothing, make sure those items can be reused or determine if you have more than you need. If they don’t fit put them aside for donation and keep only those things that you know will be worn again. Make the decision to reduce the number of similar items like too many coats, gloves, hats, etc.
- When boxing up our decorations from the holidays, keep the memorable ones and donate others. Refresh and reduce to save space.
- Memorabilia are difficult to downsize. Try going through photos, documents, and souvenirs with family or friends. This is a perfect way to scrutinize and make wise decisions about what you can let go of.
- We also store bedding and linens. Maybe they were necessary once but, obviously, if we are putting them in containers to store them I’m not sure we need to keep them. There are lots of places where we can donate these to homeless shelters.
It all comes down to thinking before we put things in containers. I know that’s not always easy, but I can tell you from experience that it’s not nearly as painful as waiting until you have to.
It’s as simple as that!
Send your questions and comments to me at info@confusionsolution.com
