Does anyone have a storage unit?

[Apple]

Normally I'm completely against them... However, as I collect more things for the new house I'm running out of room to put it without completely cluttering my current house. This is stuff I can't put to use until I move, stuff like flooring, future curtain rods (I'm using double and single trees--since it's a log house and I love old farm equipment and other old tools), lamps, stuff to make the light fixtures, etc, etc...
One unit I'm looking at is 6x8x10 for $58 a month. I figure this will get me by until I can get a cargo container (like you see on semi-trucks) on the property (much cheaper than building a shed, I can get one delivered for about $2300, no building permits). I was hoping to have one up there last year, but I'll have to remove a tree or two to put it where I want it. I figure later this spring when the land work gets done I'll have them level the land for the container.
I just want my house back! It just seems way too crowded (and I have a big house--almost 2400 sq feet) and I'm tired of it. I'm just trying to talk myself into doing the storage unit, cleaner/less crowded house, won't be depressing that I have to look at the stuff knowing I can't move into my dream home RIGHT NOW, etc).
Have you had one? Short term, long term, was it worth it? I only plan on having it until the end of summer. I almost think, why bother?, but I hate how "stuff" has taken over my house. I've been purging and everything, but this is stuff that I'm not getting rid of and doesn't have a place in this house (oh, I already have my kitchen sink too--it's a double sink, cast iron, that I got for $7.50 at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, perfect condition, and no, the decimal point is not in the wrong place!) Also have my clawfoot tub and all the shower attachments as well. Trying to save money by buying when I find great deals. It will be a brand new house and will be gorgeous, but it will have a rustic feel to it with cool antiques where I can put them, etc...

[blackcard]

Old BF had one once. Stuff gets ruined in there. Mouse or something chewed up the mattress and sofa. Heat ruined the things that were foam. Foam just went to dust. Humidity corroded some other stuff. After I kicked him to the curb, he moved and unpacked. I helped him. Most stuff did not fare too well. So be careful about what you want to store.

[montanatransplant]

There is another "term" for our storage unit, it's called a "basement" and it's full from one end to the other. If my children aren't nicer to us, we'll leave it just the way it is!! If they start remembering special holidays, etc., with a card/phone call, we might just sort through it!

We did rent one when we were in Alabama, and I think it would have been cheaper had we laid a concrete pad and purchased a storage unit to put on it. We were there for 3 yrs. At least we would have had something to show for it and it would have been more convenient to look for things in our own backyard.

Your good deals will start getting more expensive if you have to pay rent to store them.

Good luck. let us know what you decide.

[pepperdoo]

I won't pay for a storage unit. I know someone who pays $70.00 a month just to hold her old medical bills and EOB statements past utility statements, ( there are several boxes) and a few handed down family heirlooms.

[kadee]

We had one for my stuff when DH & I combined our households (got married).
We finally built what we call our warehouse...20X20 which worked out much better. We built it so that it can be taken apart or moved. Right now it is pretty full of stuff that will be in our yard sale in May. We just keep adding to it!

apple, we did what you are doing too. We accumulated things for our house when we found deals...took us 2 yrs. to build it ourselves. But we had a lot of the stuff for it way before, some for even about 8 yrs.....that was another reason for the warehouse!!!

[MN-Investor]

In 2000 we had our decrepit 2-car garage torn down and a nice 3-car garage built to replace it. Some of the garage contents could be stored temporarily behind the house, and some on the porch, but some things, like DH's restored '56 Chevy pickup, needed to go to a storage unit. It's not cheap to rent a pickup-sized storage unit, so that ensured we just rented it for the time required, about 3 months if I remember correctly.

The storage location was not terribly far away and it appeared well maintained. It was definitely worth it.

I think the only way to not let a storage unit get the better of you is to set a time limit on how long you're going to rent it and stick to that limit. Also, if you store things you know you're going to use in the future, that's good. If you're storing items you don't use now and have no current plans to use, but don't want to toss, you're going to end up storing them forever. It's easier to toss things from your house that you're tripping over than from a storage unit which is "out of sight, out of mind."

[Apple]

Thanks everyone for all the thoughts on this. It's hard to "resign" myself to getting one, but I really think it will be for the best. The new goal is to get the land worked as soon as a neighbor has his equipment "back home" which should be some time this spring or summer. At the same time I'll have him clear out a spot for the cargo container. From there I just need to decide if I should wait until I can get a concrete pad poured (when I get the foundation done) or if I should set it up on timbers (bigger than railroad ties).

It really is all stuff that will be used in the new house and I really am saving money buying as I go (someone asked how much money are you really saving if you have to store it, because of the stuff it is, I'm still saving thousands of dollars.) There is a lot of wood as well, fairly rare so it was a get it now or regret not getting it forever. It was priced right but I needed to pick it up--spalted oak, absolutely gorgeous. A little too soft to use as flooring (even though it's milled and grooved for that purpose) so it will be for my walls and ceiling panels in different rooms of the house.

One of my coworkers told me it was good I had land so I could build lots of outbuildings to store stuff. I told him I don't want "stuff" that just gets stored. I want a shed for seasonal stuff like the mower, etc and a room in the basement for things, but if it takes more room to store it all than that (and the stuff never gets used) I really don't want it. I don't want to fall into that trap. My ex-boyfriend was a clean freak and even he had a two car garage, two large sheds and a barn full of "stuff" PLUS a large storage unit! Some of it was his ex's that she still hadn't removed, but still...

[TheOtherMe]

I had one when I rented a house that was way too small for my things. Yes, mice got in to it and I moved a house to my new place where I didn't need a storage unit.

I have a friend who is somewhat of a hoarder. She can't part with anything. She has THREE, yes three storage units. She has every item of clothing she has ever owned, going back to childhood. She is 64 years old! She has every piece of furniture that was in her childhood home. She inherited all of it when her mother passed away because her brother considered it junk. I've seen some of it and he is right.

She drive mother's car, which is always in the shop, because she can't part with it. Her two car garage is full of stuff, so she had to put in a spot beside her driveway for another car. She has three vehicles, including mother's. She's single.

[dogmom]

A couple of years ago, we rented a portable storage container for a few weeks when we were doing some home remodeling. I don't remember what the fees were, but at the time, it seemed inexpensive. It stayed on our property until we were finished using it. Do you think that would be something that would work for you?

[justwhoever]

We had one after our fire. We had to stay with the in laws for what turned out to be 9 months. We paid $25 or $35 a month. It was big enough to hold pretty much an entire household of stuff. Furniture, washer/dryer. Everything that we would need once we got our own place. We didn't get mice or bugs. I wish I could remember the size. Probably too small for what you would need it for. And probably not even close to your area and your costs. lol

[merryheart]

Apple, a storage unit for a set time frame is probably just what you need for peace of mind. This is stuff that will all be used in your new home so it isn't the hoarder problem. If the unit you are looking at isn't climate controlled, be careful about putting items in that would deteriorate. Otherwise, go for the unit knowing it will be short term.

[Apple]

An on-site storage unit isn't feasible for my current house and at the property I want to have a cargo container, so I'll just buy that when the land is level.

Thanks again for all the input. I think I'm going to talk to them next sunday and get one so that I can move stuff on President's Day weekend (we have already been told we will not be working overtime that weekend). Trying to get the current house ready to sell is also part of that--I don't want to have it appraised and show it with the stuff for the new house sitting around and I'm kind of hoping to put it up for sale this summer--maybe. I can rent a place until the new one is ready. I'd rather not, but the current market isn't great for selling (although I'm lucky in that I won't lose money, I bought mine when prices were low).

Anyway... for $58 a month I think it will be worth it, as long as I only keep it short term. I'll find out if they are climate controlled and if not I'll just be careful about what I put in it. I think PD weekend is going to be a big cleaning/purging weekend for me!

[Peace77]

Have you considered using a POD container? You can load it at your current home and have it delivered to your new home.

www.pods.com/