mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Jan 7, 2015 14:45:46 GMT -5
I have been paying for storage space for years. I could have replaced a lot of it for what I've spent storing it. Now I'm purging stuff from home and storage, and will get rid of the storage expense.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Jan 7, 2015 15:39:18 GMT -5
My garage is 26x52' with a small addition on the side, it presently contains three cars, four tractors and a ton of other stuff. My 30x40' pole barn has 15 tractors inside, with several more scattered about the place. I want to build another barn so my toys don't have to be outside, but my wife would rather kill me than allow me to build another storage building.
Our house needs some serious purging, maybe 2015 will be the year.
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happyhoix
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Post by happyhoix on Jan 7, 2015 16:59:49 GMT -5
My mom had a four bedroom, 3000 square foot house crammed with stuff because she never got rid of anything - ever. Old books, clothes her four kids wore 30 years ago, every note and card she'd ever gotten, every stick of furniture they'd ever bought. Just her and my dad living in a vast ocean of stuff.
I think that turned me against stuff - I watched her try to downsize into a townhouse, and it seemed like all that crap was a weight around her neck. She couldn't bear to give up even the warped tupperware containers or the broken light - she ended up cramming amost all her stuff into her new 1 bedroom townhome. Crazy.
Now I go around the house trying to find crap to toss. I cleaned out the laundry room over Christmas and threw out or donated about 6 garbage bags of useless crap. It was wonderful.
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Peace Of Mind
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Post by Peace Of Mind on Jan 7, 2015 17:08:35 GMT -5
Spare bedroom #1 a/k/a Guest bedroom closet has extra pillows, comforters, camping gear, games (mostly yard games) luggage, Halloween Costumes, vacuum, jackets and coats... stuff like that that aren't used daily.
Spare bedroom #2 a/k/a as The kitty room closet has kitty stuff. Extra kitty boxes, kitty litter, liners, bottled water, leashes (yeah, I know. Money wasted there), and paper towels, glass plus and other various kitty needs along with a garbage can, broom and dust pan.
Spare bedroom #3 a/k/a DH's Office has all the technology equipment, office supplies and part of it I use for a food pantry for bogos food items.
Our 2 master closets hold our clothes, shoes bedding, hats, boots, belts, etc. like normal closets.
We have a decent sized linen closet that hold towels, sheets, decorative pillows, etc. in that.
I have two small pantries that I also use for food in one and the other has party supplies, paper plates, napkins, blender, mixer, cat food, candles and the holders, etc.
Our garage can fit our car. We can also fit a Crossover if we ever buy one but would have to get rid of the car. DH's company truck is too big and wouldn't fit even if we had room for it in the garage. We have a mini kitchen area against the wall with drawers and cabinets and a sink and mini refrigerator. The cabinets/drawers hold DH's gadgets that he needs to fix things around the house - inside and out and I use part of it for my gardening and bogos Kleenex, soap, dish soap, Glass Plus, toilet bowl cleaner, etc. We also have Craftsman cabinets that hold gardening things like fertilizers, pruners, etc., various tools for DH, indoor Christmas and fall decorations and we store paper products on top of my 2 sets and DH has a canoe and gas cans on top of his 2 sets that line each side of the garage. We also store our outdoor furniture and gardening tools for our lakefront vacant property in there. We have a landscaper at both properties but we still do tons of projects/landscaping too that requires chain saws, weed trimmer, tree trimmer, fertilizer spreader, weed killer tanks, etc. We also have two bikes and an air compressor and generator stored in the garage.
Our attic has the outdoor Christmas decorations, extra outdoor cushions, umbrellas... stuff like that. Sunbrella stuff is crazy expensive so we stock up if we find great sales.
We need ALL of our crap! <<doesn't mention 4 Armoires full of crap>>
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sapphire12
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Post by sapphire12 on Jan 7, 2015 18:24:53 GMT -5
I have an empty unfinished basement. I refuse to have it finished b/c I refuse to bring anything unnecessary in there. I do rollerskate down there though.
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vonna
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Post by vonna on Jan 7, 2015 18:30:33 GMT -5
For us it is BOOKS! My DH is the worst, but both kids have "caught" the affliction from him. I am a reader as well, but I use the library and my kindle mostly, so I am not a big contributor the piles of books that seem to take over our home.
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jan 7, 2015 18:30:50 GMT -5
All of this reinforces my goal of purging 1 item from the house every day this year!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 18:34:28 GMT -5
I purged a LOT of books last year. I still manage to add, but I am better at cycling them thru.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Jan 7, 2015 18:52:50 GMT -5
For us it is BOOKS! My DH is the worst, but both kids have "caught" the affliction from him. I am a reader as well, but I use the library and my kindle mostly, so I am not a big contributor the piles of books that seem to take over our home. For years my dh would buy books that he never read. I read all the time, but used the library for 99% of them and told him I'd go broke if I insisted on buying even a fraction of what I was reading. He's finally stopped that though, and when he did a purge of our garage in the last house I think it hit pretty hard to donate so many books he hadn't even cracked open once he got them home.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Jan 7, 2015 19:00:26 GMT -5
I was just reading a home owner talking about all the storage they need and I couldn't help wondering what for. In the interest of full disclosure I am going through my house right now and purging stuff I didn't have the heart to get rid of before but know in my heart I don't use. When I think about what I need to store it's off season clothes, mostly heavy coats and boots for winter, Christmas decorations, some tools, lawn mower and yard stuff. A couple of big closets and a shed and I'm good. For those of you that have lots of storage, and it's full, what on earth are you storing? Hobbies for the most part. - Bikes x 3
- Skis/poles/boots x 3
- 2x golf clubs
- 2 motorcycles (only 1 runs)
- My ice hockey crap and sticks
- roller blades
- H's ice skates
- SO SO SO much camping and backpacking equipment. I think I have 5 or 6 tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, stoves, etc. It takes up a huge amount of space.
Other stuff: - freezer in the garage
- luggage
- Xmas crap.
- H's wood working/mill crap for projects he never finishes
- extra wood (see above)
- paint
- home improvement
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Jan 7, 2015 19:16:37 GMT -5
We've never parked our cars in our garage. We have a double door, 1985 house and our cars barely fit in the door. Even if we could squeeze them in, they'd only fit if we had NO shelving along the walls. So basically we could use the garage to store our cars (maybe....still not sure they'd fit) or we can store some stuff. Since we have an upright freezer, our pantry, bikes/lawnmower/camping stuff that we have to put somewhere, it means the cars are parked outside. I wonder if my garage is up to code for cars it is so impractical to park in it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 19:43:45 GMT -5
We've been doing pretty well at keeping the load of Stuff under control but will be downsizing so we're purging a lot. Definitely books. Not much in the way of clothes; what we have fits into the MBR closet, chest of drawers and armoire. No need to store out-of-season in another room. E-Bay and the nearby charity resale store are our friends.
We may rent storage space when we put the house on the market to pare down what's in the house when it's staged; no one else wants to see our pictures or our collection of refrigerator magnets from around the world- but after we move, if it doesn't fit in the house it gets pitched. I've seen enough episodes of "Storage Wars" to see what happens when you rent space to store things indefinitely.
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msventoux
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Post by msventoux on Jan 7, 2015 20:59:20 GMT -5
I never understood why anyone with a garage would have their cars parked outside, but most I've seen like that have a lot of crap in the garage, guessing they are out of space? Because my garage wasn't meant to house anything bigger than a tiny compact car. With a midsize SUV I can barely fit in the garage. And it's a tight fit to actually open the doors and exit the vehicle when it's in the garage. Fortunately I'm pretty thin, otherwise I would never be able to get out of the car! Also, in this neighborhood people keep their snow blowers and lawn mowers in the garage if they don't have a separate shed. Both of mine are cheap push models and not the large riding models, and there's not enough room for them AND a vehicle in the garage at the same time.
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ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ
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Post by ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ on Jan 7, 2015 21:21:16 GMT -5
For both of our houses, DH built shelving units in the basements for storage of larger items, luggage, etc, as well as pantry supplies such as TP, Paper towels, etc.
I also kept several electrical appliances (electric fry-pans, waffle iron, crock-pot, extra coffee-makers, etc on shelves in the basement so they didn't clutter up kitchen space.
Camping gear was also stored in the basement along with crafting/hobby and art supplies.
The extra-large double garage had one wall of cabinets for automotive stuff, plus storage for lawnmower, snowblower and gardening equipment, plus work bench - and room left over for 2 vehicles.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 7, 2015 22:05:29 GMT -5
We have a small, 2 car garage that will fit one of our cars. Right now, we have a freezer, shelving for food/paper products, a large workbench and tool cabinet, 3 bikes, 3 sets of tires, luggage and gardening tools. All the pet supplies (food, crates, etc) are stored out here too.
We do need to do a lot of purging though, we did a lot when I moved out here but we still need to do a lot more. Our books are taking over!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 22:20:26 GMT -5
Here in S. Texas there are no basements and in my 'hood the itsy-bitsy attics get super hot during the summer, limiting what we can store in them. My house has exactly 1,366 sq. ft. of living space with a 2-car garage that is only 2-car for smaller vehicles like my KIA Soul and DH's Mini Cooper. Anything larger is in the driveway. We rented a storage locker a few years back that houses holiday decorations and some of our hurricane prep items like window A/C, ice chests, fans, extra lawn chairs, etc. We have a storage shed in the backyard (HOA regs require it match the house in materials and appearance) for the lawnmower, edger, blower, hobby toys, etc.
Part of the what gets stored equation is the homeowner's insurance issue; under our policy items stored in the house and attached garage are valued and treated differently than those in an outbuilding.
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moneymaven
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Post by moneymaven on Jan 8, 2015 8:01:05 GMT -5
I built an oversized garage because there was no way I was going to park outside in the frozen tundra I live in. I required it be attached and very well insulated too. Mine is 3 car with a 12x12 shop in front of one of the bays and it has a walk door on the garage door facing side which adds another 3 or 4 feet to the width. I easily fit the camper, a 3/4 truck and a car and still had lots of room for things like bikes and tools and such. I'm jealous! We have a three car and do park our three cars but it is a very careful dance to get in and out and have everything stored just right to maneuver.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 8:43:22 GMT -5
I built an oversized garage because there was no way I was going to park outside in the frozen tundra I live in. I required it be attached and very well insulated too. Mine is 3 car with a 12x12 shop in front of one of the bays and it has a walk door on the garage door facing side which adds another 3 or 4 feet to the width. I easily fit the camper, a 3/4 truck and a car and still had lots of room for things like bikes and tools and such. I'm jealous! We have a three car and do park our three cars but it is a very careful dance to get in and out and have everything stored just right to maneuver. I was looking at it this morning and I think it's extra deep as well as extra wide because we had to make room for the steps going up to the house. The first bay has the steps in front, but is still a normal length bay, the second bay is 6 feet longer without the steps, so I could get a crew cab truck in easily, and the third is 12 feet longer than the second because of the shop area in front. I really love my garage. It's half the reason I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement house in town.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 8, 2015 8:59:05 GMT -5
I know a single gal that lives alone in a 3 bedroom house, and parks her camry on the driveway because her two car garage is full. What the hell could she possibly have in there? I know I keep too much stuff - but I think I have less unused crap than most people (like 50.1% of people.) I'd have a lot less unused stuff if my husband threw out his unused stuff - but whatever.
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justme
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Post by justme on Jan 8, 2015 9:29:57 GMT -5
Outdoor sports equipment. My friends have one car in a two car garage. The other half of the garage is packed with bikes (2 road and 2 mountain), kayaks (two individual, one tandem), 2 SUP boards, skis (downhill and cross country). Plus all of the life jackets, wet suits, ski poles, paddles, etc that go with it. Also, they have an awesome sport stroller for their kid. The thing can be a jogging stroller, ski stroller, or bike stroller; so there are a lot of parts for that. I'm hoping it's for cross country skiing. All I have is visions in my head of the kids following dad down the mountain, he turns, they overtake him, and now it's dad being drug down the mountain with the kids going down backwards and laughing at him.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 9:57:35 GMT -5
Outdoor sports equipment. My friends have one car in a two car garage. The other half of the garage is packed with bikes (2 road and 2 mountain), kayaks (two individual, one tandem), 2 SUP boards, skis (downhill and cross country). Plus all of the life jackets, wet suits, ski poles, paddles, etc that go with it. Also, they have an awesome sport stroller for their kid. The thing can be a jogging stroller, ski stroller, or bike stroller; so there are a lot of parts for that. I'm hoping it's for cross country skiing. All I have is visions in my head of the kids following dad down the mountain, he turns, they overtake him, and now it's dad being drug down the mountain with the kids going down backwards and laughing at him. Yes, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The kid has her own skis for downhill.
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Jan 8, 2015 10:50:38 GMT -5
We are going from having a full basement to no basement, so the lack of storage is a major issue.
Good luck with this. We moved from a 3K ranch and 3K basement (3 car garage) in Michigan to a 2K ranch (2 car garage) in Phx AZ. Both of us being widowed, we had his stuff, my stuff, our stuff. It took us (me) 6 months of getting rid of to being able to think of selling and moving. I called the basement 'never, never land'. Put something down there and never, never saw it again. His DW#1 loved to shop.
Even after we moved to AZ I took 3 PU loads to the local Goodwill Center.
Our home is still stuffed but mostly with things we use. If DH brings anything home, something has to go ........ and both cars are parked in the garage. The garage has a very high ceiling and we have put hanging racks there. Most of the ceiling is shelved in and that is where our outside Christmas stuff goes, plus the things from DW#1 he can't get rid of. She was a huge kite person ....... no problem for me.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Jan 8, 2015 11:38:40 GMT -5
We've never parked our cars in our garage. We have a double door, 1985 house and our cars barely fit in the door. Even if we could squeeze them in, they'd only fit if we had NO shelving along the walls. So basically we could use the garage to store our cars (maybe....still not sure they'd fit) or we can store some stuff. Since we have an upright freezer, our pantry, bikes/lawnmower/camping stuff that we have to put somewhere, it means the cars are parked outside. I wonder if my garage is up to code for cars it is so impractical to park in it. I've always wondered about the houses built in the 80s on back, why on earth were the garages so small when the cars were so HUGE??!??
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 11:53:05 GMT -5
We've never parked our cars in our garage. We have a double door, 1985 house and our cars barely fit in the door. Even if we could squeeze them in, they'd only fit if we had NO shelving along the walls. So basically we could use the garage to store our cars (maybe....still not sure they'd fit) or we can store some stuff. Since we have an upright freezer, our pantry, bikes/lawnmower/camping stuff that we have to put somewhere, it means the cars are parked outside. I wonder if my garage is up to code for cars it is so impractical to park in it. I've always wondered about the houses built in the 80s on back, why on earth were the garages so small when the cars were so HUGE??!?? How about the houses in the 50's? Around here there are tons of small ranches with a single car attached garage with no walk door on the side, so the width of the whatever (8 foot) overhead door. Cars back then were HUGE! There is no way they were for anything but bikes and the lawnmower.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jan 8, 2015 12:00:55 GMT -5
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Jan 8, 2015 12:16:01 GMT -5
I've always wondered about the houses built in the 80s on back, why on earth were the garages so small when the cars were so HUGE??!?? How about the houses in the 50's? Around here there are tons of small ranches with a single car attached garage with no walk door on the side, so the width of the whatever (8 foot) overhead door. Cars back then were HUGE! There is no way they were for anything but bikes and the lawnmower. I thought the "on back" part covered that The 50s cars and the 70s land yachts are what I always wondered about fitting in those old garages.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 12:24:36 GMT -5
How about the houses in the 50's? Around here there are tons of small ranches with a single car attached garage with no walk door on the side, so the width of the whatever (8 foot) overhead door. Cars back then were HUGE! There is no way they were for anything but bikes and the lawnmower. I thought the "on back" part covered that The 50s cars and the 70s land yachts are what I always wondered about fitting in those old garages. LOL I read it as "out back". Thought you had a row of houses built in the 80's behind yours.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 16:59:22 GMT -5
I know a single gal that lives alone in a 3 bedroom house, and parks her camry on the driveway because her two car garage is full. What the hell could she possibly have in there? I know I keep too much stuff - but I think I have less unused crap than most people (like 50.1% of people.) I'd have a lot less unused stuff if my husband threw out his unused stuff - but whatever. That is exactly our situation. We have a storage room upstairs that is being cleared out, slowly but surely. DH has a junk room on the first floor that still has unpacked boxes from when we moved here a year and a half ago. Swore up and down that he would unpack them when he retired but he's been retired since last February and all his ass does is sit in the recliner and watch tv!!! I'm thinking about chucking most of his bins in the basement that haven't been touched either because most of it is probably going to be covered in mold from sitting in his brother's garage for a while. I did toss the singing lobster. Although I may let the Star Trek plates stay. I think he will hang those on the wall eventually. Oh yay.
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motherto2
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Post by motherto2 on Jan 10, 2015 19:05:32 GMT -5
I've been trying to get rid of things for the last 2-3 years. Not that I had hoarding tendencies at all, but I don't have a lot of storage in my house. My 2 car garage was converted to a kid's family room several years ago, so not much storage for outdoor stuff. I do have two small sheds, but one doesn't have much in it. I have given away almost all of the tons of school supplies that we had since both kids are out of school. They both just moved out, so I've redone their rooms, and finally replaced the builder's grade carpet upstairs in November, which forced me to go through (again) all of the closets and two storage closets in the hallway. Every January when it's time to put up Christmas decorations I go through the storage closet in my stepson's old bedroom. I have almost no storage in the attic because the builder put duct work in every possible area. In a way, it's a blessing, because I can't store but so much. Since I'm moving out of state in 3 years when I retire, the kids will be forced to get everything out of my house in the next couple of years. Strategic planning on my part I have a goal of 1 moving truck that will move my belongings, so I keep that in the back of my mind at all times.
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Jan 10, 2015 21:25:00 GMT -5
Last year was my purge year but I still have excess stuff. Garage has 2 boats, 1 car, tools, fishing stuff, camping stuff, 4 work benches. 2 table saws, 5 shelving units, automotive stuff, chain saws and stuff, painting stuff, and tons of tools and assorted extra lumber. I try to keep the yard stuff in the yard shed but my handyman may have left stuff in the garage. It is a 6 car garage with extra space but I got a carport and shed for the excess stuff. Basement has Christmas stuff and kitchen and laundry stuff and old 150 gallon aquarium. Main floor has one junk room but the rest of the house is nearly empty.
I want to move but I would miss having everything I might ever want.
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