Storage Space - Why Did I Not Think Of This Earlier?

We have no storage space. We have clutter everywhere. It's depressing.

Yes, I can think of ways to build storage. But that takes time AND when you're faced with clutter, clutter everywhere, it all seems overwhelming and you don't know where to start.

Our situation is complicated further because we may sell this house and we need to start gearing up for inspections.

So ... I've decided to put the clutter INTO STORAGE and pay for it.

Problem solved. Obviously, I'll try not to store anything that's rubbish but most of our clutter is books/pictures/slides so not rubbish.

Why didn't I think of this earlier?

Good for you. At least it'll make you start.. and you never know.. you might purge a lot of stuff at the same time and find you don't need storage after a while!

It's a great place to start tho.. good idea :)

Yay that you have a solution Fiona! Is it very expensive?

Have no idea on the cost yet Nelle and to be quite honest, I don't care.

Let me describe what I see when I survey my landscape :)

I have three Ikea Expedit bookcases (the 5x5 compartment ones), most of which are double stacked with books. On top of the bookcases, I have boxes and boxes of slides, framed pictures, gift wrap, kitchen stuff that won't fit in the pantry - all piled quite precariously. On top of another bookcase I have a printer (GREAT, convenient spot for a printer!) and a scanner and various other stuff. I have two filing cabinets. One in the living area which also has a pile of books and magazines on it that won't fit anywhere else. I have magazine holders on top of the microwave. I have saucepan lids sitting in stubby boxes. In the hallway, I have another filing cabinet with a baby bath sitting on top of it and a hallway table with a pramseat under it.

Enough is enough.

Great idea Fiona - when you're packing for the storage, only pack what you want to keep & garage sale the rest!

Self storage is great when thinking of moving. Saved us when we first renovated and then sold the house. Just one tip get the heavy duty boxes, yes they cost more, but take the stacking much better without buckling. Also if you have uniform box sizes you can fit more into a storage unit.

Faaaarrr out! That's a lot of booksy stuff. I do love the Expedit bookcases...

Nelle - that's without counting the books that are in the bedside cabinets, on the bathroom shelf AND I even found some the other day that DP had hidden under another cupboard in the kitchen. AND we have boxes of them stored already in the shed.

I had enough books of my own - then mine and DP's books met and made beautiful music together and made more books.

NUTS!!!

geez, sounds like you have a lot of books!! my first thought was EBAY! is there any that you could live without?? could you and DH have like a 'day' to sort through books and keep ONLY what will fit in your 3 bookcases?? just an idea!

as for the rest of the clutter, i reckon if storage is the way to go for you, then go for it! like others have said, you may find you can throw out a lot of stuff and not have quite a smuch as you had first thought! i agree with uniform tubs/boxes for stacking. nice big labels and maybe even a list as to what is in each tub- keep a copy at home. depends how organised you are i guess.. im a bit OCD when it comes to storage!

i hope you feel better after a de-clutter!

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geez, sounds like you have a lot of books!! my first thought was EBAY!

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Mine too.

Have a think about it. Will you ever take the stuff out of storage? Where would you put it if you did? Do you really need the stuff or could you live without it? Is it worth paying for it to be stored? (alot of questions lol)

I say put it on ebay and watch the $ roll in then go on a massive holiday!

Fiona, we did that recently when we reorganised E's room from a spare / junk room with a cot in it to a fair dinkum kid's room, but only rent a very small storage space because being in the tropics, many things cannot be safely stored due to mould/pest issues. So our excess books are at a friend's house (he has floor to ceiling bookcases), and all of our extra linen and clothes are in space bags.

But all this may be a thing of the past because we have just put in an offer on a house (WOOO HOOO). Although it's tiny, so we won't have much more storage space than what we do now in our flat, so we'll be doing yet another cull when we move. Sorry to go OT and crash your thread...

To give you an idea on price, we are paying $66p.m. for a 1.5x1.5 x 3 mtr cube - storage in Cairns is expensive!! If you don't need to make regular access to your storage facility you could consider something out in the sticks, it's usually cheaper than inner suburban storage.