Long-term storage of household goods

[fatherchronica]

We rented a 20 foot shipping container for $120 a month. If we had purchased it for, I think, $1500 the rent would have been $50 a month. That was at a place in Ventura, California called Portastor. They brought it to our house of 27 years and we packed it solid for 3 weeks. I built crosswise shelves out of 2x4s and plywood. The truck driver who picked it up was astounded at the weight of it. Everything was in perfect condition years later. When we unloaded it I couldn't help but wonder about our priorities as we were deciding what to keep.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by fatherchronica

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When we unloaded it I couldn't help but wonder about our priorities as we were deciding what to keep.

Ya know, it's funny how that works. Besides the "then" vs. "now" issue. Things I miss already are our old dinner plates and our pots&pans. Simple white with blue trim diner-type stuff. Circulon pots, never got sticky, easy to clean.


The plates and p&ps we have here from my in-laws are the god-awfulest crap you'd ever want to use. Horrible colors (ever try to eat off brown or green plates? YUCK!). SS pots where even if you look at them stuff sticks to 'em, a bear to clean. I hate 'em. My wife cooks, I clean up every night.


Shoulda kept our old things.


At least we brought our simple silverware. The stuff here has thick plastic handles, which makes putting more than a few together at a time into the dishwasher a real task. I know, bitch, bitch, bitch.


But sometimes it's the little things that'll getcha.



Then & Now, two different perspectives.

[toddster8]

We have had a lot of failures at storing stuff for people on the farm "for free." My own stuff included. The fact is, mice, squirrels, and insects will get into anything that isn't in active use and surrounded by traps and cats. Vehicles, shipping containers. Certainly any wood building. Only very durable stuff survives any kind of outbuilding storage. There is no "free" storage.

Personally, I'd rather be free of the stuff.

[degouwb]

Love your post. Made me chuckle. Thanks.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Smokeys Kitchen

Hi Paul -
My wife and I just moved storage units from the Eastside to Kitsap county; but still paying storage unit prices. If I understand you correctly, you are getting a container sized storage that is heated and indoors for $60/ month. Can you give me a little contact info about it so I can find out more about it.

Thanks,
Ron

Ron
These are not containers they are wood pods. Charged by weight. Ours are at https://www.hansenbros.com

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by rsn48

I recommend you get rid of your items and put $200 a month into an account so that 60 months from now, you'll have more than $12,000 due to investment, interest, etc accumulation. You can use that money to re-stock what you have given up.

Asking your partner to get rid of things that are important and meaningful to them is unreasonable. You can't buy Navajo rugs given to you while working on the reservation as a youngster, or family pictures, or your favorite grandma's table.

Pair down, yes, but some stuff is important to keep a connection with family and land life.

[NorthCoastJoe]

Rented storage once in my life in my early 20s. When it was time to move to the other coast I opened the door and gave everything away. Was not worth dragging 3000 miles. I hope to hit the seas in a few years and rent out the house while gone. A 40 foot shipping container will hold everything I want to keep.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Waterdog247

...I have a complete National Geographic collection going back to Jan 1968...

Why on earth would you want to store this, or even keep it?

I hung on to many things for many years, including family heirlooms. I thought these things were important. But they weren't. It was all just stuff. Clutter. Get rid of it all. If you are lucky, you have a family member with a big house who will let you keep a few small things in their home till you return. That's it.

Digitize the photos. Sell the motorcycles.

Lets be blunt. You need one thing. Your health. And some money. Banks don't charge to store your money, no matter how much you have.

What will happen to all this stuff when you die? I asked my kids what stuff they wanted me to keep for them. Their answer....NOTHING, its all CRAP. If there is stuff you are saving for your kids or family, then GIVE IT TO THEM NOW.

Have you ever had to go through a loved one's home after they die? It is an eye opening experience. Their greatest treasures become thrift store fodder.

Remember, you own the stuff. Don't let the stuff own you.

[toddster8]

^ A long time ago, I bought the complete National Geographic from 1900 to 2000 (or whatever year it was) on a DVD. Now even that seems too bulky to keep.

[S/V Alchemy]

We bought a house in a small town for rental purposes, and made it a condition of the lease that we retain a large room in the basement for storage purposes (to be padlocked) plus two sheds in the backyard. Access is to be granted to ourselves or our agent(s) upon receipt of a request 48 hours prior. I hardly expect to need to do such a thing to fondle the china set after flying in from Fiji, but this makes the terms known.

[zeehag]

i had my "irreplaceable" stuff in a garage. my second husband from hell lost that garage for me by putting my money up his nose. ok.....
had storage for other items... just kept adding to it, until one day i said fts and went thru it all sold what was sellable and tossed the rest into a clean dumpster for locals in san diego.
ok. now i give away what i collect while repairing boat in one place for far too long... the locals need these items so ..they get them. little things like 120v fridges, stove tops, bicycles--i give to the workers who help me.
.my clothing just wears out, so no one gets that stuff.....
my mahogany dressers and items that used to be my grandmothers are in my sisters home being used.

[Sailmonkey]

We just bought a cargo trailer to be kept at my in-laws place. It’ll hold the stuff we want to keep, and be stored inside of a building with a dehumidifier in the trailer. This approach isn’t possible for everyone, I wouldn’t do the trailer method without having an indoor place with electricity to park it.

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by Paul L

You can get a much better deal if you use containers at a shipping and storage place. Ours does it by weight and very reasonable. We have to containers at about usd$60 a month.The boxes are kept in doors and climate controlled. It'll be like Xmas when we open them up and see what we have in there. Been 8 years so far.

We do similar to what Paul does. We use a storage and moving company that supplies wooden boxes(7x7) and they are stacked in a climate controlled warehouse. They do charge a fee for access as they have to get one of their forklift drivers to bring it down. Plus the company brought the boxes to our house and then after they were loaded picked them up and placed in storage.

After 15 years I am sure we will say wtf were we thinking saving this item

[Bawlmer]

You should seriously consider selling off any furniture or larger items and keeping only what you can leave with trusted friends and relatives. Any money you spend on storage is money thrown down a rat hole and you will never get it back. My present wife put a house full of furniture in storage 15+ years ago and she spent close to 40K on storage. We could have saved and invested that money and had more than enough to replace it with new. Don't waste your money. After my divorce I put some furniture and personal items in storage for 2 years. 3K later I realized I spent more on storage than the stuff was worth. I gave it away and was ahead of the game.