I agree with reducing your items to fit the space you have. When you rent storage space, you will have the additional cost that adds up over time. If you calculate what you'll spend over five years plus the money you'll lose from not investing those dollars, it's a very bad deal for you.

A lot of people on this thread just seem to like hearing themselves talk.

Anonymous wrote:Ruthlessly pare it down now. If you have time to digitize some of it do it now.

Pretty much this, OP. A storage unit makes no sense for what you describe. My mom has a storage unit mostly for Christmas decorations (including two(!) large Christmas trees). It works well for her.

Anonymous wrote:Ruthlessly pare it down now. If you have time to digitize some of it do it now.

YES,
or you will pay way more than the stuff is worth in the near future.

We got a temporary storage unit when we were selling our old house and buying a new one. Get a climate controlled unit. Make sure you will have access whenever you need it. Ideally you will visit it periodically to make sure there’s no infestation or other issues. You will be paying for stuff that you may not want eventually but that’s your choice, not sure why you’re catching flak for it.

Anonymous wrote:Storage unit is a bad costly idea.

Have you done the math for how much you will pay to store stuff you will not need?

You probably won’t be in a house for 3 years. $100 x 12 months x 3 years. Is your stuff worth that?

Will you get storage into near your parents? Or will you pay to transfer your stuff.

Why are you worried about your parents’ house? Get a packing bin and put your yearbook and other personal mementos in it. Tape it up and leave in their closet.

Financially it doesn’t make sense to drag around children’s books. Donate and let some kids read them now.

Storage units are okay for home remodeling or emergency move out. Not to hold stuff indefinitely. You should be more careful with your money

Agreed. Waste of money. Unless your parents are living in a particularly unstable way such that you can’t trust them with even two boxes of stuff?

Storage unit is a bad costly idea.

Have you done the math for how much you will pay to store stuff you will not need?

You probably won’t be in a house for 3 years. $100 x 12 months x 3 years. Is your stuff worth that?

Will you get storage into near your parents? Or will you pay to transfer your stuff.

Why are you worried about your parents’ house? Get a packing bin and put your yearbook and other personal mementos in it. Tape it up and leave in their closet.

Financially it doesn’t make sense to drag around children’s books. Donate and let some kids read them now.

Storage units are okay for home remodeling or emergency move out. Not to hold stuff indefinitely. You should be more careful with your money

Anonymous wrote:Storage units are not totally safe, my mother stored all of her things in one while moving in with us, then got a mouse infestation

DP, not to mention you could just buy new stuff by the time you pay the storage and moving fees. I just can’t imagine spending money because I’m so attached to my belongings. Do you own your stuff or does your stuff own you?

Scan anything nostalgic like yearbook pages (I am 40 and threw mine away years ago, never ever looked at it anyway). Sell the season clothes and use that $ to put toward new ones (you can probably find decent stuff on Poshmark).

Also, no point in hanging on to furniture. You have no idea what you’ll eventually need based on your space. I’ve paid to move couches and rugs, etc. only to find they don’t work in my new space. Better off to buy items to specifically work with the home you end up buying.

Do not burden yourself with all these belongings.