Many people find that one of the key’s to saving money each month, and living a frugal lifestyle, is by implementing an organizational plan. Organizing can be in several different areas of your life, including but not limited to, the many rooms in your house, your job, time management, and other ways.
But organization is only effective if you aren’t utilizing money pits as catch-alls for your stuff. What I mean is, if you are paying for a monthly storage unit, you are definitely using the wrong type of organizational method.
You need to eliminate that added expense every month. I called around our area to get prices on a storage unit, the smallest unit, that seemed to be no bigger than my coat closet, was $50/month. The largest unit I could find, was as big as our master bedroom, but cost a whopping $179/month. Of course there were several other units in between, both in size and price.
Unless you have a business, that requires you to store that much stuff, there is absolutely no reason why you need a storage unit.
The first step is to visit your storage unit, and pull everything out. You will need to make three piles. It’s a lot like TLC’s Clean Sweep show; Keep, Toss, Sell.
Now, you need to really think about each item that comes out. Is there a reason you are keeping it? Is it irreplaceable? Or is it of sentimental value. Can it be sold? Can it be pitched? After you have sorted everything, immediately take your TOSS pile to the huge trash dumpster they typically have on site. Utilize this free service, because guess what? You paid for it. Once you have your toss pile gone, you will need to either rent a truck, or make multiple trips with your car. I recommend renting a truck for about an hour or two. It’s much cheaper than gas prices these days. And since everything is out of your storage unit, CANCEL it immediately so you do not get charged again.
In the next article, Make a Quick $100.00 – Getting Rid of Your Storage Unit Junk, I will discuss the next steps in eliminating this monthly expense. Please visit my blog to see other related articles.