From store to storage

The numbers are unreal. As of January 2023, there are 51,206 storage facilities consisting of over 2 billion square feet of storage space in the United States alone.* You probably already know this as we see these facilities popping up everywhere. In fact, the statistics are hitting rather close to home for me. The first thing people see when they get off at our exit in rural Vermont will soon go from bales of hay in a rolling field to nondescript metal buildings with garage doors. Now, don’t get me wrong, storage units can be very helpful - during a move, for example. Unfortunately, the reality of it is that a lot of these facilities are being used to store stuff for extended periods of time as people “outgrow” their homes. Postponed decisions behind lock and key.

More space = more stuff

It’s not uncommon for people to tell me “I just don’t have enough space” when tackling the clutter in their homes. The reality of it is that it’s usually the stuff that is limiting us. Items that don’t fit in our kitchen get put into the basement, then when the basement gets too full, they end up in the garage, and then when that is overflowing, we find storage units (I’m guilty of using a friend’s barn for way too long - thank you Judy and Ed!). A natural consequence of this is that we no longer know what we have and end up buying things we don’t actually need (because we already have it…somewhere). Rinse and repeat. Try this: next time you think to yourself that you don’t have enough space - stop for a second to consider that maybe you really do.

Consumption culture

With the invention of plastics came disposable water bottles and food storage containers. With the invention of cheaper textiles came fast fashion. With the invention of Instagram came “Amazon Hauls/Try-Ons”. The more we have the better we feel. We feel secure when we have not just all we need but all we might need. If we can’t find it - we just buy it again. If it’s broken, we throw it away rather than attempt to fix it. Perhaps in looking at our consumption, we can make decisions based on a broader picture versus the instant “gratification” of disposal.

When it comes down to it would you rather have your kids’ room overflowing with clothes and shoes (and so many choices they can’t decide what to wear) or have a space that they enjoy getting ready in each day with just their favorite things to wear? Would baking be more fun if you had 3 sets of measuring cups (a metal set, a plastic set, and the heart shaped set you got as a wedding favor) or if you just had the one that had the best & most used measurements? What about books. As you may know, I’m a substitute librarian - I LOVE books. I value books so much. However, I do not need to own a lot of books to prove their value. I have purchased and own my favorite and most referenced books, but most of the time I’m borrowing from the library or a friend. Their value is in their content and in the experience more than on the shelf collecting dust (for me).

I want to make it clear that in these examples I’m not suggesting minimalism is the way to go. Minimalism works for some people but it’s not for everyone. I find myself more of a “mediumism” kind of gal. Instead of putting a label on it, how about we decide that we will be in charge of our stuff instead of it being in charge of us?

Scarcity Mindset

Covid did a number on me in a way that I didn’t realize until a year or two later. The lack of food and supplies created a scarcity mindset in me that I held onto for a long time. It wasn’t toilet paper and Clorox wipes though. It was coffee and flour and other baking supplies. Our freezer was overstocked and our pantry was full. It was my way of “protecting” my family - ensuring they were fed and taken care of - and that Jay and I had our coffee! When I finally realized what had happened in our pantry and why it had happened, I started bringing it back to a normal level. I focused on using up the things I had before buying more. The same scarcity mindset might be influencing you?

The cost of clutter

Over 10% of Americans rent a storage unit with an average payment of $100/month. That’s $1200 per year - used entirely for things that don’t have a “place” anywhere else. Have you ever watched Storage Wars? Storage units stuffed to the brim and abandoned only to end up for auction to be sorted through and purged. A needle in a haystack of a “treasure” few and far between.

Instead of making more space, we buy more space. Whether it’s a home or a storage unit, when we outgrow what we have we just make room for more. Have a new baby, buy a new house. Make more money, buy more things.

I’d say the mental load of clutter can be one of the most costly. Your home should be a safe and happy place to be after a long day of work. When it’s not, the opposite happens. Instead of dopamine you get cortisol. Instead of a good night’s sleep you get tossing and turning. We’re not talking about perfection here - we are talking about not wanting to walk in the door because of what you know is on the other side. You deserve more than that.

Where do we go from here?

So what do we do? There is no quick and easy fix for the barrage of stuff coming into our homes. It’s something we have to practice recognizing as much as we have to practice decluttering. I try to use the one in, one out method. When I buy a new sweater, I choose one to go in the donation box. When the kids get a new puzzle, we pick one to share with a friend. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a start.

The media is in our faces with this over abundance mindset - acknowledging that influence and that normal on Instagram is not normal in real life is another step.

Educating our children now can help them later. Not only are they learning how we treat other people from watching us (among many other things) - but they are also learning how to treat their possessions. If we treat things as disposable, they will too. Keeping up with the Joneses by constantly upgrading our lives might be teaching them more than how fun the newest iPhone’s camera is. Contentment can be a beautiful thing.

Nobody’s Perfect

We will never be perfect, but perhaps in 2024, we can all try a little bit harder to be happy with what we’ve got and work with what we have. I know that’s my plan.

*https://www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/news/1432-self-storage-industry-statistics/