It’s not uncommon for finance gurus to tell people that there is never a reason for a storage unit, but there are good reasons to pay for storage when your house is just not quite big enough to keep the things you need. Here are five things worth keeping even if you have to pay to store them.
1. Anything You Will Use Again within 6 Months
One of the single most common uses of storage is to have a place for your things when you are buying or selling a house or when you are moving to a new area. When you know that you will be using your furniture and other belongings again in a very specific amount of time, the cost of a storage unit is well worth the price. Make sure that you store your belongings in the safest possible ways — wrapped in plastic, in plastic totes, with protective cushioning — so that your stuff is ready when you need it.
2. Family Heirlooms
Whether it’s the wedding dress you hope to pass on to your daughter one day or your grandmother’s hutch, opting for a storage unit to keep family heirlooms safe until you are ready to share them with the next generation is a great option. Make sure to choose climate-controlled storage for any heirlooms that are likely to be sensitive to heat, cold or humidity.
3. Baby and kid clothes/toys
Most parents save at least some of the stuff from their first child for later siblings. While it may not be a good idea to hold on to car seats and other furniture which may be outdated or even recalled by the time that sibling comes along, holding on to clothing and many other basics, like your baby bathtub, can be far less expensive than getting everything new for baby number two or number three.
4. Hand-me-down Vehicles
Saving your wife’s old car for your child when they turn sixteen in a few years? Keeping an extra car in the garage can mean it’s in the way and storing a car outdoors for years can lead to rust, tire rot and more. If you are keeping a vehicle to pass it on to your teenager or keeping it to enjoy again when you have more time, paying to store your vehicle inside just makes sense. Invest in keeping your vehicle nice.
5. Copies of important documents
Having a backup copy of your important documents is a good idea, but make sure that you are only storing copies, not the originals. Of course no one ever intends to lose their storage unit, but if you do, you certainly don’t want to lose the original copy of your birth certificate or college diploma. Keeping copies in a small storage space is a great way to protect yourself in the event of a fire or natural disaster.