Storage unit makeover

Glamorous, I know! My husband and I have minimal storage space in our condo, so we rent a small storage unit a couple of miles from home. Three yard sales and lots of charity drops later, we've finally got our storage-unit possessions down to what we truly want to keep: holiday decorations, musical instruments, off-season clothing and shoes, luggage, photo albums, golf clubs, nice picture frames and the like.

Despite our best simplification efforts, the storage unit was not at all organized:












Tsk, tsk. Items thrown into paper bags and shoved into the storage unit randomly. No placement of like with like. Unnavigable, inaccessible heavy boxes stored precariously sky-high.

This past Saturday, we bit the bullet. We took advantage of tax-free weekend here in MA and purchased a set of heavy-duty shelving and an extra plastic storage container just in case it would be needed. We then proceeded straight to the storage unit.

Corey built the (heavy!) shelves, which only required a hammer for assembly. I took bags, boxes et al out of the unit one at a time, examined the contents, threw away what I could (including tons of ripping paper bags holding random items), and clustered like things.

The result:









We were surprised at how little time this project took; it lasted maybe two hours tops. Now items are easily accessible and we know we've kept only those things we truly want and need.

What's your storage situation in your attic, basement, storage unit?

P.S. If you found this post via Facebook, I'd love for you to leave a comment here on the blog as well as on the Facebook post. Thanks!

Put a lid on your manuals

Operational manuals seem to come with everything, don't they? From coffeemakers to cameras to cell phones, every gadget and appliance comes laden with instructions. I have a hate/love relationship with manuals: I hate having to keep them, but I love them when I need to troubleshoot. I hate not being able to find the right manual when I need it (did I put it in a cabinet? a kitchen drawer? did I toss it?).

My simple solution: Create a "manuals" box. When you get a new toaster oven, vacuum or alarm clock, just throw the manual in the box. Once a year, leaf through the box and recycle manuals for those items you've gotten rid of. My manuals box is a little taller and wider than a shoebox, and it sure holds a whole lot of manuals!

Happy reading. :)