The Self Storage Dilemma-continued

With so many storage-unit options appearing just about everywhere individuals are faced with a dilemma. Should I store my “stuff” in a self storage device? When should I utilize a storage device? How long should I plan on storing my ‘stuff’?

Here is the dilemma; I have seen it all too many times friends, family members, even strangers store useless ‘stuff’ in a self-storage device miles from their homes and they don’t even know what they have stored in the unit? I myself have been guilty of this fault. Is it economically feasible to hold on to items that you could possibly forget about? On average the rental fee for the use of a self-storage unit will cost you anywhere between 60-80 dollars a month, depending of course on location and the size of the unit. That is an average total cost of $800 per year! What could consumers possibly have stored of value in a unit that costs $800 a year? And what happens when you miss a payment? If you have missed your payment you will be charged a fee. If you have missed several payments and you account is now past due several months your contract states that the company storing your ‘stuff’ has the right to cut your lock off and sell everything in the unit to auction. This is a double edged sword, unless your ‘stuff’ is truly worth saving; that is paying sometimes thousands of dollars in overdue rent and late fees. You run the risk of not only losing all your ‘stuff’, but also being indebted to the storage company.

Recently having just detached myself from the clutches of self-storage, I was waiting in the office of the self-storage company. The women working the front desk was deep in a phone conversation. “Five hundred dollars or the lock comes off and all your belongings will be sold at auction this Friday”, again the women repeated herself. After several uncomfortable minutes bearing witness to this poor soul on the other line being in such a predicament. I quickly closed out my account with the self-storage company paid my respects and walked out the door with a sigh of relief; knowing that I would now be several dollars better of each month. And what became of the “stuff” I had stored in the unit? Well, after sorting through all the “stuff”, I actually discarded most all of it, as for the rest family members were more than happy to come take what they felt was useful.