The other night, I was babysitting my nephews and after dinner, we watched a little TV while the food digested (and before we played some Yahtzee). A show called Storage Wars came on – a reality show that chronicles the auctioning off of storage lockers that were either not paid for on time or completely abandoned. In this economy, more and more people can’t afford to pay for their storage lockers, and they end up losing the stuff inside. But there are other people who have so much stuff that they completely forget they had a storage locker in the first place – and forgetting that some of that stuff formerly had meaning in their lives – so it just takes up space, being auctioned off to other people for profit. How did we get to this mentality?
Replacing Stuff With More Stuff
Using a storage locker during a move can have its benefits – not only is it useful for taking stock of what you have, it can also help you choose what you feel you need or don’t need. Unfortunately, once the space is locked, life can get in the way, and it’s just easier to keep your stuff there, even after the move. But what usually happens is that it becomes easier to simply replace items in storage with newer items (even if the old stuff works just fine). This might sound weird, but don’t give in to convenience if you don’t have to! Before you start the move, make a game plan. Set out a calendar with days for the move, how long you plan to keep things in storage, and then set a day for a yard sale. Setting a plan will help you keep your stuff in focus and will help you reduce your stuff.
Redefining The Meaning Of Stuff
If you ever come to a moment when you need a storage locker, that’s the time to really redefine if the stuff you’re putting in there has meaning or if you’re just making room for more. In fact, any time of your life is a good time to start redefining what “stuff” is for you – and if you’re noticing you’re running out of room, that may be a big sign! What’s enough for you?
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