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When you have a large family, space is a hot commodity – and very rarely does it come free and easy. It seems like every closet, nook, and cranny is packed to the brim with odds and ends, and the basement and garage has room for nothing but boxes. Quite honestly, it is a nightmare.
However, to better maximize the space in our home, we recently decided to get a storage unit at the local StorageMart. For a few extra bucks a month, we have been able to clear our closets, park our cars in our garage, and have even been able to free up the space for our kids to have an entertainment area in the basement. A few of the great ways we have decided to use our self storage unit include:
Clothing Rotation
With a large family, seasonal clothing can quickly overrun closets and make it impossible to find anything. However, swapping out clothes isn’t a much more effective space saver if you are simply packing them up and placing them in your garage or basement. To save space, and to keep our clothes safer from mold and mildew, we have chosen to regularly rotate our seasonal clothing and store those we aren’t using in our storage unit. Not only do we save space, but we also know the clothing is better protected than it would be in our own home.
Holiday Decorations
Holidays decorations are only needed once a year and even then only for a brief period of time so why let them take up space in your home for the rest of the year? We definitely don’t now. Instead of packing our decorations into our garage after Halloween or Christmas is over, we take them back to our storage unit and don’t worry about them until next year. By storing our decorations elsewhere, my husband has finally been able to use our garage again, allowing that honey-do list to finally shrink a bit.
Summer Fun
When winter comes all of our fun, yet often larger, summer fun items cease being used. Bikes go unridden, the inflatable pool has to be packed away, and sports equipment simply leans all over the garage. To free up space and keep our items safely stored, don’t keep those items packed at home. Put them in a storage unit instead. They will be safer from the elements and you won’t have to worry about sacrificing the space in winter – a much needed commodity when you’ve got everyone cooped inside.
When you have a large family, you need all the space you can get. While a storage unit does give a family an additional monthly expense, they are often relatively inexpensive and definitely pay for themselves with the extra space they provide you.
I'm Elizabeth, a 40-something Michigan wife and mother of three. I created Table for Five in 2005 as a way to connect with other Moms, and I've been blogging ever since. Please click the About tab at the top of the page to read more about me and my family! email: table4five@gmail.com
That’s a brilliant idea- particularly for seasonal things like the Christmas tree, and also surf boards, anything related to the summer holidays etc. I’d love to travel lighter in general- but for now, that a good comprimise!
A storage unit is a large family’s best friend, yes, but also a growing familys best friend. We stored our cribs in there between baby’s and cycled the umbrella stroller and jogging strollers in and out as well. They key thing for us, besides clean and well lit, was close to our home.
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This is actually an excellent idea for families of all sizes. I wish I had thought of it.
I have learned a lot from this information stated here…Thank you!
I agree with you. Renting out a storage space is the most practical way of keeping our homes clutter free. If you have kids, it also minimizes accidents.
Twitter: CorrinRenee
I grew up in a teeny tiny house with a meticulously organized mother and we had a storage unit for furniture and seasonal decorations – things we didn’t access regularly but were worth keeping for the family.
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Having a large unit of storage is really important in the house to have more spacious house and clutter-free home.
What’s up, just wanted to tell you, I loved this post? It just so very helpful. Keep on posting!
This is really a great idea and i like the concept of this. I have learned so much from the information that you have mentioned here. Thanks for the post!
Agree. A storage unit is a large family’s best friend.
I love to use storage units It makes the house much cleaner.
here you can get some sporting goods equipment.
Storage areas are important for family gatherings and for business.