Storage...

[delightedbutterfly]

I lurk here often, posted a bit and really contribute most of my success to reading and rereading threads on here.

I was on my way to full blown hoarding with a huge case of the messies. I have worked *REALLY* hard at healing the emotional "stuff" that kept me from decluttering. No I am not healed but I feel really great about where I am.

However I have finally hit a wall. Not in decluttering, nope give me a box of "stuff" and I can go through it in seconds and get rid of it without that guilt.

My wall is the lack of storage in my house and my guilt over it. We have NO storage. Well we have closets but I mean no "occasional" storage.

Our Christmas tree is in the entry closet along with our Halloween decorations and wrapping paper and some of the usual "entry closet" type items. But I can't USE the closet because storage stuff is there. The rest of the Christmas bins ae in the playroom closet. Again not the end of the world but I would like to have that space back for regular toy rotation usage. And in a couple years we will need it back as a bedroom.

The closet in the kids bedroom is semi useable but the shelf has bins (really purged and decluttered bins) of their old clothing.

It's not a lot of stuff. I am ok in keeping it. I feel really great about where I have gotten to. However I find that without that "occasional" storage, my closets are well organized and clean but my every day space is hurting. I don't have spaces for everything so everything can have a space.

I don't want to buy storage "furniture" to entice me to keep MORE and I don't want to pay for a space.

I guess a lot of this is a rant/vent because while out attic ISN'T accessible for storage where the opening is we HAVE a plan to put in a new opening where we can have accessible attic space (short version: we have cross braces limiting our attic usage in most of the house). However our contractor is mega busy at the moment and is working all hours of the day and night. Since I trust his work and he is the most cost efficient contractor we could ask for and I don't have money to pay for someone else to do it, I guess I am a little frustrated. Not with him, but with DH for promising me this space and then not following through.

But I feel guilty over wanting a space to keep holiday decorations and baby/younger kids items (we plan on 2 more at least).

Do you have extra storage? Or am I silly for wanting this space.

How do you make sure you keep the space for only it's intended purpose and not just add whatever because the space is there. (Sorry this is all over the map, it's been such a life changing journey that I want to make sure I am working towards the "right goals" kwim?)

Is there anything else I should think about?
Posted via Mobile Device

[accountclosed3]

when we lived in our condo, we had the same situation. originally, our downstairs closet ("coat closet") was our storage space. but, then it seemed better to have our clothing there (as it was across from the laundry), so we switched out the hall closet with the master bedroom, and it worked out nicely for us. it was a good size for everything that we needed to store (until we got rid of all of it).

i started a process of seeing if i could create holidays out of "nothing" and then whatever was created could go back to "nothing." i discovered that i could. origami ornaments and paper chains could be recycled or composted. i could pick up boughs, branches, and beautiful berries and such in our area woods. i could make ice ornaments to hang outside our windows and catch the light of the sun in them. for me, making the holiday and letting it pass away without waste was a great joy. I no longer needed to store any items; because everything went back to the earth in one way or another.

it was a powerful process for me.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by zoebird

i started a process of seeing if i could create holidays out of "nothing" and then whatever was created could go back to "nothing." i discovered that i could. origami ornaments and paper chains could be recycled or composted. i could pick up boughs, branches, and beautiful berries and such in our area woods. i could make ice ornaments to hang outside our windows and catch the light of the sun in them. for me, making the holiday and letting it pass away without waste was a great joy. I no longer needed to store any items; because everything went back to the earth in one way or another.

it was a powerful process for me.

Love that idea! For a few years, I've wanted to do a real tree, decorate it with biodegradables, things that birds and critters would like such as dried orange slices. Then the whole tree could be put outside for them after Christmas. My problem is really putting things away. We have an enormous attic, no lack of storage. I'll eventually undecorate the tree because it becomes a fire hazard. But getting the fragile ornaments packed up again just doesn't happen until Easter is imminent!

Ds doesn't like real trees. Cutting trees and then throwing them out makes him sad. So we just started using a fake tree and now have that to store. I have done very simple decorations that are easy to put away. One year I think we only had lights. Another year I did dried orange slices and pinecones hung by ribbons. We'll see what we do this year...

I did keep my most favorite baby clothes for a while in hopes of having another baby. But seeing all our old clothes my mom kept that weren't necessarily found again at the right time for grandkids encouraged me to give things away while they will get the most use from someone (while they are still in fashion and the elastic hasn't died). We did get a kick out of a few retro outfits, though! Luckily, my sister has boys younger than mine and I enjoy seeing my favorite clothes being worn by my nephews. Baby gear is pretty easy to reacquire and the sling, stroller, and carseat were the only big items we really used. Instead of a high chair, we had a seat that hooked on the table. We actually still have that for visiting little ones.

[delightedbutterfly]

I know I *could* get rid of it.

It's not that... I am at a place that I enjoy what we do have and what we have kept. I probably could get rid of at least one box of the Christmas stuff. But that wouldn't make a dent...

And the baby clothes, I have gotten rid of probably twenty diaper boxes. They aren't for keepsakes I have small shoe boxes with the "coming home outfit" (even though our second was born at home ) their first onesie and their first pair of robeez and their birth hat. I will NOT keep any more than that to give them.

The baby clothes that are left are my favorites and good quality/good shape. We have no nieces/nephews. And I am not convinced that I am going to use them for the next babies anyways as it might be a few years BUT I would like to have most of them made into a quilt or two. I don't sew and don't have the money or time to learn right now. So I would love to find someone to make it but it's expensive! And finances won't allow. Most of the other baby stuff has been donated (carseat, highchair, swing, toys and more).

My problem lies in the feeling guilty over wanting a dedicated storage space and how to prevent myself from slowly filling it. Does that make sense?

How do those with a crawlspace or basement or attic space not feel guilty about storing occasionals and how do you keep from filling it?
Posted via Mobile Device

[4evermom]

I guess I can't imagine feeling guilty about storing things I plan to use again. It's not a moral issue. I suppose I might feel guilty about spending a lot of money to store things when there are more important things we need to use our money for... As to not filling it, you need to keep the same criteria you already have. Is it something you love, or something you realistically will use again? Look at what you have in the storage space from time to time. If you didn't pull out that Christmas stuff last year, think about donating it this year.

[homemademom]

Maybe you need to look at why you feel guilty about having that type of storage.

We use our garage to store decorations (bins all clearly labelled for each holiday) as well as outgrown clothes that we're actively passing on as the next child grows into them.

Do you feel like you're being wasteful or frivolous by having "occasional" storage? I understand the worry about filling it up, but is that the same as feeling guilty about it? It seems like these might be two separate issues.

[delightedbutterfly]

Originally Posted by homemademom

Maybe you need to look at why you feel guilty about having that type of storage.

We use our garage to store decorations (bins all clearly labelled for each holiday) as well as outgrown clothes that we're actively passing on as the next child grows into them.

Do you feel like you're being wasteful or frivolous by having "occasional" storage? I understand the worry about filling it up, but is that the same as feeling guilty about it? It seems like these might be two separate issues.

Yes I do need to figure out the WHY to my guilt. I guess I have lots of reasons that I could "blame" it on but I don't know why for myself. I am trying to separate the issue of I *could* always declutter more, as the first two responses point out, but I am happy where we are. So possibly I am having an issue separating "other online ideals" against my own ideals and needs. This is also an "organizing" forum... I am ready for the organization part but hearing that others DO have occasional storage while living simply and such helps color my perspective. I know I am rambling but...

I guess the other thing is that my parents have always had storage rooms. MASSIVE storage rooms. Looking at my moms house you would think she is neat and uncluttered... But DH and I have come to the conclusion that she is just a well off hoarder. She just has the space (and money for movers and houses with storage) to be an uncluttered hoarder.

They are in the process of selling/renting/building new again and when I went though some of the boxes of suff she kept from my childhood I found a box that was full of magazines from 15 years ago and empty CD cases. But she wouldn't get rid of it... So a large part of me is scared to have that storage.

Yes the worry is a separate issue. I am constantly decluttering (we have extremely generous family, too generous) and I also have some health issues that prevent me from having the energy to go through the stuff on a daily basis. So things get piled up and the visual clutter frustrates me. And then the messies come back and I am scared that DH would just stash stuff up there to "help" me.

I know this is all over, maybe it belongs more in Personal Growth, but a big part of decluttering and simplifying is personal growth.
Posted via Mobile Device

[accountclosed3]

there's nothing wrong with storing things that you want to keep--in particular seasonal items.

to decrease the amount you need, i would take all the soft baby stuff (decent clothes, etc), and put them in those space bags. it will protect them, and it will decrease the amount of space you use. we have one small closet in our current home, and it stores our suit cases (we do use them often), and our seasonal clothes when not in use (which we put into space bags, and then store in the suitcases). this way, i don't have to have tons of storage, just enough for my things. And i do have space that i can "move into" as well if i need to, but so far we haven't needed to.

i also think it's ok to use one or more closets for that storage. i try to have one closet in the house for storage (if i need it), and that's it. So, if you have a lot of things that need storage, then consider moving it all to the largest closet. in our last home, we used our master bedroom's walk in closet for storage. I had one christmas box, one easter/halloween/thanksgiving/4th of July. we had DH's action figure collection. table cloths and seasonal towels. suitcases with the seasonal clothes. everything fit really well in the closet.

we kept our clothes in a dresser; coats and shoes in the hall closet downstairs; and art/office supplies in the office closet. the spare room/yoga room was empty for guests (and we had a thai massage mat made up for people to sleep on if they stayed over, or i would store that in the closet when i did yoga or had clients).

and, if you need more storage, then you do. no big deal.

[clutterwarrior]

Originally Posted by brymommy

I know this is all over, maybe it belongs more in Personal Growth, but a big part of decluttering and simplifying is personal growth.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yes I don't think the two can easily be separated.

[homemademom]

Originally Posted by brymommy

Yes the worry is a separate issue. I am constantly decluttering (we have extremely generous family, too generous) and I also have some health issues that prevent me from having the energy to go through the stuff on a daily basis. So things get piled up and the visual clutter frustrates me. And then the messies come back and I am scared that DH would just stash stuff up there to "help" me.

I know this is all over, maybe it belongs more in Personal Growth, but a big part of decluttering and simplifying is personal growth.
Posted via Mobile Device

Assuming you get your attic to a place where it is useable for storage, you could always agree with your dh that Christmas decor WILL fit into X number of boxes, no more. And also, no stashing.

I completely understand the visual clutter and lack of energy. I'm pg and seeing things pile up really stresses me out, but then I don't have the energy to really get on top of it.

I agree too that the issue is a personal growth one. I grew up with hoarder so keeping a clean house is more than just an organization issue, but an emotional one, too. Good luck

[delightedbutterfly]

Thanks guys! Yes the emotional side has such a strong hold at times...

Zoebird, thanks for reminding me about those space bags. I considered them before but never bought. I will relook into them. We have a couple suitcases and while I hate storing stuff in them for the putting away once home factor if the items stored were in space bags then it would make a world of difference!

I also have one closet in the house that is severely under used. You can't really access it at all. Again I have great plans of opening the door up and putting in shelves and having useable space but we are back to the contractor/money issue.

I think I need to go through the stuff in the entry closet and the playroom closet again though. I bet I could declutter in there more

We are also considering not renting out the suite after our current tenants leave (sometime in spring of next year) that will open up possibilities as well.

Thanks for letting me vent it out. I was feeling anxious about it yesterday and this morning but am feeling a bit better today. We use the christmas stuff for one month out of the year, it shouldn't hamper my sanity the other 330 days of the year. A little extra storage is worth it.
Posted via Mobile Device

[accountclosed3]

shelves within a closet are pretty easy. you could probably DIY and save some money. ana-white.com has great instructions for all kinds of shelves, including closet organizers that you make yourself. pretty cool.

and yeah, my mom is serious about holiday decorating. she has seriously downsized, but she has TONS of christmas stuff, halloween, thanksgiving, etc, such that it fills their garage. she has shelves, everything is very organized, but i do mean "filled." she has shelves along the three walls, and then a bank two wide in the middle that runs the length of that space. and it is all christmas stuff. so, don't feel bad if you have a closet.

she is, btw, also storing a lot of my stuff before we move it from the US to here, so, i don't feel so bad. we did get it down to just a few boxes (25) plus a few pieces of art work. but it's still 'stuff' that we store, KWIM?

it's not a bad thing at all. good luck with it all!

[Crayfish]

Another possibility for reducing the volume stored, whacky as it sounds, could be to budget for a new fake tree, lights, and generic ornaments (the all-the-same glass balls, as opposed to the ornament that little Jane made in kindergarten) every year. Every year you could buy them, use them, and in January or February donate or Freecycle them so that they do get used into the future, just not in your house.

Then the only Christmas storage would be those special things, which (depending on your proportion of special to generic) could be a large space savings.

Crayfish

[islandnative]

Ah yes, a generous family, that's a tough one! It's been pretty hard but I think I really have sent a clear message over the years to my Mom to cut back on the amount of stuff she gives to the kids. I think it's finally getting through.

That said, I had to work on myself also to stop any feelings of guilt about purging her gifts to the kids. That has also been tough but I've done it. She gave them a big antique pedal fire truck that looked cute but was junk at least as far as the kids actually using it. It just made them frustrated.

I kept it for a couple months then off to Goodwill. She knows it's gone and we haven't discussed it, but hopefully she understands and has learned a small lesson.

We don't have much space either, so there really is not much of choice. Some things simply must go. It feels good create more space and pass along things other people might have a use for. Goodwill is good friend!

Also, if you have rafters over a garage space you can very inexpensively lay down OSB flooring over them and create cold storage. Our space did not look very big but after I did the whole garage attic there is actually a tremendous amount of storage up there. Also, it's great for borderline items you can't decide on. If something is up there for a year or so and you have not missed it maybe the next destination is to Goodwill or the recycle bin. Good luck!

Toys for 3 Year Old Boys

[delightedbutterfly]

Originally Posted by Crayfish

Another possibility for reducing the volume stored, whacky as it sounds, could be to budget for a new fake tree, lights, and generic ornaments

While it isn't a horrible thought, I really couldn't do that. First the waste even with donating it, but our finances are tight. We cash flow Christmas completely and usually about 400-500 is all we can afford between grandparents, our immediate family and our christmas eve potluck. The frugal part of me cringes. But it *would* be cheaper to do that then pay for storage which I will not do.

Originally Posted by islandnative

Ah yes, a generous family, that's a tough one!

That said, I had to work on myself also to stop any feelings of guilt about purging her gifts to the kids.

Also, if you have rafters over a garage space you can very inexpensively lay down OSB flooring over them and create cold storage.

Yes I have come to terms with the generous abundance. It *is* a help to us as I don't have to buy much and means I can make our budget stretch and I can stay home.

But I never had much guilt getting rid of anything extra. I actually find it easier for me to purge clothes and toys than my own stuff. I can often be found donating brand new items.

And the garage is a GREAT idea! But we only have a covered carport.

I hear our contractor's big evening/weekend job is ending sooner than later so hopefully I can bribe him with a huge bowl of spinach dip to make some time. I am feeling better about it. I feel I can probably set really specific goals with DH and that will help.

We've also managed to keep the house really clean over the past few weeks and that is helping with realizing that a bit of occasional storage will not send me spiralling back down...

This forum rocks! Hopefully some of the suggestions can help other people because there are some great ideas here!