SWEET TEA

Monday, January 16, 2012

The "need to know"

Sometimes I look into the sky and ponder the greatness of it all.  I think about those who have come before and those who will come after.  I marvel at God’s handiwork and the beauty of it all. I’ve read that dogs see things only in black and white.  I can’t imagine a world without color. 


Then on other days, when I’m not thinking nearly as deep,  I still wonder about things.  I think I’m just naturally nosey curious; I have the “need to know”.  Today I’m wondering why so many storage unit facilities are being built all around town.  Who uses these things?  And, what the heck are they storing in these units?  Are the units mainly used by businesses or rather by individuals?  Do you use them?  Maybe I need one and I don’t even know it!
Surely someone in blogland can enlighten me on this issue.  Of all the people I know, only one of them use a storage unit.  This persons husband is a builder and they use a unit to store furniture for their model homes when the furniture is not in use.  Makes sense to me.
Maybe everyone who has a clean garage and/or an unused attic is using a storage unit for their “stuff”.  Perhaps everyone else knows something I don’t know.  I’m bordering on a bit of paranoia here, so clue me in.  Please.

22 comments:

Marsha Young said...

Sweet Tea - You are NOT paranoid - you ask a very logical question. :) Okay, so maybe our logic is a little skewed, but still....

I read somewhere that if you store a thousand dollars worth of "stuff" - and pay fifty dollars a month to store it ($600/yr) and leave it there five years - you have paid $3,000 to store $1,000 worth of stuff.

We have a friend who has had three storage units for over ten years! Yikes! Neeless to say, the LOC wouldn't rent one of these if you paid him to. :)

Good post - Marsha

Shelly said...

I don't know the answer to your question, but you and I think alike. I always want to know the "why's" of things.

Anonymous said...

to be honest the first I really knew of these was the show on television, Storage wars where people bid on units that have been left unpaid.
I guess its mostly for people in apartments but its pricey so I think Marsha put it across best with her example, , I think just sell the stuff, rebuy when needed,

Rhona said...

My brother rented a storage unit when he moved house. He stored the stuff for about four years and just recently took it out and got rid of everything! What a waste of money! My way of looking at it is, if you don't use it or love it enough to have it in your home, sell it - donate it or dump it. Why waste money storing it only to do that however many years later? Good question and one I've thought of myself xx

Jeanie said...

Around here developers build storage units on land that they plan to develop years down the road. It helps them make a little money in the mean time. I have no idea who actually uses the storage units though....now I'm curious.

Aloha Acres said...

We are possibly moving to another state and will live in military housing. It'll be a HUGE adjustment for us since our current home is almost 3,000 sq foot. If the new home doesn't have a separate family room, we will be storing furniture until we return. I don't want to get rid of any of my furniture only to regret it later. (This is not the first time we've had to store furniture due to a military move)

But that's just our story ... :)

Cheri said...

Your taggged.

My Mind's Eye said...

That my friend is an excellent question. We have them all over Raleigh and Wake Co. too. I agree who in the world uses them? Raleigh is surrounded by lots of high tech businesses and NC State U, Duke U and UNC-Chapel Hill. Many folks employed at these places or in school are just here for a few years. Maybe they store a lot of their stuff but like you I, personally, know no one who has a storage unit.
Hugs C

GypsyFox said...

I question everything as well, I think it's a good thing! :)

Kimmy said...

My parents have a storage unit. We used to until someone broke into it. I must say though, lots of people do use them cause I watch those reality shows on TruTV, called Storage Wars and Storage Hunters...lol! Love them!! You wouldn't believe all the stuff people keep in those things, or the lack of there of. It's pretty amazing. Honestly though, I would like to have one again to "declutter" my garage but I don't want to take the chances of someone breaking into it again and then, I don't care to waste the money on it each month.

KTW said...

When I married The Hubster, we had to combine two households. He was moving into my house temporarily, just until we could buy/build a home. My house was too small to hold everything from both of our homes, so we rented a storage until for a few months until we got our house built.

We've had several built in our area, too. One group of them is even climate controlled! I guess some things that are stored for long periods of time need to be kept from dampness, extreme temperature fluctuations, etc. I just can't imagine what I would need to store that way. If I don't NEED it in my home and won't be able to see/use it on a regular basis...why do I need it at all? ;)

Jill said...

LOL...the only time we used one is when we moved from NC to Maryland and we were looking for a house to buy. Other then that I would hope to never have that much "stuff" to need one! LOL But I do have friends who have needed them during divorce, etc. :-( So i guess they can be important at certain life stages.

Blessings,
Jill

Chatty Crone said...

Is it true that dogs just see in black and white - I have heard that too - but how do they know that for sure? It sure is nice to see in living color. sandie

yaya said...

We used one when we were waiting to move into our new and our other one was being occupied by our grown son and his family. We also had inherited a ton of stuff from my hubby's parents. After we moved in we emptied it and that was that. My son just moved in with us for a few months and his stuff is in storage until the spring when he moves out. So they can be a handy tool! I can't imagine having one just to store stuff for years. I say if I'm not using it, I don't need it...sell it or give it away. I'm really paring down in my old age!

Tina said...

I was wondering the same thing about storage units a few weeks ago! We rented one when we were transitioning from one house to another. So our use was temporary.

Susan said...

The hubs and I have always rented a storage unit. When you can no longer store all your sentimental stuff at your Mom's you rent a unit. Seriously though, we are both collectors and have a room large enough to actually work on the collections when need be. They came in handy when various family members sold houses and we, for some reason, always say yes to the extra furniture and household goods. Currently we are going through our stuff to make a trip to the flea market. You don't have to be a hoarder to make use of a storage unit. They really work for us.

Linda said...

My daughter has used one for YEARS!! I have NEVER! If I can't store it here I HATE the thougth of paying good $$ to store it elsewhere. My youngest daughter used one for their things while they lived in Scotland for a year.
SOMEONE - and apparently LOTS of someones must use them or there would not be so many!

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

I have two sheds linked with a four foot space between. Added a 10x24 ft deck, roofed the entire group. Its packed. I figured that the cost of building would be less than two years of renting space and everything is in my back yard so I can deal with stuff a box at a time. Who knew that 5 years later it would still be packed and I haven't dealt with everything, more stuff keeps getting added. I will say that I do run a reselling business and about 70 percent of the stuff business related. I have been doing the - will it sell, then sell it, do I love it, donate it and bin it and have taken 3 van loads to the dump this year, two van loads donated and so it goes.

My goal is to turn one 10 x 12 wired/lighted shed into a workshop. It is already insulated, and I had it wired for the table saw as well as separate circuit plugs, and have florescent fixtures as well.

My dream.

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Hi Sweet Tea (again today). I liked your questions about storage units so much that I wrote an organization post quoting your questions (I copied your questions) for my January 18th post. I have a link back to you on my post so others can read all the great comments and discussions you started with your questions. Thanks you for bringing up a really BIG organization question.

Sunny Simple Life said...

I say most folks need to just get rid of the stuff. Americans collect too much crap. I know we do around here but I have been purging a lot the last year and am not bringing much in but of course the perishables and things that need replacing.

Mindy said...

Hey Sweetie, thank you SO much for listing my blog on your side bar. I am touched, honored and thankful to the Lord. At a time when I really need prayer, if any of your faithful followers lift us up, the burden will be so much lighter.

Speaking of lighter, your blogs always bring a smile to my face and give me a little extra joy when I need it. Thank you!

Mary said...

Funny...as I drove by Lowes and saw the storage buildings, I wondered if we needed to get one, but then remembered the garage that has plenty of room in it!

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