Did you know that the self-storage industry in the United States generates more than $24 billion in annual revenue? Did you know that it is the fastest growing segment of the commercial real estate industry? There are over 48,500 self-storage facilities in our country alone. That’s a lot of stuff stored and a lot of money spent to store it.
The industry is fueled by our accumulating stuff. We spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars every year for a place to store our ‘extra’ stuff. Relatives pass away and we are not ready to give away their possessions or don’t know where to put them; we are renovating our spaces and need temporary storage; we are downsizing and can’t fit everything in our new homes; we are traveling for extended periods of time and need a place to leave our things; our spouses and partners have asked us to lighten the load of stuff in our homes, but we aren’t ready to part with our things or we don’t have the time to go through them. So, this industry is booming. And, some it is understandable – and some of it is not. If you are considering self-storage, ideally it should be temporary. It should not be an excuse for your inability to decide whether to keep or part with things. In fact, after most people place their things in storage, they can’t even remember what is there. De-cluttering and getting organized involve decision making – deferred decisions cause an accumulation of stuff – stuff we are paying to store without even knowing if or when we will ever use the items again.