In this episode, Stephanie discusses the often overlooked positive aspects of storage, shifting away from the idea that decluttering always means discarding. She highlights practical and emotionally beneficial reasons for intentional storage, reassuring listeners that storage can sometimes be the best solution for managing life's transitions, preserving memories, and simplifying everyday living.
In this episode we talk about:
- The pressure people feel about constant decluttering and why it's sometimes unnecessary.
- Six reasons why storage can positively impact your life.
- How intentional storage empowers decision-making and enhances daily routines
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Practical examples of seasonal storage solutions.
- Real-life success stories about thoughtful storage decisions.
- Tips on preserving family heirlooms and sentimental items.
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
Have you ever felt the pressure that everything must be decluttered right now? There's often so much messaging out there that storing things is bad, but today I want to pause and focus and recognize that storage can actually be positive. It can be intentional, and it can be beneficial if it's a thoughtful decision instead of always having episodes and discussions about.
You have to declutter. You have to be a minimalist. You have to get rid of your things. Let's talk about when storage is the positive side of it, like when it's a good idea, when it might be smarter to have storage, and if you fit any of these criteria and things that we're going to talk about for you to maybe have a little bit more ease and be gentle with yourself about the fact that maybe you are making the right decision.
And you don't have to go and declutter and hire someone to come in and make you a minimalist. Maybe you are making the right decision, but let's talk about it, shall we?
Welcome to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. I am your host Stephanie, your compassionate and efficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you. Together we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep, and let go with dignity and care, because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life.
Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized. Okay, so first it's important to acknowledge that storage isn't always about procrastinating. It's not always about stalling or delaying decisions. Sometimes storage is simply smart when you're being thoughtful, and this episode is not to sway you one way or another.
But it's for you to know that there could be reasons as to why storage could be helpful. And as you know, we're doing a storage series where I'm giving you the, the behind the scenes, the cost analysis, the pros and cons about storing your stuff. It was really important for me to bring this episode to life and give you a, a perspective that you may not have heard or it's not very popular, especially amongst other people that are big declutters, right?
Like whether it's your loved one, whether it's, um, your neighbor or other pro organizers. I mean, that really is always the go-to because you know, I do have to agree like it, it's a good idea to let things go. It clears your mind, it clears your physical space, your mental space. I. Getting rid of the old and, and making room for the new, like shedding that old, the old stuff, right?
Like literally shedding the old stuff. So I am a proponent of that. However. I'm a bigger proponent that you have to be thoughtful about it because if you're not, you just come back to the same habits over and over. So even if you do this big decluttering, clear out, uh, session, you might come back to the same old habits when you're not being thoughtful about it.
And when it comes to storing and s storage, that applies even more because then you start accumulating things again and again and again, no matter how many times. You clear it out because it hasn't become a habit. You haven't embraced that lifestyle. And so sometimes storing and if you have the means and the space and the availability might be the healthier option while you work things out and maybe even long term.
Okay, so let's relieve some pressure and embrace storage as a valuable tool when it's used thoughtfully. So on today's episode, we are going to talk about when is storage a good idea? So I have about six positive reasons in ways storage can truly enhance your life. And these reasons, these six reasons are based off of my experience.
I've talked about this before, another episodes where. I have kept a log, a journal of my, of the projects people that I've worked with over the last two decades, not necessarily about their personal life or who they are as people, more about the work that we have done for them so that I could keep track of.
What is an ongoing problem that I can talk about, that I can be of service for what habits or what, uh, problems I'm seeing more of or what trends are coming up. And that way I can help my clients to the best of the ability and all of you and my community. So that's really why I keep that journal. It's, it's not so much about the actual, like, details of the people.
And so some of those, those reasons that I have kept. I've accumulated into, or not accumulated, but I've condensed into six reasons. And these are the six reasons why. Um, sometimes storage is a good idea. So some of these are actually, uh, reasons that I, that have come back again from even like over 20 years ago, and I've seen trends of some of these reasons coming back.
So that's why I'm including them. So these are not just top six reasons today. I'm talking in general. Why I think it could be a good idea why you might be doing it, right? If you one of these reasons applies to you, here's the list. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna name them very quickly and then we're going to talk about them in a little bit of detail.
Then if you have any questions, as always, I encourage you to send us a message. Let me know either on social media or emailing us at [email protected] to let us know if you want me to talk about one reason or something that we talk about in these episodes in more detail. Okay? First reason would be storage of self-care.
So sometimes life is overwhelming and maybe you're moving, you're experiencing family changes or navigating in emotional moments. Like next chapters of life, you've inherited stuff from a loved one that is just painful to have to deal with all of the boxes and all of the things right now. So any of those reasons.
So intentional storage can give you in your future self, the breathing room and emotional space to make better, calmer and have the decisions made when it's a better time and it's a more thoughtful time. The warning sign of this, the storage of self-care, is that you, I do want you to do check-ins. So there are several ways you can do check-ins.
We can put it as a reminder on your phone, right? Like every six months. I, I always tell people at the beginning, do a check-in like three months, six months, nine months, and then 12 months, and then from year do it almost like every other month because now you start to pay. The longer like you start to pay all the fees, the longer that you wait.
The harder it will be for you to want to tackle it because so much time has passed. And if it's in your basement or you are already, like, it's already part of your, your space, right? You're not, you don't feel like you are spending extra money. So you don't think it's a waste, quote unquote, uh, you just feel like I'll tackle it whenever I can or want to.
Um, but the more time that passes, the harder it is. So I like to give people the 3, 6, 9, 12, and then from there, try to do it every other month. Until you make a decision of how and what you want to do going forward, do you create a plan? Okay, so you can do a timer, like on your phone, on your calendar, whatever means of reminding yourself is best for you.
But the other way is as soon as you pack that stuff or put that stuff in storage, I want you to put either sticky notes that really stick. So with good tape. A note as to when was the last time that you opened that box, so that next time you go and look, you can see the date that it was last opened. A lot of people like to do painter's tape, um, or a Ziploc bag or some kind of like baggy with tape over it.
Something that will last a while. Some labels, of course, good old labels, but I don't want you to spend a lot of money. I just want you to keep it as simple as possible and easy to recognize that date so that you can see it very quickly When you open that storage area, give yourself some timelines. So that's what I'm gonna do with the the list, right?
I'm giving you the list and then warning signs as to when you've warning signs that you can pick up for yourself so that you don't. Go onto the other extreme and instead of it being helpful, it's actually making your organizing or your decluttering journey and project even worse. Okay? Okay. So reason number two, the stories.
One of the reasons that I do think storage is a good idea is if you have special stories you want to pass down from generation to generation. And the items need to be kept somewhere, but you are not necessarily needing them anymore, but you would like to give your loved ones going forward, the option of keeping it themselves.
Now, this is a, a, a bit of a controver controversial type of topic because some people believe, and there's these like funny memes and these signs and. Instagram stories about that. People in your loved ones or your children, they do not want your stuff, right? There is this one cartoonist that made a cartoon where the dad is opening the storage, facil storage room and opens it and says, son, this will all be yours when I pass.
Right? And then it's like a bun, like cartoon is of a lot of stuff piled up. Depending on what mentality or where you are of this opinion, you are looking at it. Some people will look at it as, oh, it's all this junk, all this clutter, all this stuff that's just piled up in a storage room. And if you're on the other spectrum, then you will see that.
You know, that's your loved one's treasures, that they've worked really hard to purchase or buy or acquire, and they're giving you the option to keep it. So depending on where you, you are in the spectrum and some of you're right, right in the middle, right where you want to be thoughtful about it. And that's who we, and I talk to for most of the time.
The people that want to somewhere in the middle find the special stuff, continue some things with ongoing traditions and generations. And maybe not keep everything and be thoughtful about it, but the stuff that you do keep for it to be intentional. So that's where we are. We're right in the middle when it comes to this discussion, and those stories are really important.
Uh, it's the work that I do for a reason, because I believe very, very strongly that not everything is meant to just go into the landfill. We are not meant to be minimalist. That we have zero heart to keep anything we want to keep any some things and some memories. The problem here that I have seen over time is when people aren't intentional about it, where they just wanna keep everything just because.
So people have wonderful storage success stories. I've had clients that are so glad that they kept their storage or the stuff in the storage because they were able to furnish their new home with stuff that actually meant something to them. And when something is meaningful to you, you are most likely going to repair it.
Keep it long term, right? It's quality over quantity that ended up working out in it in itself. I mean, instead of buying all of these. Lower quality furniture pieces over the years. They kept their meaningful pieces that they did properly store and paid money to store from the storage facility, but it equaled out at the end because, or I think with they did, they kind of did the math on official math, but they ended up saving a little bit of money because they did not buy all of these low quality furniture pieces over the years.
They kept it and so that, you know, saved money. Great. But that's not everyone's story, so I want you to be really thoughtful about it. So maybe you've thoughtfully stored furniture or clothing, or kept baby items for another child, whatever it is, and you think it's going to pay off at the end. I just want you to make sure, the warning sign here is that you just have to make sure that you're being intentional, which we always talk about.
But that the value will be worth it to you. So if you are intending to have a family that is growing and you like your loved ones left you with all of your kid clothings, and you think you are going to give it to your children, however, like you're going to pass on the clothing, I guess is what I'm saying, and you think it's worth it and you're going to wash it and take care of it and all of that, great.
If you're just keeping it to put it in a box just to keep, maybe be more intentional with, okay, I'm only going to keep about 10 things from my childhood, and then everything else goes away. Go, you know, gets donated, thrown away, or if, especially if it's in older condition where it's no longer wearable. So be thoughtful and think about the value, if it's worth it.
Especially when it comes to stories, because emotions, emotional stories. Cannot be quantified. That is really hard. So I just want you to come up with some kind of value that it will be worth it. So if you're spending $10,000 on storage or a thousand dollars in storage, is the stuff you're keeping equal amount of value or more?
And then go from there. High cherish friends life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter and everything in between. That's why I created the Organized and Cherish weekly email. That goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox to help you keep the momentum inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events.
All you have to do is head on over to organize and cherish.com and sign up for the email newsletter. It's free and you can up subscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way. Now, back to our show. Okay, number three. Curated memory preservation.
So storage isn't always about forgotten Clutter. It can beautifully preserve meaningful memories, which we talked about with the number two, right? The stories, the family heirlooms, cherished photos, sentimental keepsakes, all that allowing you to honor your history with intention and respect. So if you are a historian, if you, your passion.
Is to keep the memories alive and you will do it well, I think it's a great idea. And if you have the money, so to pay for all of all of this, great, because not every, sometimes, like your hobby is to be, to keep all these memories alive. Like I have so many clients where one relative really took the time to create the, the scrapbooks and then digitize them and keep everything clean and.
Organized and preserved the best way possible because that was their hobby. So if you are more of a memory preservationist person, it could be worth it because instead of paying for, you know, some other hobbies that you may have, maybe this is your hobby. And I've seen that with so many people, and I'll always tell 'em, Hey, if this is worth it to you on a personal level to.
Not just spend the money but actually put in the effort because you love it, then it might be a great idea, especially if it's smaller stuff, pictures, paper. Things that you can easily carry, like in a, um, in a, in a box that you, that's a WellPreserved box, but like, it's smaller, not like a storage facility.
You know, it's, it's smaller in size. How you keep it, it could be worth it. So don't let people tell you you have to throw away your pictures just because they're old and nobody's going to look at them. Maybe you are the family historian, and if you are and you have the. The money, the financial efforts and the physical efforts and the mental and like it's your hobby, it's your passion.
Then go all out. Enjoy it and enjoy the process and hopefully your family will appreciate you for it, but if not, that's okay because you have decided that this is worth it to you. Next reason is the seasonal decluttering or seasonal organizing or seasonal joy. It can come in any of those categories.
It's when you are a seasonal person and you truly rotate your household. So seasonal storage creates that anticipation and joy. You know, like the, oh, like it's, spring is coming, fall is coming, uh, summer, winter. And so you go into your storage facility and you go get the bins and all the bags or whatever, however you're storing it, and you bring them out rotating items seasonally, such as holiday decorations, your wardrobe.
You know, all of that stuff refreshes your space regularly and keeps belongings feeling exciting rather than burdensome. I actually personally do this. I do have about, oh, what about 15 bins that I keep in my storage room? I. And my actual closet is more of a capsule wardrobe style, so it's very small and I, I do rotate about two to three times a year and bring out the seasonal items that I need.
And it brings me this joy of like, like I'm opening new clothing all the time because I don't see 'em all the time. In those instances, storage is a really good idea. If you don't want to be spending money all the time, you're getting bo bored of your clothes, of, of your stuff, your home stuff. Then seasonal type of of storage can be a great option.
And on this same topic, but a different category, different enough that I wanted to separate these two is that if you need. Efficient solutions because of where or how you're living. So for many of you, you live in a sandwich generation. You live multi with multi-generations, so you kind of have to, you don't have the room no matter how big your house may be or what you know, where you live.
You might have to do a rotation type of lifestyle, so that that includes your wardrobe. Usually it's your wardrobe pantries areas, and home furnishing type of areas. So for you, a well organized storage can streamline your daily routine because then you'll have easy access to seasonal clothes, neatly stacked camping gear, clearly labeled sentimental boxes, which makes storage practical and enjoyable rather than frustrating because there's just no room in your actual living space.
So for all of you that have that frustration. Storage can actually be a really good idea if you're paying like a 4 0, 10 by 10, or a five by five, or like a smaller space, something like a hundred dollars a month in today's US dollars and you know, recording this in 2025, give or take, depending on where you live.
I, which is also a whole, an entire different podcast episode that we will be doing. But let's just say you're spending a hundred dollars, right? A month that could be worth it for 1,200 a year for you to, you're buying, you're essentially. Renting out a little bit more space so that you don't have to keep everything in your house and feel like you're being buried in it.
And you might need this stuff because of, because it's useful stuff. It's stuff you're, you're always needing, like I said, like camping, school gear, whatever it may be. It's just that it doesn't fit in your house. And for all of you who have smaller spaces, apartments, town homes, or. Skyscraper type of buildings.
Then for you, it's even more relevant. So storage could be a great idea for you. It's here though. I do want you, the warning sign here is I just want you to make sure that it's well organized and labeled so that you know what's in there and stuff doesn't just get lost and then you don't even get it because if it's frustrating you and it becomes more, bur more of a burden than, um, use a useful tool.
Let's talk about the last reason why. One of the last reasons, I think it's a, a really good idea for you to have a storage room, and that is if the items you're storing needs special care. And the only way you can get that is through a storage that is well ventilated, that is protected from all the elements.
So I'll give you an example. I was actually just working with a client not too long ago where we, as her team decided that. The stuff that we kept having to organize over and over and dust off. And I'll tell you the story, that part of the story in just a second, that it was just better if she rented or got a pod that had a a ventilated option.
So it's like temperature control, ventilated type of option. She lives in a farm. Where it's very, very dusty. All the elements come in and her shed right now, um, it's just like an older shed and it has just some like open, like very subtle openings at the bottom of the door. Um, some of the sides. And she could either get that fixed or she can buy a small pod or rent it if she wanted to, but she decided to buy it.
And then put the stuff, some of the stuff in there. I'll tell you what kind of stuff. So we had, she had some silver, she had, uh, like, uh, platters that she inherited from her. Uh, loved ones and she wants to keep it. She has a room. She lives in a farm. She lives in a house that can hold it. She's fine. She does not need to be decluttering.
And that's what I mean in why it wanted to do this episode where. Not everything has to be thrown away. You might not be ready and you might actually use it, even if it's one time a year, you still use it. You want to, and you have the resources to keep it. You're being thoughtful about it. It's when you're swimming in clutter and you're just keeping it because you're overwhelmed and you're procrastinating decisions, that's when it becomes, starts to become a problem.
Anyway, so go back to her story. And she just, she's like, so we would come in and declutter and dust off stuff every couple of months because critters would get in there. She didn't wanna get in there. Stuff would just get shoved back in there, like the camping gear. Every time they would come back from a trip or a road trip or from the other places, she would travel to everything, which is shoved back in there.
So we would come in and declutter and, and. Organized right every couple months. That was fine. But the problem was that no matter what we did and how pretty it looked and how neat and tidy everything was, everything still was getting dusty and dirty and tarnished because it was being exposed to elements in critters and all that in the openings of the shed.
So for her, instead of saying to her. Well, I guess it's time to get rid of everything. She was not looking for that solution. Like that did not work for her because she wanted to keep it. So we gave her the option, not the option, but we told her there are pods you can buy. Of course there's sheds you can buy, you can build a new one.
But she didn't wanna build, build a new one. So we told her about a temperature controlled type of pod. She decided to go down that route and now she got one and she can adjust the temperature. According to what's in there. And now we don't have to worry about having to come in every couple of months to dust it off.
Now we can just organize it without having to worry about the mos and the critters and the things and the dust and all the stuff that is damaging her items. So ultimately. That became a really good idea for her and it worked and that's it. And you know, we now she's not spending as much money on paying us and paying a cleaning company to come in and clean it.
She's kind of make breaking even in that sense, and she gets to appreciate and keep the stuff that she wanted to keep. So it worked out. Those are my top six reasons right now. I might do a part two if you all really want me to because I have other mini reasons. These are just more of the, um, the most common that I thought would apply to more, um, like more people in the masses.
So if you want me to do some like part two, let me know and I'll do like many examples of what, what other clients I have come across, just like the one I talked about. If you want me to give me, give you some of those solutions. Okay. Alright. I don't know if you can hear it in the background, but it's starting to rain where I'm at.
I'm still traveling. I think. Uh, the last episode I was in the Illinois area at a conference. Um, now I am with family and I'm actually recording in my car. So our amazing podcasting team, Hailey and her team at Gaffin Creative, they're amazing and they always work the audios. So I know they're going to work their magic on this one, but they can only do so much.
So I'm going to sign off for this week, um, before the rain really heavily starts here, and then you can't even hear me. So have a wonderful week. I'll see you next time. And until then, happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. If you enjoy today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player.
It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast. Until next time, happy organizing.
