There’s nothing like having your personal space at home as an adult, somewhere you can get away and play games, watch your favorite movies, or indulge in your hobbies. You may invite family and friends in sometimes, but the room is all yours.
Here are a few ways people use their personal space:
- A game room for games.
- A craft room for 3D printing and painting, sewing, scrapbooking, or a combination of crafts.
- An entertainment room with a large screen TV or projector, a full sound system, and comfortable seating, and snacks.
- A workout room.
- A library with shelves of books, a table to write at, and plenty of reclining chairs.
Rooms to Consider
Perhaps you’re lucky enough that you have an extra bedroom in your house. Maybe one of your kids just moved out, to college or elsewhere, giving you that extra space. Or, maybe you have a good-sized garage or basement. And, maybe you’ve been using that extra room to store stuff you don’t need all the time.
This is probably more common than you think. When a family has an extra room, it’s easy to put things in it to make room elsewhere. The thing is, that room is worth more per square foot than self storage space. That’s right, self storage rents for less per square foot than residential space. Even if you own your home outright, you can use that space for something better.
Yes, Storage Has Enough Space
To store the contents of one room in self storage, you only need a 10x10 space. That’s right, one of the smallest spaces should provide all the room you need. Our
size guide covers other options.
What to Store
When considering what to put in storage to make that extra room, we have some helpful suggestions.
If you’re running a business from home, you can put your inventory, old paperwork, samples, displays, and more in storage. You can also put your off-season wardrobe and sports equipment away. Do you have a vehicle you’re not using taking up room in your garage? That can go nicely in storage. Anything you need, but don’t need all the time, can go in storage.
Stuff You Don’t Need
Over time, we all accrue stuff. We buy new things, like toys, clothes, and more. In time, we no longer need those things, but we don’t get rid of them, either. That kind of stuff might be taking up more space in your home than you think, and clearing it out can help you come up with a room’s worth of space.
So, even before you rent storage space, go through your things and declutter. We have dozens of articles on
cleaning and organization that can help. You’ll set aside things you don’t need, then sell the things that are still valuable, donate as much as you can, and recycle or throw out what’s left.
That way, when you rent a storage unit, you’ll store things you need only, and you can rent a smaller space, saving money.
Voila! Enough Room!
Now, you should have enough room in your home to create a space that’s just for you. We encourage you to read the linked articles, which cover how to set up your special space.
One more thing, though. If you use your basement, attic, or garage as your new sanctuary, we encourage you to make sure it’s insulated and doesn’t have any drafts. Install air conditioning and a humidifier or dehumidifier if needed. These rooms often aren’t meant for habitation as-is, but you can change them into wonderful spaces.
When you’re ready to find a storage space, peruse the listings on
Storage Front. We provide comprehensive listings of storage properties across the U.S. and Canada.
