What Your Storage Space Says About You

revealing-storage-spaceWhat kind of things do you keep in your storage? Do you store seasonal equipment for winter or summer recreation? Do you keep baby furniture and toys that your children have outgrown? Holiday decorations or tools and other equipment that you only use a few times a year?

There are lots of things that people put in storage and lots of reasons why they choose to put their belongings in a local self-storage unit rather than keep them at home. But did you know that what you put in your self-storage unit reveals a lot about you and who you are?

Things of Value

The things that we value, that we deem to be important enough to store in a safe, secure storage facility, reveal a lot about our character and how we live our lives. There are five categories of items that people deem to be of most value. What those items are, how they are categorized and whether or not they have real value to anyone else outside of you and your family members, is very revealing about the type of person you are.

#1 – Family Heirlooms

This category can hold things of “real” value or things that have been passed down from generation to generation as a way of remembering family traditions, loved ones and occasions. Your great-great grandmother’s wedding dress, a favorite aunt’s handmade quilt, bronzed baby shoes that your parents once wore or fine crystal brought across the Atlantic when your family immigrated to this country.

People who safeguard personal items such as these tend to be very family-oriented and will usually go to lengths to ensure that these items are packed and secured well.

#2 – Memory Items

This category can hold random things that remind you of specific times, events or periods in your life. These things can range in size and value, although most will only have value to the person who uses them to remind them of things that happened during their life. A teddy bear, a pair of roller skates, a set of keys, a book – whatever helps you to remember a special moment or a difficult event.

People who use a secure storage facility to hold memory items will often times value everything they keep, no matter how random the item might seem, on its ability to conjure up memories of people and events.

#3 – Sentimental Pieces

The absolute most personal of all the categories listed here, sentimental pieces are often things of whimsy or items that were collected specifically for sentimental reasons. Pressed flowers from a loved one’s funeral, a lock of hair from your child’s first haircut, photos, videos, entire picture albums, programs from school plays, clippings from newspaper obituaries or sporting events – many of these items are fragile and irreplaceable.

People who store sentimental pieces like these will often place more value on the individuals that the objects represent than the objects themselves.

#4 – Financially Valuable Things

This category represents things that are valuable in real money that the whole world would agree hold value. Jewelry, old records, expensive clothing, high end furniture, musical instruments, sports equipment, mechanic’s tools – anything you could potentially sell and make a respectable amount of money from would fit in this category.

People who keep these items in a self-storage unit usually have a focus on building wealth or investing in items that will bring them wealth in the future or as a means of protecting valuable items from potential damage or theft at home.

#5 – Collectibles

The things that fit into this category include items that are typically collected by individuals that hold both interest and value. They can range from low-end items that had a cult following, such as Beanie Babies or McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, to higher end pieces, including coin collections, stamp collections and China dolls.

People who collect things, organize them and determine their value will either view their collections as a hobby, financial investment – or both.

Knowing the Difference Between Hoarding and Storing

Because of all the attention given to hoarding on television shows and in the news lately, many people are afraid that their tendency to collect and store things of personal or financial value may be a sign that they have a problem. People who have a problem with hoarding will generally store things haphazardly, neglecting to take the time to ensure that the items are packed and stored in a self-storage unit properly. Many times hoarders will fill up their homes from floor to ceiling first before seeking a secure storage facility to keep it all in safely.

If you are worried that you might be a hoarder, take a look at the items you have stored and check their condition. Is everything covered in dust and rat droppings? How long has it been since you have looked at or checked on your items? Are the boxes stacked neatly, orderly and with care? Ask yourself these questions and more to determine your motives for keeping and storing items and compare your answers to those people that you see on TV. If you still aren’t sure, ask a friend or family member who will be honest with you, to take a look at your storage situation.

Affordable Storage in Fall River

If you have a lot of seasonal, personal, sentimental, collectible or other rarely-used items that you want to store in a secure storage facility, consider Affordable Storage in Fall River. With an on-site manager, 24-hour security surveillance, automatic gated entry, keypad entry for storage units and a clean, well-lit and maintained facility, you can safeguard personal items at a local self-storage unit for a price that you can afford. Contact Affordable Storage in Fall River for more information on all of the services and opportunities available.