Now where did I put that?
Storage, storage…and yet more storage. It seems that our national habit of parking belongings that we want to keep hold of but have no room for is steadily growing. One research company reports that between 2018 and 2024, the popularity of self-storage in the UK increased and the share of people who used it rose from 1.29 % to 3%. In a recent survey, 9% of respondents were considering using a self-storage service.
This is confirmed by an industry source: ‘Over the last year (2023), the self-storage sector has continued to increase in size, with an 8.1% rise in self-storage space in the UK, taking the total floorspace to 60 million square feet, triple the amount available in 2005.’ Some tidy incomes are being built on this growth.
Now the reasons for this are nearly as many and varied as the people deciding to store their stuff. Moving home is in theory a neat and tidy option when everything in Property A gets transferred to Property B on the completion of a sale – except when it does not go according to plan. Some friends experienced this earlier this year; their supposedly smooth downsizing from house to flat came a cropper when the flat seller unexpectedly moved the goalposts after they had agreed on their house exchange and sale date. The result? A three-month gap between vacating the house and moving into the flat with all their belongings in storage. Not to mention renting some temporary accommodation into the bargain.
Then there’s the problem of where to put the entire contents of your attic when having a loft conversion. Off it goes into storage until the builders have finished – and whatever timescale they’ve given you had better be doubled, with the extra storage costs needing to be factored in.
Renters store too; it was lovely to inherit that 3-piece suite from the grandparents – but it won’t fit into that tiny inner city rental, so into storage it goes until, until?
What about that fantastic job offer in Australia? Marvellous, but what are we going to do with the majority of our possessions? Simple, put them in storage until the contract ends and we return to Blighty.
At this point I am reminded of what Dame V wrote in a blog some time ago:’ When they stay in their accustomed places, you cease to see them. They can hide quietly in plain sight for decades, but the minute you move them they are open to question.’ While items in storage are not exactly in plain sight, the fact is that awareness of their existence – and your ownership of them, not to mention the cost – is there, albeit at the back of your mind. Now I do not have any items in storage, but I do have an attic that has a significant number of items that I am keeping because, because…. Actually in truth I haven’t looked at many of them for at least a decade, so why am I keeping them? In case I might have need of them at some point? To pass on to my nearest and dearest? I think not, and I fear they won’t be thrilled to have to dispose of them if I fail to do so. Would decluttering the attic perchance be a good New Year’s resolution?
Yes it would, Barbara!
If, however, you are storing for other members of the family no longer in residence you will find they are reluctant to part with items that have not been viewed for years.
We had a sort out recently and hired a skip. Very satisfying. You will be amazed at what you find!
Love the skip approach – definitely no half measures chez Joyce!
Dame B