Two weeks ago I woke before dawn, pushed my scary-ass morning hair into a baseball cap, put on my larger than any sunglasses ever need to be in real life aviators,
(hey, is that Jennifer Aniston?)
bought a padlock (with non-traceable cash), packed up my car - in the dark, drove one town over and ... rented a storage unit.
(disclosure - I have not actually ever been mistaken for Jennifer Aniston. Actually, I don't look anything like Jennifer Aniston. But there was that few months, weeks, days in 2009 - sniffle - that my hair did. I just can't seem to let it go)
I am in the middle of re-arranging (note the 're' during this month's mercury retrograde, my friends) the upstairs rooms and needed somewhere to re-locate stuff as I work.
Yes, I realize what this says about me and the state of a four bedroom house (two of the bedrooms I swear are no larger than walk in closets, but because they have closets we get to call them bedrooms) that houses two people right now. Yes, I spring clean every year. Yes, I let go of stuff regularly.
Yes, I still have a lot of crap.
No doubt my Viking ancestors would have buried their plunder and I did look around my backyard and briefly considered a shady spot under a dogwood, but then I thought about my still-healing shoulder and googled 'storage unit central new jersey'.
There may come a day when I go into the ground myself surrounded by my treasures anyway.
(Hopefully not anytime soon, of course, but when my favorite uncle died a few years ago, my husband asked the undertaker what we could put in the coffin with him. At the time I thought George was nuts, but it did give me a little glimpse into my destiny ... at least I can rest assured that any future Mrs. Ivins will not get her hands on my corks and car parts.)
Anyhoo, now that I have started renting my useless stuff its own little apartment I am getting much more done on the house. I always seem to need something I have stored though.
I have actually made trips back and forth to unit 505 - I have nicknamed her Wit's End - 16 times.
Yes, in 14 days (I left my wallet there on Sunday and had to make two round trips).
It seems like this is actually a pretty common practice. I have seen entire three generation families hanging out by their units and grilling hamburgers - I don't ask questions, unless of course, I need someone to pass me the ketchup.
In 16 days (by the end of Mercury Retrograde and my rental contract) I will let go of the unit and bring any remaining stuff/plunder/crap home. I will have a yard sale or a bonfire, but I will let Wit's End go. I will not become one of these people paying $1200 a year to store $500 (if you squint in the dark and use replacement value) worth of stuff.
I will let this stuff go. I will let this stuff go. I will let this stuff go.
(and maybe even my Jennifer Aniston hair obsession which will greatly please my poor hairstylist)
5 comments
That all made me laugh, girl! Consider this - when you have a big barn, as we do, everyone thinks this is a great place to store cars and crap they don't want to look at in their well-decorated homes. "Hey, you have a barn! I'll just store this pile of junk car parts and old stove and fridge and washer/dryer and boxes of baby clothes at YOUR place!" Don't even get me started on the folks who told me, "Mice got into this. Don't you have cats for that?"
But I digress.
a big barn hmmm (she googles how many miles from NJ to Nebraska)
xo
I think it's great you have a goal of getting this done in one month. Good for you for not paying rent on the stuff you already paid for. My mom did that for YEARS, and I think we *finally* had the last yard sale on Saturday. She's ready to get rid of what's left... finally... thank goodness.
Don't work too hard though! It's summer, you know. :)
xoxo
I can see how people can do it for years - once the stuff is out of the house it is hard to bring it back! I am going to enjoy this summer, too, don't worry - I definitely have the summer lazies a lot of the time.... I hope you are enjoying yours! xo
I have only stored everything I own in self-storage, never bits and pieces. It is a great business plan.
I once read a minimalist who packed up everything and anything that was not unpacked in 6 months wasn't necessary and if ever needed again was cheaper to buy than to store- cheaper to own a two bedroom house than a four bedroom house. It was a good plan but not one I could execute. It is just another way to push oneself into making choices.
Have fun organizing- it is work I really enjoy.
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