I thought that it was only we Americans who had difficulty managing all of our stuff. Our homes are bigger, our play things more abundant, and our lives are seem much more complicated. We just have too many goods to manage, but we’re not the only ones who are finding their space too limiting.

Rather than just being an American problem, the accumulation of goods is a middle class phenomenon, something people in Canada, the UK, Italy, Japan, and yes, even in China and India are dealing with. I can’t speak for the rest of the world and probably not for every American, but when was the last time you actually put your car in your garage?

Yes, the family garage is now a storage room as is the attic, basement, and the storage shed out back. If we’re honest with ourselves, we should cut back on possessions and keep only what we need.

I’m not here to dispense to guilt, rather to encourage you to consider some ways to manage your clutter.  Managing your possessions keeps them clean and usable and can have a good side effect: your garage suddenly has room for your car!

4 Tips To Help You Organize Your Stuff

If you’re in need of a decluttering, I offer to you the following tips:

Sell Or Give Away What You Don’t Need – Garage and yard sales are a great way to reduce clutter, allowing you to move out stuff you don’t need, while taking in some cash. If you absolutely would rather get rid of what you have without holding a sale, consider donating your goods to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, Vietnam Vets, or some other organization. Mostly anything can be given away instead of thrown away, keeping our dumps from accumulating household goods.

Renovate The Garage — One of the least costly ways to get more room for all of your stuff, is to renovate an existing part of the house to hold what you need. Buy shelving, storage bins, hang up hooks, build counters, etc. along the perimeter of the garage to house what you know that you will use. If not the garage, consider the attic or basement areas of your home for a storage make over. Finally, if you don’t see something being used ever again, get rid of it.

Build A Shed – If you don’t already have a shed, consider building one. Raised floors, shelving, windows, and doors will add to the price of the unit, but if you plan on storing anything of value, then don’t spare on the project. Metal sheds are priced from $350, plastic sheds run about $700 on up, and wood sheds start around $900 and can easily climb to over $5000 when shingles, double pane windows, drywall, and electrical hook up are included.

Rent Storage — All of those storage units sprouting up are housing something, right? Well at about $50 per month on up, you can store everything you want, can’t get rid of, but don’t need right now at these types of facilities. Some are climate controlled, gated, and manned by security personnel. Others are much more basic, but every one of them allows you to secure your own space.

Easily, we can sort through our stuff and get rid of what we don’t want or need. But, when you need the room and you’re dying to declutter, then expanding your storage capacity makes perfect sense. Otherwise, selling your home and getting a bigger one becomes a costly and time consuming way to manage what you own.

Tags: attic, attic space, basement, garage renovation, garage sale, home renovation, storage, storage shed, yard sale

It is true that we Americans have an awful lot of stuff. We are true consumers, buying so many of the things that catch our eyes. Truly, do we need everything that can be found in our homes?

Garage, yard, and other types of sales are a great way to get rid of unneeded possessions. That is, if we have a mind to get rid of all of our clutter.

For some households, having too much stuff isn’t the issue — having the room to store what isn’t needed for the season is. Not all homes are 2500 square feet or larger — many people live in smaller homes or have larger families and they simply need the space.

Outdoor storage sheds are an important way to handle the overflow. Bicycles, lawn equipment and tools, sporting equipment, and outdoor furniture can easily be placed inside, freeing up needed space in the garage, under the deck, or on the porch. If you select a unit that is large enough, you can put up shelving and store files, boxes and other items you don’t want sitting on the ground.

When choosing a storage shed consider the following:

• Estimate the space you will need for storage. Plan for the future and allow for additional room as your family grows or your needs change.

• If ventilation and natural lighting is needed, choose a shed with windows.

• Select a unit with double hinged doors to move heavier equipment in and out.

• Plywood flooring should be sufficient, but do you need walling?

• Is your shed tall enough to walk around inside of without bending over?

• Is a shed made of galvanized steel sufficient or do you prefer wood? How about plastic?

There are many different accessories you can choose from for your storage shed including cedar siding, storm windows, electrical hook up, flower boxes, shingles, cupolas, and more.

Of course, when choosing a shed you need a flat surface and good drainage to ensure that water moves away from the shed.  Building up the ground around the shed may be necessary in order to provide the right pitch away from the unit.

Now can be a great time to buy a shed as builders and retailers seek to move inventory. By shopping around, you can get the perfect storage unit for a price that cannot be beat.

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Tags: cedar shed, doors, galvanized steel, shingles, storage building, storage shed, windows, wood shed