I had never put anything in a storage locker before. A few friends said I could store stuff at their places. Which was so kind and generous of them. I am not sure why but I think because I am single most people assume I don’t have much stuff. Even my father asked why I needed to find storage “Sure, you only have a few belongings, why would you need to rent a storage unit?” I have to say I was dumb with amazement. “But Da, I’m 50 years old! I have lived in Canada almost 20 years, I’ve a lot more than a few things – I have the full contents of a home!” Anyway, he seemed rather surprised at that. I smiled because I could imagine what was going on in his mind visually… “Single, middle-aged women live in boarding houses – how could she have her own furniture?” Anyway, I am also a business owner so not only do I have the contents of a home but I also have a kick-ass office to boot 🙂
So, I started looking into storage options. Obviously the basement or under-the-stairs storage offers from friends were not going to suffice. There’s a lot of companies out there. I wanted to find a storage unit that was close by where I was living so that the move into the storage locker would not be about travelling to and fro. I found the perfect place. What I learnt however, is that it’s a bidders market out there. You can negotiate the cost. I got two weeks free! There are also unique things associated with putting items in storage, not just how you pack them in there. If you are storing long term then you need to think about covering furniture with dust coverings, you’ll need mattress bags… there’s a whole host of things that need to be thought through. I found the staff at the facility I have chosen fantastic. It’s temperature controlled, 24hr access, alarm on unit and a lock and more dollies than you could ever need.
I also had to work out how big a space to get. The gentleman asked me how many boxes I had. I had no idea. We settled on a ten by eleven room. OMG!!!! When everything was in there my brother turned to me in utter amazement.. “Good grief Isolde but that was a perfect fit!” So I have learnt I have enough possessions to fill a ten by eleven room. I can honestly say that I did purge a good amount. So what is in that unit really – at this point in my life – is everything I have.
I think I am part of a new generation of single women with no children – who take up a lot more room in society!
