What do you actually need storage for?

[BalthazarsAThirstyBitch]

After having to deal with a couple of bereavements and associated house clearances in the past couple of years I’m determined to cut down on the amount of shit we have in our new house.
We’ve got a garage for garden toys furniture tools.
We’ve got the Christmas stuff in the loft but I want to keep it free of crap....so, we’re starting to think about inbuilt storage and buying furniture this year but I’m questioning what storage I actually need vs all the lovely things I want to buy but can’t afford and aren’t necessary.
Or am I just kidding myself and this house will look like The Junk Lady’s from Labyrinth eventually?

I do the Marie Kondo method (Konmari).

You declutter as much as possible, before you even look at storage.

Think carefully were what you keep needs to be. As in, do you really need it to hand etc.

Then it's better to buy the storage that you need, rather than try to save on it.

I second the KonMarie method :)

buy as little storage as you can.

Definitely go through what you want or need to keep before buying storage.

Coats and outdoor shoes are my biggest issue. If you live in a cold wet climate it's a big thing in itself.

We need storage for the 14 gazillion tractors, cars, diggers, trucks, trains and planes that various kind relatives have supplied for DS. And the Lego. And the Mega Blox. And the dolls house furniture (the house has been relegated to the garage until we put up a shed for it and a fair few other bits!). I could go on...

I have to say that sorting the storage out has been a game changer though - come bedtime everything is hidden neatly away and we can properly relax in an adult space. (No spare space in our house for any form of playroom). It's great.

I have loads and loads of storage places and storage furniture. And I have a shit load of junk which is bearing down on me. If I could have my time again, I would have a house with minimal storage and never buy a piece of furniture with in built storage ever again.

Definitely less is more!

De clutter declutter declutter. More storage you have the more crap you keep.

What exactly are you trying to store? If your house isn't very big the best thing is to reduce stuff. Also make sure everything essential has a home, spaces like cupboards under stairs have useful shelves and hooks, good coathooks etc.

Do you mean things like bookcases?

Thanks for the replies so far.

What am I trying to store?
I’m not sure, but people (my mum) keep going on about storage storage storage and I feel I’m missing something?

We’ve got a load of toys as we’ve young children. so have the obligatory Kallax, but I guess I want minimal adult stuff?
I think I’m trying to see if I’ve forgotten anything obvious apart from bedding, clothes, towels, books.. kitchen stuff is a bit different and we’ll have no money to sort that for at least 5 years.

I think not buying storage is key, if it’s not there I can’t fill it!
We declutterd massively when moving at least and I got rid of all baby stuff as we’re done and loads of old clothes etc but if I’m being honest I’m sure there is more I can charity shop.

We moved house twice in 6 months, utterly amazing to declutter

I need storage because DH won't bloody dump anything

Best thing is not to buy storage if you don't need it.

RadomMess, I feel like you’re just mocking me with your name

Actually my husbands onboard with not accumulating too much and keeping the loft free but some people are so shocked I’m having my doubts.
Still we’ll see how we get on, we can only spend a little at a time so will hopefully get storage to suit and try not to get carried away with stuff over the years! It’ll be better for our bank balance, the environment and most importantly the poor sods who have to clear up our home when we pop our clogs.

We need loads of storage and I can't see how anyone wouldn't.
family of four:
Coats, hats, scarves, gloves, waterproofs, wellies
Sports kit, trainers, hockey sticks, tennis racquets, swimwear etc
Camping gear. I hate camping but DC need sleeping rolls, 3 & 4 season sleeping bags tents, hiking boots etc for D of E and CCF
Towels and bedlinen
school work - crates of files and books for GCSEs and A levels
Banking and house maintenance
Garden furniture, BBQ
Vacuum, mop, brooms and brushes, feather dusters and cleaning stuff
candles, shoe cleaning kit, washing detergent
Christmads and Haolloween decs and lights
Spare vases, dinner party glasses and serving dishes
Pans, colander, salad spinner, blender, bread maker, icecream maker, cafetiers. (All these are bulky but all get used often enough to not be tossed.
Bikes
House maintenance stuff like paint, lawn mower, tools etc
DC have outgrown toys
We also love books and DH loves CDs not streaming but I don't count those as they are not necessities. We could have kindles and i-pods instead.

All this stuff is necessary imo and takes up so much space. Does MariKon have kids or a husband or a life?

Yes you have to declutter at least twice and then look at what needs a home. If you can't find one then you look at more storage.

If you buy storage (shelves, boxes, drawers etc) before then, it will get filled with stuff that will need decluttering again.

It refers to my state of mind tbh!!!

Yeah when the become teens and have equipment required interests it's a pain i guess your best hope is that move out whilst still relatively young and take it with them!

Some things to bear in mind:

Reduce spares down to what you need. If bedding is washed and dried in a day do you even need spares for example?

I got rid of a lot of kitchen stuff before we fitted the kitchen. So many things I just didn't use enough to justify keeping them.

We seem to keep loads of ‘memorabilia’, we are probably very old fashioned but we have loads of photo albums, lots of ‘family’ bits & pieces, silver ( that we never use), photos, photos and more photos, a family tree dating back 400 years - yes, wonderful to have but no one really ever looks at it.

I have just forced myself to throw out 100s of love letters (not from my DH ) that I’ve kept for 40 years. I am now going through all my teenage diaries and chucking them out, would be so embarrassed at the thought of anyone else reading them.

We have just have too much ‘stuff’ we have a 5 bedroom house & double garage, and don’t even keep the cars in the garage.

It is quite liberating to really de-clutter.

I said goodbye to the cafetiere about 15 years ago. I liked using it for guests but it could go months without being used. When I dumped a stale, half-used bag of coffee I really knew I should send the pot it to the charity shop. About a year later I finally did.

I miss it on occasions but I like the space I have made (through this and lots of other small deletions) more.

Since then I've bought a teapot I use weekly, sometimes daily if I've run out of tea bags! It sits in pride of place because I'm not truly minimalist. Just trying to be choosier.

Trainers and outdoor clothes in this house.
It looks like the Nike and Trespass
warehouse downstairs .

I have letters from my teenage years in the loft, kids cot, a few other random things. Personally I think seeing as I am paying mortgage on home, every part of it can make itself useful, I like knowing there is stuff in the loft. I moved house far too often as a child so I know I am rebelling against that/reacting- but I don't care.

I’ve got a cafetière, (can’t remember when I last used it, I did have two different sizes but got rid of one), a Nespresso, three individual coffee filters, a china coffee jug, numerous different types of coffee, different mugs/cups for coffee ..... I think I have a coffee problem .

Another vote for KonMarie method.

Decluttet- properly declutter- then store what you have left well- nearly and accessibly.

Then seriously consider each and every new thing you bring into your home from that point onwards.

If you love coffee you need a coffee shelf maybe, otherwise get rid!😉