When my grandmother died unexpectedly, the last thing my mom felt ready to do was to make decisions about what she would keep and what she’d let go.
Perhaps, you rented a storage unit during a transition. Maybe it was a move, a death in the family, a divorce, or simply running out of room or you’ve held onto a storage inherited from a loved one you could never bring yourself to go through. You told yourself it would be temporary.
That was two years ago. Or five. Maybe longer.
You’re not alone. Storage is one of America’s fastest-growing industries but the question most people never ask themselves is this: Is what’s in that unit worth what I’ve been paying to store it?
At Silver Linings Transitions, we’re being called in to help clients who are stuck: the storage unit that nobody has opened in years, filled with items nobody has a plan for.
Here’s what we’ve learned and a few questions you can ask yourself.
How Much Have You Actually Spent?
Storage unit costs vary by size, location, and climate control, but they are a recurring monthly expense that adds up quietly in the background. According to Spacewise: Storage unit prices in San Diego range from $62 monthly for small 5×5 units to $566 for large 10×30 units, with an average cost of $147 for climate-controlled units.
Do the math on your own unit: monthly cost × months stored. For many families, the total surprises them.
The Questions Nobody Thinks to Ask
We’ve developed a short list of questions we walk clients through before we ever open a single box. See how many resonate:
What’s actually in there? Can you name the contents without looking? If not, you may be paying to store mystery boxes, a surprisingly common situation, especially after a hurried move.
How long has it been there? The longer belongings sit in storage, the more the emotional weight builds and the harder it becomes to revisit. What felt overwhelming to deal with two years ago doesn’t get easier with time. It just gets more expensive.
Did you keep an inventory? Most people don’t. That means the items may have significant value, or none, and there’s no way to know without opening boxes. We’ve helped clients discover pieces worth real money and items that weren’t worth the cost of another month’s storage.
Do you have photos? Documentation matters, especially for insurance and estate purposes. If you don’t have a visual record, you don’t really know what you own.
Are you saving items for family members and do THEY know? This one surprises people. A parent stores furniture for a child who has since furnished their own home and doesn’t want it. A grandchild’s “saved” items are things the grandchild never knew existed. These assumed generosity items were saved for people who were never asked. A simple conversation can free up an enormous amount of space, money, and guilt.
What are those items actually worth? Sentimental value and market value are two very different things. We can help you understand both, including connecting you with resources and third-party buyers when appropriate.
How is it stored? Was furniture wrapped? Are items in sealed bins or open boxes collecting dust and potentially moisture? Climate-controlled doesn’t mean immune to damage. How things are stored affects what they’re worth when you’re ready to move them.
Did you move in a hurry? Many storage units exist because a move happened fast and there wasn’t time to make thoughtful decisions about what to keep. If that’s your situation, a professional sort-through isn’t a judgment. It’s just finishing what you started. It’s also a great reason to work with the Silver Linings Transitions team while making a move. We can help you make thoughtful decisions so storage can often be avoided.
Struggling with decisions? I find many of our clients use storage as a deferred decision which almost always means “someday” may never happen. Storage is often the equivalent of throwing money away. (I find decision paralysis is especially common with our clients who are stressed due to a move, have lost a parent or may struggle with executive functioning challenges like ADHD.)
What We Can Help You Do
Silver Linings Transitions offers a service designed specifically for storage unit situations. We can:
- Open and assess the contents of your unit
- Identify items of potential value and connect you with appropriate buyers or consignment resources
- Coordinate shipping of items to family members who actually want them
- Photograph and inventory storage contents
- Arrange donations for items with more heart than market value
- Help you stop paying for something that’s costing more than it’s worth
You don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to do it all at once. We can help you make a plan that’s paced and manageable.
Ready to Find Out What’s in There?
If you’ve been paying for a storage unit you haven’t visited in a while, this might be the season to revisit it thoughtfully, with support, and with a clear picture of what you have and what it could be worth.
We’d love to help. Reach out and let’s start with a conversation.
📞 760 522-1624 🌐 www.SilverLiningsTransitions.com