About seven years ago my wife was complaining that I had too many tools in our 3 car garage and I have a construction business so I do need some tools. She kept hounding me to put some of them in a storage facility and I resisted but finally agreed to shut her up. A few years later I got rid of the wife and recently remarried and built a new house with a spare garage just for the tools. Well, in getting ready to clear out the storage building I realized I had not used hardly any of those tools or equipment the whole time they have been in storage. So I sold the tools at fire sale prices to my sub contractor friends just to stop paying storage fees and I didn't have time or want to mess with Craigslist or Facebook market to get better prices. The seven years of storage cost me about 5 or 6 grand and the money I got for the tools was way way less than that! So much less that I'm embarrassed to say. I knew I was wasting money every month on storage but kept doing it but at least it's over now and my new garage won't be so packed with stuff.

Americans have FAR, FAR too much stuff...Here in Central Florida, the biggest commercial building boom is self-storage units... Some are THREE stories high. The local auction here is loaded weekly with "junk" from estate sales.

When we moved from Tennessee, we had three yard sales. I also gave truckloads of stuff to Habitat for Humanity. Sent dozens of guns to auction. Sold three vehicles, and sent almost all furniture to auction.

I still brought two UHauls worth of stuff down here, half of it I haven't seen in four years since we packed it to the ceiling in our new storage building here.

Did I say Americans have too much stuff?

For now...

"Stuff" has a way of accumulating to fill available space.

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"I also cook."

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I've been working at getting rid of stuff, one .22 shell at a time.

I think I have written this before but something that has amazed me since moving to suburbia is all the homes in my neighborhood with two and three car garages with multiple cars parked in their driveways and garages chock full of stuff.

When my wife and I got married she sold her 3 bedroom house. We thought we’d furnish my house with some of her stuff and some of mine. It was 2 yrs worth. Of back n forth to storage unit. We eventually sold most of her stuff AND mine. Basically bought all new stuff and repainted whole house. Also replaced flooring in bathrooms. Wanted her to feel at home.

Storage facilities make sense during transitional life periods, but not much else. We used a few units, both climate controlled and not climate controlled, during the process of selling a house, renting an apartment, and remodeling our current house ten years ago. Outside of similar events, like managing an estate disbursement, rarely does the value of the items stored exceed the cost paid to store them over an extended period. If the items are valuable, the poor security at most facilities make it a bad idea anyway.

Forgive me, because I've said this before here.
In 1987, after our German exchange student had been here about three months, he made a keen observation:
"You Americans are very peculiar; you have $40,000 worth of cars in the driveway and $3,000 worth of junk in the garage."

$40k ?????????? I wish that was still the number

This all sounds so close to home for us, too. We have furniture had to be taken apart to get out of the house and into the storage shed. "Take pictures and sell the stuff."

They want about half the money recognized when they sell it. Family heirlooms and such given to me by my Dad. It's almost bleeding me to keep it.

One has four long piano hinges with lots of screws for four see-through doors. It would take two strong people to put that together for pics, then secure it to the bottom. Would have to take it apart to get it back inside the controlled storage shed. Do we need a section called, "Stuff for sale"?

My thought on storage facilities is this: if you have something you need to store because you don't have a spot to keep it, build the spot or get rid of the thing you want to store. The storage fees add up and you could have spent that money on a place to keep what it was you wanted to store. And it you do store something in a rental place, sell it if you haven't used it in 3 months, because the rental fees will be more than the thing was worth in a year, just go buy another one.

I can relate 100% with the OP. In 2005 ma-in-law#1 moved into an assisted living. Her bedroom set and some of her furniture went with her, but a living room set came to late wife#1 and me. Fast forward three years, and Ma passes. We cleared her assisted living and it all went into large storage area.

There it sat until 2014. Until wife#1 (2011) and her sister (2014) passed I wasn't allowed to touch it. After wife#1 passed I pestered her sister to review the stuff in storage so at least I could downsize. This sad look came every time I mentioned it. Talk about 'Pack your bags, Steve, you're going on a guilt trip.' When SIL passed, I made it clear to the remaining nieces and nephews that they needed to come see and take what they wanted, because the rest was going to charity. The mistake I made was not saying the same for the living room set. That went in 2016 when I moved.

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Release the Kraken

That was 37 years ago (Gasp!!!)
If you like, you can make it $75,000 in the driveway for today.
But ... still only $3,000 junk in the garage.

when my son had his new house built he had a four car garage put in. He had two cars but three kids. Now all three of the kids have a car with only one moved out of the house. So four cars but only room in garage for two.

Sounds like something George Carlin would say.

My aunt and uncle who recently passed away were married for 63 years. My cousins are really having a time clearing out the house. I'm trying to shake down my house but it just seems so hard to get rid of anything.

The wife and I recently did the same. Her family’s antiques went into storage with no plan to ever bring them back into use. Also no plan to sell them to try and recoup some storage fees. Finally, after way too many years, the specter of “fixed income” forced just giving it to charity. Hopefully the sale price will help some one.

I reckon we will shortly put at least one dinner set up for auction. We are overrun with the damned things, and my idea of entertaining is taking people out to my favorite Mexican restaurant. Sure, after auction fees you don't make much, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

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Release the Kraken

Well, we can take the write off on taxes (maybe…)

After my divorce in 2016-18 I took my big wood working tools to my daughter’s house. Probably not a chance I will ever use them again. I’ve moved into a condo with little storage. I have some stuff in a 4x5 cage here. I took my breakfast nook and use it for tools and work bench area. I’ve learned to live the minimalist life. When someone says I need to make a dump run, I say I’m good. Except those darn guns keep coming and cluttering up things.

...and giving us trouble I priced a 3' x 5' closet at the storage facility to keep my guns in. $40/month. I bought a safe instead.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I've recently been thinking about putting most of my "stuff" in a storage locker. After a year - if it's still there - and I haven't needed it - then getting rid of it.

My garages are for cars. Helps keep the hoarding down, and the thieves at bay.

Cars in the driveway are prime hunting grounds for middle of the night shoppers. A couple years ago one of the folks here reported that their F150 was stolen right out of the driveway and even posted a video.
The car was abandoned about 200 yards away minus their car keys, cell phones and handgun They parked the car in the driveway unlocked.
Guess which age group they belong to.

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Just another brick in the wall

Other than for short term..... storage facilities are a joke! Too many people get one, fill it, then never ever use what's in it! They pay every month and by the time they wake up and realize they have wasted their money, they also realize the money they spent on useless rent could have replaced what's in the unit quite a few times over! When they pass away, the kids either throw everything in a dumpster or just let the storage facility break the lock and auction it off for lack of rent money.

I have known so many that have fallen into this trap! I have also given this speech to many - some listen, most don't!

What ever you don't use within a 6 month time frame - sell, give away or throw out! Save the senseless storage money and buy a few of the items you got rid of, if and when you ever need them. You more than likely won't if its in a storage facility!

AGAIN, short term is a different situation.

In the general area I live in storage facilitates are common.

I live rural on a large lake and we have many flatlanders buying camps and vacation property.

What happens in many property sales is they normally go with furniture and most everything needed except food to run a house/camp. So as time goes by and people change items there is a double of many things. Amazing the need for storage. Its a vicious cycle!

When we originally bought our then camp property (1985) we got a lot of stuff. Basically all the camp needed was our own bed sheets/blankets and personal items and food. The two car garage hardly had walking room. Plenty of things stored there. That included enough electrical items to totally rewire the camp and most anything necessary to maintain the property Also found close to 800 rounds of .38 ammo high on a closet shelf. Man I bought the camp from was now 92 and a retired NYC police LT.

I had a 8' box pick up and a large trailer I brought much of the stuff I did not need down to the city area and sold them. Much of it went to a antique dealer that was a union brother of mine. (Fair prices) I of course kept the ammo and what I solid was close to $5,000. A little work and a decent return on my labor. No storage fees!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

As for me, if I don't use a thing for 3 months, I won't need it anymore. Self-storage facilities are indeed convenient, but only if used correctly. I mean, if you don't clutter them with unnecessary stuff, they can be a real asset. I prefer to check the facility from time to time to ensure I'm only storing what I truly need. That's why I find implementing self-storage management tools so valuable—they help me keep track of what's stored and make it easier to manage the space efficiently. It's all about using the storage wisely to avoid the kind of situation you described.