At some point in our lives, we are all going to inherit items from our parents. Furniture, family heirlooms, and more. At Smart Self Storage, we are here to help. Self storage can be a great temporary solution until you determine what you want to do in the long term.

My Experience With Inherited Items

I recently returned on a little hiatus from the real world.  I went on a cross country road trip with my fiancé.  It was really more than a road trip, but a little journey of self discovery.  Self storage truly helped make that possible.  If we didn't have a place to store our furniture, kitchen appliances, and all the other things that made our house a home, we would have felt as if there was nothing to come back to.  It was comforting knowing that we did in fact, have a place to come home to, and to also know that our things were safe.

During the trip, I had a very close family member fall ill.  We were lucky enough to be within a day's drive to her bedside, and she thankfully came out of the illness and has since made a nearly full recovery.  However, her brush with the other side really woke up that part of my memory that had hidden away the pain of losing a loved one. 

It's hard enough having to say goodbye, but it's even harder when you're surrounded by their possessions, all just little reminders of that special person's existence… and how it is no more.

Years ago, my grandfather passed away.  I was not particularly close with him, but it was difficult watching my mother and my aunts go through that processes. 

I remember cleaning out my grandpa's garage after he had passed.  He had accumulated a lot of items, there's no question about it.  There were rows and rows of shelves, packed, overflowing, with things that he believed to be treasures.  You could barely walk through his garage; floor to ceiling, the place was packed.  He saved everything, and he bought everything.  There were things from the seventies that still were in plastic.  Not necessarily collectibles, just things.  Encyclopedias, gardening supplies, batteries, clothes, old newspapers, you name it, he probably had it in the garage.

However, not everything in there was junk.  He had a beautiful old piano, and some equally beautifully hand crafted furniture.  After his passing, time was of the essence.  The house would soon have to be cleared as it had sold very quickly.  There was much to be done in a very short amount of time.  So, instead of throwing everything out, my family rented a storage unit for a few months to put some of the more meaningful items of their father's away until they had time to figure out where it would go.

It wasn't hard to get rid of the old newspapers and seemingly random tidbits, but the piano, family pictures, the hand made furniture, all of those things needed to stay with us, with the family.  But until my family sorted out who got what, we had to keep those things safe.  Self storage was the answer.

We only needed the unit for three months, but it served its purpose in that short amount of time.  The stress of clearing out his house, and of sorting out his will, was enough of a headache for any family.  The time pressures only added to the stress.  Having a short term place to stow away his belongings helped everyone keep their stress levels from reaching maximum capacity.

Presently, returning to my now recovered family member, we are unsure of how much time remains for this one particular family member.  She may have months, she may have years, she may have minutes.  But being prepared and having a back up plan, like renting a storage unit if needed, helps relieve some of the stress of caring for and being responsible for elderly family members.

What You Can Do

If you find yourself in the sudden position of inheriting some things, but don't know where to put them, self storage is a great place to turn.  You can use it short term, until you find a proper home, or you can keep it as long as you like if it's something that you would really rather not let pass on.

You don't have to do much planning ahead to secure a unit with self storage.  Self storage can rent out units with very short notice.  The staff is eager to help you, and are all very friendly people who really listen.  They understand what you're going through, just like so many have done before. 

If you find yourself in this position, where you have suddenly inherited some items, be sure to look at our size guide to help you figure out the best floor plan for your needs.  Not all locations have the same availability of floor plans, and availability does change from location to location.  Call or email now to be in touch with one of our friendly staff who can help you rent a unit from us. 

Today's blog post is a guest post by Michelle. Michelle is a self-storage enthusiast and freelance writer who enjoys traveling the world. An expert at getting the most out of the self-storage experience, please check back regularly for more about Michelle's adventure and how self-storage helped her dream of travel come true.