A Comprehensive Guide to Seniors Self-Storage: Why Self-Storage Is a Great Idea for Retirees

A Comprehensive Guide to Seniors Self-Storage: Why Self-Storage Is a Great Idea for Retirees

Retirement is a time of great change. Arguably, this is the biggest professional change in anyone’s life since entering the workforce. Now, after decades of toil and sacrifice, seniors have the chance to do what they please with their time. No more 40+ hour weeks draining their time and energy. No more planning two weeks in the summer sun six months in advance. No more missed opportunities.

Now, they finally have time. Space to breathe. Decide what’s important. The opportunity to declutter and simplify. Make plans that won’t be broken by work commitments out of their control. It’s time to spread their wings. To travel if they want. Move from an expansive, home with living areas and bedrooms that are seldom occupied. Focus on what’s important.

For some retirees, time means an opportunity to optimise their fitness and well-being. Make their home a haven by labouring to beautify the garden. Lighting the barbecue and searing that perfect ribeye. It means that they finally have the time to paint verdant landscapes or while away the afternoon reading “The Brothers Karamazov” or the latest Jack Reacher paperback.

It’s also a chance to optimise their lives. And happiness begins at home. Is it any surprise that retirees focus on their home lives? Believe it or not, self-storage is a great idea for retirees, helping to make their lives even more comfortable.

Below are a handful of reasons why self-storage and senior living go hand in hand.

Downsizing to a smaller home

There are several life changes characteristic of retirement. One places more emphasis on enjoying life and doing what you enjoy, free of the constraints of time. Another is spending more time with loved ones. Yet another is the commonality of downsizing.

The older you get, the less most of us need or want an expansive living space. The extra bedrooms where children once slept are unnecessary. The vast storage areas that were once paramount to the family now seem burdensome. Costly monthly bills can become a financial millstone around retirees’ necks.

It’s not surprising that many retirees choose to downsize to a smaller home. But then there’s the question of what to do with treasured possessions—those little things that have so many memories attached to them.

Should they be discarded or tossed away? Well, you don’t need to be filled with nostalgia to realise that throwing possessions that mean so much away might not be the best idea. Without that familiar decal, seasonal decorations, or duvet, retirees may feel robbed of precious memories. What’s the solution? Put what you don’t need but don’t want to part with into self-storage. This way, you’ll be able to maximise the comfort of your new (or existing) home while holding onto important memories.

Furniture that you no longer want or need

Retirement doesn’t have to mean that you’ll be spending an inordinate amount of time on the couch, iPad in hand, or completing The Guardian crossword puzzle. But it does mean that the time has come for you to be comfortable. This means it might be time to upgrade that tired, tatty armchair or sofa. It could also mean that the dining room set, desk, dressing table, or chest of drawers you’ve been holding onto for decades might need a new home.

Self-storage allows retirees to thoughtfully review these possessions before deciding what they’d like to keep and what’s heading for the auction or tip. You don’t need to make any decisions that you’re not ready to make. All you need to do is consider what you 100% want to keep, and if you’re short on space, move those furniture items to a self-storage unit.

So, what does this look like in reality? Well, let’s say that you have a spare bedroom. One that guests have used for years. But now that you’re retired and your children have flown the nest, you might want to turn the bedroom into a home gym, art studio, or cinema room. But if you want to keep the furniture you have for practical or sentimental reasons, what’s stopping you from putting it into self-storage until you decide what you want to do with it long-term?

If you’re unsure what furniture to put into self-storage, remember that bulky, seldom-used items like spare beds or even that grand piano can slowly be moved into storage. Are we saying that you need to completely feng shui your home or focus your interior on minimal living in retirement? No. However, what we are saying is that too much furniture is cumbersome and unnecessary, making a home feel cluttered and uncomfortable for many in retirement. The best solution is to optimise the space for what you need and what is comfortable.

Securing treasured possessions like heirlooms and other valuables

Many of us want to keep our treasured possessions close by. But will this keep them safe and secure? Free from damage? Immune from theft? Not necessarily. You might be better off putting them in self-storage.

According to the Office of Justice Programmes, elderly people are disproportionately victimised for burglary. Now, we’re not saying that retirees are elderly or that they should automatically safeguard themselves from being a victim of a crime by putting their belongings into self-storage.

But what we’re saying is that if you have treasured possessions, like family heirlooms and other valuables, keeping them secure in a self-storage facility will give you peace of mind that they’re secure in the unfortunate event of theft.

Document and file storage

It’s not a stretch to think that seniors have more essential paperwork in the home than the younger generations. Property title deeds. Vehicle transaction documents. Energy performance certificates. Last Will and Testaments, and more. In fact, many seniors have an organised filing system that documents key aspects of their lives.

Why? Well, simply put, seniors missed the digital revolution and are often more comfortable with paperwork than digital portals, passwords, and usernames. It’s what they’re used to, right?

Vast paperwork really needs a dedicated storage space to keep it organised and accessible. Seniors short on home square footage may greatly benefit from using self-storage to store their lifelong paperwork.

The same can be said for photographs. Though they may not be part of the Instagram generation, seniors still have old photographs from their wedding day, special occasions, childhood memories, holidays, and so much more. In some cases, seniors have tens of albums of treasured memories, marking a lifetime of experiences.

Now, sure, these can be crammed into storage spaces in the home and forgotten until they’re accidentally stumbled upon. But organised seniors might consider keeping a small collection of photographs that tell stories of their treasured memories. Then put the rest into climate-controlled storage, where they can be preserved for as long as needed.

Conveniently located units

There’s little doubt that self-storage is a great idea for retirees. But there’s one consideration that’s important to consider, and that is locational proximity. Most retirees probably don’t want to travel for 45 minutes to an hour in a car to a facility. This isn’t something that’s exclusive to retirees either. Most people want a conveniently located storage facility. This means choosing a conveniently located self-storage facility is paramount.

Thankfully, there are more self-storage facilities in the UK today than ever before. EASS has units and facilities dotted across the northwest, easily accessible from main roads. Our Stockport facility is located just off Junction 25 of the M60. Our Manchester facility is located in Trafford Park, opposite the Trafford Centre.

Whether you’d like access to your storage unit every week, once a month, or once in a blue moon, EASS’s conveniently located premises mean that you won’t have to get behind the wheel for hours at a time to access your possessions.

Choosing the right self-storage facility

As you can see, there are several reasons why self-storage the perfect spatial and emotional wellness solution for retirees. Whether you’ve downsized your home to a smaller property, need to create a more homely, organised environment, or even need to safeguard your treasured possessions, choose self-storage.

Don’t also forget that customer-centric self-storage facilities like EASS also offer a range of services. You may not want to start a new business venture, instead choosing to enjoy the freedom of your twilight years, but what’s stopping you from storing that Aston Martin DB5, Bentley S2, your seasonal gardening equipment, easel, and arts supplies in self-storage?

Make your retirement life easier with self-storage.

Sources:

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/overview-elderly-victimization#:~:text=Contrary%20to%20popular%20belief%2C%20the,frequently%20committted%20against%20the%20elderly.