When you retire, you’ll often find you see a change in lifestyle. Your priorities can change, and so can your pace of life.
A lot of people will find that they are looking to simplify things, maybe travel more or spend more time with their family. Living space will also change as a result.
You might not have thought about it, but self storage is a great way to enhance the freedom and flexibility that comes with this part of life. So in this post we’ll take you through some of the ways that self storage can be a helpful resource when you’ve reached retirement.
Adapting Your Living Space
Throughout the years that have led up to this point, you’ve likely accumulated lots of “stuff” – furniture, tools, clothes, home office equipment – all things that take up space in your house. You might be looking to create a bit more breathing space and there may be a portion of these items that are no longer needed on a day to day basis like they once were.
You might now spend more time in some rooms than others and want to switch up the layout of these rooms accordingly. The chances are you’ll find reasons why you need to hang on to all of these things, and that can make it difficult to make the changes you want to make.
Self storage is a great way of moving this stuff out of the house, while also keeping hold of it so you don’t have to deal with the difficult decisions of what to keep and what to get rid of. It gives you the time to see what’s really needed, and whether you miss any of your old items.
Lots of retirees appreciate having space to adapt their lifestyle at their own pace, while making sure that things are secure and accessible if needed.
Family Life
Now that you have more time on your hands, you might want to be spending it with your friends and family. For most people, the spare room can become a dumping ground for everything you haven’t found a home for yet, and this can make it difficult when having visitors over to stay.
Your storage unit can be a great place to move these items into for a week or so while your visitors stay, so you don’t have to worry about squeezing them in along with all your other belongings.
Downsizing
Downsizing is probably the number one reason retirees start looking for self storage. If your family has moved on to homes of their own you might find yourself in a space that’s much bigger than you need, and make the decision to move to a smaller property.
But this often comes with a lot of difficult decisions about what items you take with you and where you are going to place them in your new home.
You might need time to decide what furniture to take with you, what ornaments and decorations are going to be suitable for you new place.
With self storage the process is much smoother, not only do you not have to face the difficult decisions straight away, but it can actually make the process of moving much simpler. You don’t have to move everything all at once, you can slowly work through the process over a longer period of time – giving you more flexibility and taking a lot of the pressure off in what is generally quite a stressful time.
New Hobbies
With your newfound freedom you might find yourself wanting to take up new hobbies or activities, and this often means new equipment.
Whether it’s fishing, gardening, camping, or a new sport, you might find yourself needing some more space to accommodate the equipment for it.
Self storage can be used to store the equipment allowing you easy access when you need it. Alternatively if you wanted to create more space at home for your hobby – e.g. a studio or workshop, self storage can be a great way to hold the stuff that you clear out to do so.
Seasonal Living
Once they have retired, a lot of people look to split their time in different locations throughout the year, perhaps moving to a warmer climate in the winter months and coming back for the summer. Many also relocate entirely but like to keep a certain level of connection with home, having some space for items when they return.
For these people, self storage is the perfect way to find balance. Being able to put your items into a secure storage facility gives you peace of mind that things are looked after while you are away, and provides you with easy access to your items as soon as you return.
Protecting Valuables
Over the years you will have likely gathered a number of heirlooms, keepsakes and other valuables that you don’t want to get rid of, but you aren’t able to part with.
Not only does putting them in self storage mean that they aren’t taking up space on a day to day basis, but it also ensures that they are kept in good condition, safe from temperature changes and humidity, which can damage items over time if left unchecked.
Working With You
Self storage gives you the flexibility to live retirement the way you want to. You’ve worked hard to get here, now it’s time to take the stress off.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how we can help then make sure to get in touch with our friendly team or get your storage quote now.
