By Tina Gleisner
We're lucky to have an attic, a space to store things like lots of stuff – old furniture we're not willing to part with, boxes of clothes and children's artwork, holiday decorations and so much more. However, we often forget what we've put away and one day, we go looking for something in the attic and give up after an hour because there's too much stuff. We've packed away so many boxes without labeling them and we don't have the time or patience to find what we're looking for.
What's worth storing in your attic (basement or garage)? How could you keep track of what's stored so you can find it when you need it?
Attic Decorating in Your 20s
It's exciting when you get your first apartment, your very own space! You might have a roommate to negotiate with but there aren't any parents to worry about when you finally get to discover your unique style of decorating. In our consumer driven economy, you might think it's time to head to the stores to find the perfect pieces for your new home. Don't!
Your first stop when shopping for furniture and other home furnishings should be your parents' attic, or maybe a close relative, good friend, etc. Don't be afraid to ask people if they've got items looking for a new home as older folks (myself included) get to a point where we recognize it's time to simplify our lives and that includes getting rid of stuff.
Kids Need Lots of Stuff
You will feel overwhelmed with all the baby clothes and that's nothing compared to what you'll accumulate over the next 20 years. Now is when you need to learn to sort before you store things. It's easier to save all the baby clothes but you probably only used half of them, so give the others away now to save time and space.
Tips for sorting:
Only save the clothes you used, the colors you like (I hated the dull colors for little boys) and no more than 2 weeks or what fits your laundry cycle as we tend to wear our favorites and ignore the rest or …
Give yourself a storage budget like those great boxes that hold 10 reams of paper and the tops are easy to take off and put back on.
Label every box before putting in the attic, i.e. girls clothing, 12 to 24 months (you don't know the sex of your next child). Store all the children's clothes together, keeping labels visible to make your search quick.
Only save a few toys, i.e. ones you'll want to take out when the grand children come to visit. Before Christmas, I had each of my boys pack up a box of toys for their cousins … so there would be room for new toys!
New Homeowners in Your 30s
You'll buy new/more shower curtains and new towels for your master bathroom when you are furnishing your first apartment. You'll want to run out and buy furniture for the living/family room, dining room and more before you host your first party but … it's not the best strategy for creating your dream home – you need time to feel the house, learn where you're spending the most time and what you're doing in each room.
Empty Nesters, Memories & Clearing the Attic
Are you smiling? Have you started day dreaming about things you've lost in your attic for years? Do you now have free time and wondering how to spend that time? Your project is to clear out your attic so your kids don't have to do it for you.
Take your time and enjoy the memories, and consider creating new memories for your loved ones. Remember they are each unique with different interest so they'll love one box of momentous but very few will want more than that.
Tina Gleisner, founder of the Association of Women Home Owners connects homeowners with concepts, terminology and advice to build homes that support today's lifestyles. Through the library and directory at www.HomeTips4Women.com, you can LEARN more about how to maintain and repair your home and more.
