Declutter Your Life: Let Others Be Your Storage Solution for Replaceable Items
In the process of clearing out old electronics and other household items, I’ve had to some realiations about the costs of holding on to non-essential things. Take, for instance, a set of Panasonic cordless phones I bought back in 2012 when my wife and I moved into our first flat. Although they saw occasional use, the necessity for a landline has long since faded. Despite having no emotional attachment to these phones, I kept them “just in case.”
What I failed to consider was the cost of holding onto such items. With limited storage space, no expansive attic or garage, every square foot counts. At one point, I even contemplated renting a storage unit to keep all the “just in case” items. However, at £45 a month for a 20-square-foot locker, it quickly became apparent how impractical this was. Many items could easily be replaced for less than the cost of storing them, even over just a few months.
The arrival of our second child made this even clearer as our living space became more cramped. I decided to sell the phones and other unused items on eBay, and I was surprised to over a hundred identical phones available. If I ever needed one again, buying a second-hand replacement would be easy and likely cheaper, considering the item’s value depreciates over time. The only real cost involved would be postage.
This experience reminded me of data archival solutions like Amazon S3, where storage costs are minimal compared to data transfer fees. Similarly, platforms like eBay serve as a kind of “archival storage” for replaceable, non-unique items. Once you no longer need something, sell (or donate) it. If you ever need it again, chances are you’ll find it available for purchase.
Of course, items with sentimental value or limited availability deserve more careful consideration. But for everything else, it’s simply not worth the space they occupy. Letting other people store your replaceable items, through resale, can be a liberating and cost-effective strategy.
