Has anyone had to rent a storage unit before?

[MineralMan]

16. Storage units are useful, but dangerous if you're in economic trouble.

Get paid up, but then go to your unit and realistically assess the value of the stuff you have stored. Often, people are paying a monthly rental on a unit that ends up being more over a year or two than the value of the stuff in that unit. Where's the sense in that? Realistic value means what equivalent stuff sells for used in places like Goodwill, not what you think it's worth. Furniture, especially, has little value when used, and is easy to replace.

If, after a realistic assessment of the value of the stuff, it doesn't really make sense to store it all, consider selling most of it at a sale at the site of the locker. Remove personal memory stuff and irreplaceable stuff into a small pile and find somewhere free to store it, with family or friends or some such. Box it up compactly and take it with you. Leave the rest or put it in the storage company's big dumpster.

If people really considered the actual monetary value of the stuff they have in storage and compared it to the cost of that storage, the storage business would fail quickly.

Finally, never store important papers, personal records, or any other items that contain essential personal data or information that could lead to identity theft in a storage unit you pay for. Find another place for it with someone you trust.