A life filled with children is a great adventure full of love and memories, but there are two days that shine a little brighter for many parents: The day they’re born and the day they finally move out. Whether your child started the transition gradually by going away to university first or just made the big move all at once, a home without kids takes some acclimating to. How much should you cook for dinner? Who’s going to take the garbage out? And, most importantly, what are you going to do with all that extra space? If you can’t answer this last one because your kids are gone, but their stuff isn’t, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Here are five reasons you should give their stuff an eviction notice:
1. Clutter = Stress
Forget “a messy house is a happy house;” a messy house is a chaotic house. When you have a home full of kids, it’s difficult to wrangle all the laundry, dishes, homework, sports equipment, and general mess that comes with the package. Now that yours are grown and gone, you can finally restore order to your home and life. That includes all of the stuff they managed to leave behind when they moved out. Declutter your house and destress your life.
2. You Don’t Need a “Shrine” Room
Many parents of adult children leave their childhood bedrooms the way they left it, complete with outdated posters on the wall and unwanted clothes in unused dressers. Take that square footage potential and do something for yourself with it. Whether you’ve always wanted a home office, gym, or hobby room, use that space to enrich your life. . . and maybe add a daybed for when your kids want to visit.
3. Your House Shouldn’t Be Their Junk Closet
While it’s normal to get sentimental about your kids’ belongings because it reminds you of them, that doesn’t mean you have to store their grade seven math book or that guitar they never learned to play. Ask your kids to go through their old stuff and donate or throw out anything they’re not overly attached to or need any longer.
4. It Will Help Them Become More Independent
Your kids may have technically moved out, but if they still have their old room and things to go back to whenever they want, they’re using you as a safety net. Obviously, it’s important for them to know they’ll always have a place in your home if they need it, but removing that rather large safety net gives them the push they need to work harder to make it on their own.
5. It’s Time to Downsize Your Home
A four-bedroom with two baths and a huge backyard made a lot of sense when you had children who needed their own rooms and a safe place to play, but is it really necessary when it’s just you on your own or you and your partner? Not only are you holding on to unused space, but you’re also holding on to unnecessary property taxes and upkeep expenses and efforts. Moving to a smaller home or retirement community will free up a large home for a young family—and other things you can do with your money.
Now you understand the possibilities of a truly empty nest, but your kids don’t have space for their old stuff and you don’t have the heart to throw it out. So, what do you do? Contact the storage professionals at Secure Self Storage for a safe, secure, climate-controlled home for their belongings that isn’t your home.