2.4 min Read Time

Have you ever driven around your neighborhood in the dead of winter and noticed how many people park their nice cars outside their 3-car garage?  What’s the garage full of that keeps them from parking in there?  I’ll tell you what’s in there!  Old junk their family no longer needs and bulk purchases from warehouse clubs!

Do you think you’re saving money by buying in bulk or jumping on Costco or Prime Day deals? It feels like a win—until your closets, garage, and spare rooms are overflowing with stuff you rarely (if ever) use. 😬 Here’s the truth: that “saved” money is costing you valuable space. Your real estate!

“According to Storable and SpareFoot’s survey, over half of Americans (54%) dedicate between 100 to 500 square feet for storage…. It can easily get out of control, and “one in 10 Americans cannot park in their garages at all due to excessive storage.” Your clutter isn’t just costing you valuable space — it’s costing you money, too. Storable estimated that, “with the current U.S. median home price hovering around $227 per square foot, a household dedicating 300 square feet to storage is effectively paying $68,000 in real estate value to house their belongings.” 

I don’t understand the logic behind buying, say, toilet paper or paper towels, in bulk so you can save a few bucks and then parking your $25,000 (or more!) car out in the elements.  Is the $5-$10 you save each year buying toilet paper in bulk worth displacing your nice car?  And who wants to scrape the ice off their car, especially if they don’t have to?

I have also had clients who have had to purchase storage, like shelving, to house all the bulk purchases that they saved money on.  I’m not sure the logic makes sense there either.

And then there’s the time that you have to spend managing your bulk purchases: driving further to get to a warehouse store, making room, reorganizing so the oldest stuff is consumed first…Oh, wait, you don’t rotate your perishables?  Pantry so deep you don’t know what’s back there?  Then you’re wasting money on OTC drugs, canned goods, and boxed items that have gone bad.  But, hey, you got a good deal, so…I’ve seen this at clients’ homes plenty of times.

Back to your time.  Your time is valuable, right?  Isn’t “more time” something we all wish for?  Why spend your free time finding places to stuff your paper towels or 10 cases of soda?  I’ve never heard anyone wishing for more paper towels. Reclaim your real estate today! Call us, we can help.

Are you a warehouse club shopper? Do you find yourself throwing away club items that have gone bad?