I don’t know about you but I would be in trouble without a storage shed in my backyard.  I have tried storing stuff in the neighbors garage, when I didn’t have one; storing things in my garage, when I had one and finding the vehicles parked in the driveway because there is no more room; storing our treasured belongings in one of those pay-per-month storage bins that you have to arrange your time around to get in and out.

In other words, I have tried every kind of storage solution there is and I can say without a doubt that having a storage shed in the backyard at your disposal 100% of the time is the best solution possible.  You may look at a storage unit as a place to throw all your camping gear, lawn equipment, heirlooms you want to keep but not necessarily see everyday and numerous other items under the sun.

What I have found my shed to be is a holding place for things I don’t know if I still need or not.  For example; my mother gave my wife and I about 15 boxes of books 3 years ago.  She purged her overflowing library and gave the books to me.  Now I have this gift of 15 boxes of books with no where to put them all.  My wife and I went through them and picked out what we thought we would read, about 2 boxes worth, and put them on our bookshelves.  To do so, we had to pack up a box of books that were taking up space to make the needed room.

We then had 14 boxes of books stacked in storage until a friend had a garage sale last spring and I drug all the books out hoping they would all sell.  Two days later, 12 boxes came back to the shed.  Then I read that the local library takes used books in good condition as donations to sell at their annual book sale so this past weekend I got the books and donated them to the library!  But that wasn’t all I did.

While I was going through all the precious items from the past I decided that anything I had not touched or used in the last 2 years, with the exception of tools, because you can never have enough tools, I tossed in the back of the truck to take to Goodwill Industries.  They got a TV, a dehumidifier, a fan, 7 bags of old clothes that we thought we would use again, knickknacks, a fax machine and a couple of things that I have no idea what they are.  All in all, over $1,000 worth of donations for a tax write-off for things I have not touched within the last 2 years.

I lightened the load in the shed that I can now walk through it form front to back, see what’s on the shelves again, organize the tools back to the way they should have stayed and found a bicycle that I hadn’t ridden in 5 years and gave it to the neighbors grandson.  I did all of this throughout a hot June day, at my own speed, with a fan blowing and a beer by my side.

It was a great day to work in the storage shed and shed all the things that we don’t use anymore.  I also shed a few pounds as well and there’s nothing wrong with that!

If you’re looking for a storage solution to fit your lifestyle and have room in your backyard, I highly recommend it.  There are some great shed kits available as well as plans for the industrious do-it-yourselfer.  The prices vary as they come in plastic, metal, aluminum and wood and are well worth the effort and last for many years for your storing pleasure.