Christmas and New Year’s Eve and Day are incredible times of the year. Usually, they’re excellent chances to celebrate and create a strategy to ensure your January kicks off with a bang. Of course, what you never consider during the festive season is your storage space. You don’t have enough of it now and there is only going to be more clutter after the 25th. It’s not like you can cancel Christmas, but you can’t add more space either.
Don’t worry if you’re fretting about losing your house to a mountain of presents and decorations. Instead, check out the nifty hacks below.
Throw It Away
You’re not a hoarder, yet you also don’t like to throw things in the bin if they are useful. It’s a logical tactic, and one that’s served you well over the years; however, your approach needs tweaking slightly. Typically, you’ll open gifts that are replacements or upgrades for your belongings or household appliances, making the old ones obsolete. Rather than cramming junk into the nearest available space, you can throw it in the garbage or give it away. Otherwise, it’s going to sit there and make your home look cluttered and messy. Goodwill stores will graciously accept trash because, to them, they are treasures for the less fortunate.
Downsize
Not to be a Grinch, but some Christmas decorations are too much. When the tree touches the ceiling and branches create barriers, you know you’ve gone over-the-top! There’s no reason to feel embarrassed about getting into the festive spirit, yet you might want to rein it in a little bit. A small or medium-sized tree will take up less room and give you more storage options, and it’s still festive so long as you choose the perfect decorations. Try and pick stuff that’s not oversized to ensure it fits.
Rent A Unit
Remember: there is always an offsite storage facility. Just because you don’t have space at home this Christmas doesn’t mean you have to put up with clutter for the rest of the year. All you have to do is pick up the phone and contact a local moving company for more info. Yes, movers offer storage services, and they’re typically very affordable, safe, and well-maintained. If there aren’t enough pennies in the savings jar, you can use whatever unit is to hand. The garden shed is an excellent alternative, as is the basement or attic if you have one.
Ask For Specific Gifts
The above assumes you and your family are going to receive huge, oversized presents that wouldn’t fit in Santa’s Grotto! Thankfully, there is no need for this to be the case if you ask for gifts that are size-appropriate, such as restaurant vouchers or a compact camera. You can use this trick with the kids, too. Give them a choice between presents under the tree or the money. Children, especially teens, will snap your hand off if you offer them the cash upfront! That way, there’s no need to bother about gifts cluttering up your home.
How are you going to cope with extra storage this year?