Monthly Archives: January 2012

Unconventional Storage Containers – Part 3

Hi Readers, After making my living room a place of joy to behold, this week we take on every woman’s worst nightmare – a guy’s bathroom!  I’ll show you how I made my bathroom an homage to orderliness. Bathroom The bathroom was the easiest room to de-clutter, due to size.  For this space, I went through my cabinets and closets to find containers.  You know all those bath kits you’ve gotten for Christmas over the years?  Those tiny little baskets they come in that don’t fit anything?  They are great for holding all of your bathroom supplies: Qtips, cotton balls, brushes, perfume and cologne bottles – they all … [More]

How To Store Wine

The traditional solution for wine storage is a wine cellar or cave. If you have that, then you’re happily set to store your beloved wine under the right conditions. (Just go ahead and give your dog an extra walk instead of reading this.) Most of us aren’t so lucky. Some wine lovers opt for a wine refrigerator, but they’re not always the best solution for even amateur collectors. The experts at Wine Spectator warn that once you start storing wine to enjoy later, it’s difficult to stop. You’ll likely need more space than you think. Climate-controlled self storage could be the best option for you. Wine is almost … [More]

New Year’s Resolutions!

This year I really didn’t get into the New Year’s celebration scene. My wife and I finally admitted to each other that we were old and therefore don’t have a life. Kidding. We decided to have a night in together. Two movies and a homemade King Crab leg dinner is what our night consisted of. It was awesome! Even though I slacked on my New Year’s celebration, I didn’t slack on determining what my New Year’s resolutions would be. Resolution #1: Exercise Exercise can be SO boring, especially when done in a gym. To stay motivated throughout the year, I am trying new and exhilarating ways to exercise: … [More]

Unconventional Storage Containers – Part 2

Welcome readers, to another Monday with Mike wherein we get our house organized. We took care of the kitchen last week and discovered we could do a lot with food jars, even getting replacement lids when we needed. On to the living room! Living Room When I tackled my living room, it was full of trinkets and books.  Most of the cluttered items I still wanted to keep, but didn’t have the storage space for either.  But thanks to my habit of saving every shoe box I’d ever purchased, I found a simple fix.  I went to the local craft store and picked up a few yards of … [More]

Fight the Forclosure! Move to Cranston

Located in the Northeastern portion of the country, near the Atlantic, sits the town of Cranston, Rhode Island. For many, the town is just another city. Sure it has been named one of the “Top 100 Places to Live” by Money magazine. Yes it has been named one of the 25 safest cities by the CQ Press. It is more than just safety and tourist research that makes this town stand out. It is the fact that it is virtually foreclosure proof. In 2009, the city of Cranston passed two ordinances to make it harder for homeowners to be evicted from their houses. After seeing the economy and … [More]

The Extra Space Storage Genesis

The global behemoth that is Extra Space Storage auto-magically appeared in 1977.  However, the story of how Extra Space Storage got started back in the late 60’s.  The credit is all due to the vision and entrepreneurial spirit of former CEO and current board member Ken Woolley.  As a doctoral student at Stanford University (yeah, he’s sorta smart), Ken was hired as a consultant to do analysis on real-estate and came across a new concept called mini (self) storage.  Intrigued by the concept, Ken convinced several investors to build the first Extra Space facility in Billings, Montana.  Why Billings, Montana?  Well, Ken did what every Stanford doctorate in … [More]

Unconventional Storage Containers – A Four Part Series

Hi Readers:For the next four weeks, each Monday I’ll be looking at an area of the house, and exploring how you can get it organized. Now for me, I like to be clean enough so I don’t have to stress, but organized to where I can find everything when I need to. I’ve found I can keep my home organized without spending big bucks on plastic dividers and fancy boxes.  And it’s decorative as well!  With a little organization (or un-organization) and these simple tips you can use your own unconventional storage containers as well.  Now on to the kitchen. When I first set out to clean up … [More]

Organizing Your Garage

There’s a clichéd opening to more movies than I can count, where a wife is reminding her husband to clean out the garage (I chose the word “reminding” after my own wife disapproved of the word “nagging”).  These men, who are often big name comedians, are usually comfy in their large leather chair.  Or perhaps ready to watch a big sports event – maybe even headed out for a round of golf.  It’s as though the director went out of his way to ensure these women were picking the worst time that could ever exist.  Who wants to get up off a comfy couch and set down their … [More]

Be on the Lookout for Storage Auction Scams

In light of the recent success rate of storage and repo auctions, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss some of the different tactics involved with the resale business.  Yes, most everyone is following the rules and using self storage auctions as a way to make an honest living.  But, unfortunately, like every profiting business, there are those who have found a way to cheat the system.  So if you repo for profit, watch the shows, or know a friend who’s headed to an auction, be aware of those who aren’t playing fair. How the Scam Works Renters set up a self storage unit, generally … [More]

Families Surviving by Living Together

If you’ve ever seen a movie that’s set back in the 1800s, chances are you’ve noticed a few differences compared to how we live today. Yes, they travel by horse-drawn carriage, and the clothes are more labor intensive, but there’s also one that I find the most interesting of all: the living arrangements. In those giant Victorian homes, it’s as though there is no end to the amount of people living in a single house. Extended family members, friends, a traveling guest who just never left. They all seemed to find the richest relative and stay put. In recent times though, it seems many have taken this practice … [More]