Isn’t it funny how we are coming full circle and going back to the same materials our grandparents used? That’s right; our parents seemed to have been guinea pigs for the chemical, food and pharmaceutical companies. This is not said as fodder but as truth. We keep finding out about chemicals that are put into item we use everyday. One example is the bisphenol A , or BPA that is found in many plastic products that we use everyday including storage containers. We use so many products with BPA that it is now found in most of our bloodstreams and while these products are labeled dishwasher and microwave safe, heating them increases the amount that is transferred into our environment!

That’s why many are going back to old fashioned glass. Glass bottles for kids, glass bowls, cups and containers for storage; just one more thing to check off as unsafe for use and consumption and another reason to stop drinking water out of a plastic bottle. Either get a filtered system through your frig, pitcher or just drink tap water; it can’t be any worse for you than everything else we encounter. So much for progress…

I recently sat in on a home owner’s insurance seminar and learned a couple of things that I didn’t know. Most insurance companies don’t re-rate policies due to weather related claims but they DO RE-RATE for preventable claims. The number one preventable claim is water damage from two sources; your washing machine hoses and frozen pipes and both are very preventable for the amount of money far under most people’s deductible.

There are several different types of leak detectors that can be used for your washer that range from simple alarm sensors to let you know there is a leak to those that have an automatic shut off. If you tend to leave the house with the washer on, you really will need to get an automatic sensor that will shut off the water source. As far as frozen pipes go, the number one thing you can do to prevent this mess is to keep the heat on in the winter whether you are at the house or not. Just doing these two things will save you a ton of headaches and money that you need for other things right now. You are talking about the difference of preventative action that might cost a couple hundred dollars at the most compared to $7,500, which is the average water claim these days.

I don’t know about you but watching TV before there were so many channels was more fun. Now you surf through them endlessly trying to find something you have never seen before and end up on the Discover Channel or watching another lame movie for the umpteenth time. When the kids join us, there are so many choices that it ends up being a chore to get them to agree on what they are going to watch together. They want separate televisions and I’m just not prepared for that. I find TV watching is just not what it once was.

I remember when the entire family would gather around the tube and “tune in” our favorite program every night. We would beg mom and dad to let us stay up just a little bit longer and felt like kings when they would give in. Today, we just tell them we’ll tape it for you and you can watch it later. The problem is, we have to watch it again as well or end up in another room watching something else. It’s just not as much fun for the entire family; or at least the dad of the family.

For many people, the most difficult part of building a storage shed is not the actual construction but the organization of the shed itself. Many people are at a loss when it comes to figuring out the best way to put their tools and equipment in the space. Thankfully, you can organize your storage space inexpensively instead of having to buy expensive storage items.

For those looking to organize your tools, building a tool storage area instead of buying a tool chest can save you tons of money. This can be accomplished through the creation of a hand-built workbench with storage or a custom built rack and drawer system. Constructing these items with supplies from a local warehouse store can be cheap and makes a perfect weekend project.

For the other major organizational issue with a shed – random storage clutter that overflows from the house – one of the best ways to clean up this storage space is through the building of wall mounted shelving. Cheap and effective, thee shelves can be placed out of the way of your storage space for other items and can utilize the overhead and higher space that is typically wasted within a shed.

I’m a guy.  I’m a guy with a lot of tools and equipment and I also own 2 vehicles.  I’m a guy with a one car garage and we all know who gets to park in the garage, and it’s not me.  So what’s a guy to do when the garage is just not big enough for all the tools and equipment?

You either make sacrifices, choices or a combination of both.  You can leave the tools and equipment exposed to the elements and watch them rust away.  You can sell the tools and a quarter or less their value only to buy them brand new when you need them again.  You can house them in a spare room in the house and hope your wife or partner understands that you have a relationship with your things and you all need some space.  Or you can bite the bullet and get a storage unit just for your stuff.

I chose the storage unit for several reasons:

• I needed space for my things to stay dry
• I needed space to work on my things
• I needed space that was all mine

Now I’m a happy guy who has his tools and equipment locked away safely in their own special shed.  Now about my truck…I’m working on that one!