The garage box, microcosm of financial independence

As I manage a few parking spaces and garage boxes, I am a privileged witness to what is going on at this level. And I enjoy it. The garage box is an indicator in itself of the path traveled (or not) towards financial independence.

The garage box in its primary use

It always starts like this. You have a car and you want to protect it from the weather and/or thieves. So far, nothing very original. This is the usual path for employees, as soon as they start to have some means. You then realize that there is also a little space in the garage to put some bits and pieces that you no longer want/can keep in the house. It would of course be better to get rid of these old things, but since the garage is available, it is ultimately much more convenient to store them there. You can always sort them out later (which means never).

The car outside and the box that serves as a catch-all

At some point, quite quickly even, there is no more room in the garage. The car is getting in more and more difficult. It will even end up being left outside. As the family is growing, it is the open door to uncontrolled accumulation. Nature does not like emptiness, and it will take pleasure in filling it. Very quickly, the boxes will pile up on top of each other and the box will be full. Sorting? You don't even think about it.

Rent a garage box to continue collecting

The solution is quickly found, you have to rent an additional garage or use a storage facility. As a corollary, you pay one or more rents to store useless things, which themselves could bring in money if you resold them. Worse, the car remains parked outside and with a bit of bad luck, you still have to pay to do so.

In the meantime, the boxes and unnecessary furniture remain dry. And their owner can continue to stack them.

The priority: declutter, put the car back in its place

Obviously, when you are on the road to financial independence, this headlong rush is to be avoided. On the contrary, you have to empty the storage areas, resell what is there and cancel the rentals of the surplus garages. The wallet will be better off, as will the head. The descendants will also be happy to learn that they will not have to do the big cleaning for you, when the time of your last trip has come. Because, inevitably, everything will end up in the trash, if nothing is done upstream.

The garage box to rent out to others

So what is the point of storing and paying for years? Only laziness of body and mind explains this unhealthy behavior. On the contrary, once you have decluttered, it is possible to go even further. If you think about it a little, you can live without a car (or at least get rid of one of the household's). In doing so, the garage box becomes available to be rented out to other thoughtless sheep. And why not buy another one, not to pile up objects this time, but money?

Show me your garage, I'll tell you who you are

The garage is a microcosm of financial independence. Just by looking at it, you can tell where an individual stands. When I look around me, all I see is piles of useless stuff piling up everywhere and cars parked outside. Most people never go beyond the stage 1 financial independence. This is a boon for those who own empty spaces and can rent them out.