Lifestyle

Discover tips and ideas for improving everyday life through organization, décor updates and lifestyle upgrades.

Backyard swimming pool surrounded by pine trees, foliage

Planning a Pool? Here’s How to Get From Daydream to Dive-In

Thinking about building a swimming pool? You’re not alone. For many homeowners, the idea starts as a passing thought — something along the lines of “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pool back here?” Fast forward a few Google searches and a quick look at your backyard, and suddenly that daydream starts to feel possible.

apartment building in Minneapolis

Micro Housing Is Booming in Minneapolis (And Self Storage Helps)

One of the economic and cultural engines of the Midwest, Minneapolis is also carving out a name for itself in the world of small space living. Micro housing is defined as units with a footprint no larger than half the average apartment size in a state and, across Minnesota, that translates to apartments under 433 square feet. In Minneapolis, these compact homes already make up over 10% of the city’s multifamily rental inventory.

DIY-pond-in-a-backyard

11 Backyard Water Features To Spruce Up Your Outdoor Space

Water changes a place. It draws in birds, insects, and the kind of quiet that helps you settle. The air feels cooler. Outside noise fades. And even if you’re just having a coffee in your backyard, there’s something to look at that keeps you there a little longer. So, let’s talk backyard water features.

Happy African American family with Easter eggs at table in kitchen.

Easter Unwrapped: From Bunny Lore To Smart Storage Hacks For Easter Decorations

Easter has long been a cherished celebration, from cotton tails and bunny ears to eggs overflowing in baskets aplenty. Blending rites and rituals into a mélange of special traditions that endure to this day, this celebration has gathered families throughout centuries. But have you ever paused to wonder where your furry neighborhood friend, the Easter Bunny, truly comes from? Or why did people suddenly decide rolling eggs downhill was a thing?

Couple with heart shaped balloon.

Valentine’s Day Weekend Staycation: How To Organize A Perfect Couple’s Getaway At Home

They say home is where the heart is, and on Valentine’s Day, there’s no better place to be than right at home with your loved one. With love in the air and roses dotting the stands with bursts of color, the celebration of adoration is just around the corner.

Where Love Lasts Most In The U.S.: Happily Ever After Thrives In New England And The Midwest

Valentine’s Day comes and goes in a flurry of roses, heart-shaped chocolates, and candlelit dinners – all of which we indulge in wholeheartedly (pun intended). And we’re not just giving love, we’re spending it too – a record-breaking $27.5 billion is expected to be joyfully poured into Valentine’s Day celebrations this year, according to the National Retail Federation, all in honor of the people we hold dear.

Family Together Christmas Celebration

There’s More Than Turkey On The Table: Top Dishes From Around The World To Try This Christmas

The turkey is often the queen of the Christmas table, but while Christmas without one is almost unthinkable in the United States, Canada or the UK, it’s not really the top choice in most countries around the world.

Happy women friends are shopping for presents at Christmas

StorageCafe’s Best Lifestyle Stories of 2024

The real estate market is often all about numbers and trends, but the way those big-picture stats affect our everyday lives is huge. It’s fascinating to see how we’ve adapted to major events—like the health crisis—and how those changes have influenced our lifestyle and housing choices.

modern house decorated for Halloween with carved pumpkins, bats and spiders

Happy Scarily Thrifty Halloween! How To Save On Costumes, Candy, Décor And More

There’s no denying that Halloween is a well-loved holiday. Dressing up in your favorite costume and eating candy guilt-free while getting a good scare sounds like a good time you don’t want to pass up. But how much you end up spending doesn’t have to give you a scare. In 2023 alone, Americans spent about $12B on Halloween or about $100 per person for costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards combined. If spending less this Halloween is on your wish list, we have some tips and tricks for you to do just that below.

Halloween preparation. Halloween decoration made of craft paper.

Halloween On A Budget: How Self Storage Can Save You Money

Halloween has crept a long way from its eerie origins. While All Hallows’ Eve has transformed through the centuries, it wasn’t until the 1930s that trick-or-treating became a tradition in the U.S. and businesses began conjuring up mass-produced Halloween costumes. Now, Halloween is a monster-sized, billion-dollar industry, with a cauldron full of costumes and decorations ranging from the mainstream to the macabre.

Home decorated for Halloween

A Spooktacular Roundup: The Top 10 U.S. Metros For Halloween Fun And Thrills

When it comes to celebrating Halloween, Americans go all in. This year alone, Halloween spending is projected to reach a staggering $11.6 billion on candy, costumes, and decorations, as reported by the National Retail Federation. But Halloween isn’t just about dollars and cents—it’s about creating the right atmosphere. From extravagant haunted houses and festive parades to an abundance of candy and eerie decorations, certain U.S. cities truly embody the Halloween spirit.

Halloween celebration

How Much Does Halloween Really Cost? Plan Wisely To Avoid The Scare Of Hidden Costs

Americans’ love for Halloween is almost frightening — this year alone, we are on our way to spending $11.6 billion, according to data from the National Retail Federation. That breaks down to about $104 Halloween costs per person, a whopping 49% more than 10 years ago.