Houses are getting bigger and bigger. But even with larger homes, bigger attics, 3 or even 4 car garages we still don’t have enough space to store all our stuff… We’ve become a nation of Pack-rats no longer able to find places to store our stuff we’ve resorted to renting Self-Storage facilities. But perhaps we can find ways to save on storage costs…
- Sell Off Your Unwanted Items- Why store something that you don’t need? Sort through all of your household items and furniture and either sell or discard anything that you may not need, or that may need replacing. After all, why pay for storage of an item you don’t really want? If you can sell it or donate it you can get some extra cash or a tax deduction.
- Plan Your Packing- There’s nothing worse than finishing your packing and finding that you have ten half boxes and twenty full ones. Make sure that you plan your packing so that all boxes end up full, this will allow you to stack the boxes at the storage facility and take up less space. Less space equals less money. Plan to slide boxes under furniture such as beds or elevated wardrobes or cupboards, this will again save you space and in turn, money.
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Source: Flickr Store with Friends and Family-Â Try asking around to your friends and family, one of them may have space in their garage or shed that you can utilize. If not you may be able to spread the furniture and household items across a few friends or family members homes. This will obviously save you money by cutting out the necessity to rent self-storage and keep a few more dollars in your back pocket. But be careful not to ruin your friendship over it and ensure that you offer something in return.
- Distance vs. Cost- When looking around at self-storage facilities there are a few things you need to take into account. How far is the facility? This will impact on transport costs of your items and furniture to the facility both when loading into the facility, and when unloading from the facility. How much is the space? Remember that the cheapest is not always the best option; you need to take into account the cost of transporting to and from the facility as well as the monthly cost for the space itself. There is no use getting a space that costs $50 a month but take half a day to get to.
- Size Does Matter- A smaller space usually costs less. Make sure you determine exactly how much space you need prior to renting a storage facility. Take into account the ability to stack your items and furniture and do your best to maximize the space. Packing well into the storage facility is crucial; this will ensure you make the most of the space you are renting.
Moving furniture and household items into a storage facility can be a costly exercise, but if you follow these five simple tips to save money on Self-Storage Facilities, then you will minimize the impact on your back pocket.
Photo Credit: Self-Storage Facility—Tim Patterson (Flickr.com)
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