How to save money with self-storage…and space as well

In a world where house prices are on the rise, whilst the size of new houses is steadily decreasing, self-storage can provide, not only a short-term, but also a long-term solution for many families. The trick is, to make sure it is cost-effective self-storage and that you only store the things that are important to you.

As with many things, if you aren’t careful, self-storage can become more expensive than you might initially expect. With this in mind, we thought we’d share some of our best tips for keeping your storage as cost-effective as possible… and some of our favourite uses for self-storage, too.

Split the bill

If you have a spare room that you need to reclaim, then the chances are; one of your friends or family does as well.

Ask around, and if you find a friend or family member who needs to store some of their belongings as well, then why not share a storage box? This will help you to save money, and it will also help you to…

Be ruthless

One of the main accusations that is often levelled at the self-storage industry, and those that use self-storage, is that all it is, is a way of perpetuating a habit of hoarding and putting off decisions that inevitably need to be made about belongings that are no longer needed and should be thrown out.

Although we’ll be the first to admit that some things people put in storage, could be viewed by many as past their best, it definitely is not always the case.

Many people genuinely need storage for items they genuinely still need. The reasons for this are almost as varied as the items that we see being stored.

Whatever you need storage for, our best piece of advice for keeping costs down, is to be ruthless. If you don’t really need to keep something, give it to charity or throw it out, and only store the things that you really need. This way, you’ll not only be banking yourself a bit of good karma, you’ll be saving some money on your storage as well.

Pack efficiently

As well as not hoarding items, once you have decided which items you really need to put into storage, you need to make sure you’re as efficient as possible when it comes to packing them for, and in, storage, as well.

Use boxes, or crates, to enable you to stack things as high, and securely, as you can. This way, you’ll get the optimum use of, and value from, the space you pay for.

If you have heavy items, spread the load, don’t pack them all in the same box; this will make both packing them, and accessing them again, much easier.

Also, try to organise your storage unit to make it as simple as possible to access your belongings when you need to get to them again. Try to stack things around all the walls, leaving an aisle down the centre, to allow you to get to as many things as possible, as easily as possible.

Rent storage for longer

Many self-storage providers offer cheaper rates, the longer you store for. If you’re going to need storage for more than a couple of weeks, then it’s worth contacting your storage provider and finding out what long-term deals are available.

Self-storage becomes even more cost effective when you need a unit for a longer period and enter into a longer lease, at Store First, we even offer a 30% discount if you want to pay for 6 months up front.

Make your spare bedroom make you some spare money

If you’re clearing out your spare bedroom by using self-storage, and you have a mind to, then you can make the storage pay for itself.

If you aren’t going to be using the newly reclaimed space for anything in particular, and are just clearing the bedroom out to make your house that bit tidier, then you might want to consider letting your spare room out via a rental service such as Air BnB (other options are available)!

This way, you pay for your storage, and make yourself a small profit as well.

Make your own library

Some people, myself among them, have vast numbers of books. These people, myself among them, are generally told by their significant others, to think about downsizing their book collection as they’re beginning to take over the house.

Some people, myself among them, argue that books and bookshelves are nice to have around the house; and they, and I, are right.

However, sometimes, it can become the case that you have more books than you have bookcases and room to put new bookcases. When this happens, your boxes of books can begin to take over spare rooms.

If this is the case in your house, then self-storage is a perfect place to create your own off-site library. The books you have that have no bookcase to live in will be safe and secure until you need them – whether that’s when you move to a bigger house, buy more bookcases, decide to finally clear some of them out, want to read them again, or even find that one might come in handy for one of your children’s English Literature essay.

Store baby accessories

If you’ve got prams, baby clothes, cots and other baby-based effects that you might need again in the not too distant future, then rather than throwing them out and buying new, letting them gather dust in the attic, or creating a room-overtaking presence in your spare bedroom, you could store your things in self-storage.

Storage facilities are secure, clean and easy to access, so when you need to get your things back, they aren’t as moth-eaten as they would have been if stored in an attic. Also, depending how long you need to store them from, the cost of storage may be comparatively cheaper than selling, or throwing out your baby stuff, only to buy it all again then next time.

Cost-effective self-storage

Whatever you need to use self-storage for, and however long you need to use it, at Store First, we’re here to help make it as inexpensive and pleasant an experience as possible. Not only do our friendly and professional staff go out of their way to cater to your every need in terms of your storage requirements, they will provide you with a variety of extra facilities for free, as well. So, if you need self-storage, give your nearest Store First a call today.