With literally hundreds of local self-storage facilities in any given area, how is one to choose one from another? Are those with the big, flashy signs the best, or should you stick to the one close to home? Your friend’s cousin rented one last spring- maybe you should give her a call? How will you know if you are choosing the right self-storage company to suit your needs?

For the majority of us, when it comes to purchasing something that we have never needed before, hind-sight is almost always 20/20. Our research is hindered by the bright and snazzy colors of bulletin boards, local newspapers and other ad sources in the community, making us easily forget what it is that we we’re actually looking for in a product or service. The self-storage industry is no different.

For starters, do your homework. Your efforts on this venture will need quite a bit of forethought and a knowledgeable customer service associate to help you out. Making a couple of phone calls, paying a few visits to local companies, and asking a lot of questions are key to getting your ideal storage unit.

First on our list (assuming that all companies are similarly priced and have the same size units available) is the location of your self storage company. No one knows better than you how easily accessible each location is from where you are (familiarizing yourself with the traffic situations during the day will also help your endeavors). Ideally, any ad placed by a self-storage company will have a street address and a map with a few common landmarks.

Next topic: security. Is there 24-hour surveillance? Would you feel comfortable walking around alone after dark? Are there separate alarms for each unit? Fire protection/sprinkler system is an item worth a definite query on your part.

Third, when would you be able to access your unit? If seven day admittance is important to you, be sure you find a company that can accommodate you.

Number four on our list- Rental transportation. Are there dollies and/or carts available on the premises, or will you need to bring/find your own? What about a truck rental- is it on location or nearby for you to hire for a few hours? What about trailers? This is definitely worth a thought, for even small items can weigh a lot if you’re carrying them alone.

And finally, is there a store within the realm of this particular self storage company? If so, what sort of items do they sell? Quick snacks and beverages are good, as well as packing supplies such as boxes and tape, or any items you may need to adequately put together your self-storage unit.

Finding the right size self storage unit for your needs can be tough. You may have a specific group of items that you want to store outside of your home, but not know the best way to do so. You may also have the belief that the smallest self storage unit that you can find is still the size of a room – too large, in other words, for a very small collection of items. But there are options that you can consider to make the most of your storage space. Consider mini-storage – the cost effective alternative.

Not all storage units are considered equal. And while larger

Consider some of the best items that you can store in mini-storage units. One of the first ideas for mini-storage is if you maintain a home business. If you maintain an inventory – a small inventory – but feel more comfortable storing it outside of your home, a small unit may be your best bet. Simply install shelving along the back wall of your unit and stack all of your inventory neatly and easily so it’s at your fingertips any time you are ready to sell it.

Another idea for mini-storage is also related to having a home business. For your tax records, you will need to hang onto your financial records for several years beyond the current calendar year. Depending on the amount of paperwork your home business generates each year, this can mean storing a lot of documents. Instead of stacking these in your precious office space or relegating them to the attic where they’ll get confused with other storage boxes, consider using a mini-storage unit to store them safely and securely.

Storage units are great for storing collections. But what if you only have a small collection, or a collection of small items? Well, then you only need a small storage unit! Your baseball cards will thank you for finding them a small, dry, climate-controlled non-pest-infected space where they can be stored all on their own while they grow in value.

If you are working on a special project, you may have many items that you need to collect before you can get started, or research that will need to be done ahead of time. In order to keep your collection of items or your accumulated research together and easily accessible in one place, consider renting a mini-storage unit to use as work on your project progresses. Because most mini-storage units are rented from month to month without any need for long term contracts, you can keep your unit as long as your project lasts!

Another opportunity to use a rental unit is if you are working on an initiative or project with a group of other people. If you all need access to the same items or data but it is not convenient for you to always travel to one another’s homes to use what has been collected, consider renting a mini-storage unit that you can all visit whenever necessary. A related idea is if you will be selling items for a fundraiser. When you will be splitting duties with others, put all of the items you will be selling in your mini-storage unit and you can get what you need, when you need it!

There are many different reasons to use a mini-storage unit. You can mix and match reasons as well, and maintain several mini-storage units for various different needs in your life, instead of running the risk of accumulating clutter by assuaging all needs with one larger unit. But whatever your reason for needing a self storage rental to help you to effectively store your items, it is important to understand that there are many sizes available. So when you only have a small need, you only need a small unit. That’s when it’s time to consider mini-storage – the cost effective alternative!

Usually one knows pretty far in advance when they plan to have a garage sale or a yard sale. Maybe it is something that you do on an annual basis. During the course of the year many people may drop off things that they think will suit the upcoming sale or maybe you run across things here and there that could be sold. Some people see things in other people’s trash and grab it real quick with the future garage sale in mind.

While this is all a great idea, the problem is likely that you are accumulating this stuff all around your house. It might be jamming your garage, maybe it is filling your basement, and maybe your yard looks like a salvage yard but whatever the case may be there is no reason to continue on like this. If you rent a mini storage unit near your home (there are plenty) not only can you eliminate all of the build up around and in your home by dropping it off at the storage unit but you can also use the unit for preparation when the time comes nearer for the sale.

If you are very organized then as you drop off the stuff to the unit you will categorize it so it is somewhat easier to deal with later on but for those that are not so tidy, the unit itself will make a big difference in the end and in maintaining your sanity. The nest time your sister drops off a bag of clothes that her children have out grown, it’s off to the unit rather than on your living room floor for days before it gets hauled to the garage or the basement. Plus, consider that you need to keep your garage as accessible as possible as that will be the place to be once your sale is up and running.

If possible, place things in tote according to category, separate clothing at least by gender and separate kids clothes from adults. When it comes time for pricing it will be a lot easier. The cost for a small mini unit is very lean so just reimburse you at the sale. Often there is more than one person conducting or participating in the garage sale, if that is the case split the cost.

When the time gets nearer to the actual event you can use the storage unit and a work station for pricing and setting everything up then all you will have to do is move it to your garage and there will be tables and racks just waiting to accept it in the most organized manner possible. The stuff will be priced and all set to go. More importantly, you didn’t have to run around your house trying to get it all together.

A yard sale is a great way to purge space taking items that you no longer need, but someone else may need, and at the same time earn some cash. For the yard sale to be successful, it needs to be organized well. Start sorting. Organize your yard sale in the same way you look for things in a department store and sort your items by category, i.e. kitchen items, appliances, linens, household items such as lamps, throw pillows, clothes, luggage, sporting goods, auto, etc.

Without being organized with a defined goal and plan intact, you will likely not be very successful. That is one of the main reasons that renting the storage unit is so great! It is a work station away from home, your own little private space to set up your sale. Advertise your sale in the newspaper, on the internet, use flyers and get the word out. Make sure you know how much lead time you need to place an ad. The day of the sale, make sure you start early! Yard sale shoppers are early birds and will sometimes line up a good half hour or more before your advertised sale time.

This will be no problem for you because you will have set everything up the day before when you visited the storage unit. At this point you should have cleared out the unit and fulfilled your contract so that what is not sold must either be donated or tossed. The purpose of the storage unit is only to get you organized in the preparation and success of your upcoming sale. The idea is not to keep adding stuff throughout the year anticipating selling it the following year.

Mini storage units can be a great place for college students to store their belongings at a reasonable price. College dorms and apartments are often small and limited on storage space. It can be much easier to keep your less-frequently used items off-site in a storage unit.

First, get rid of anything you really do not need. Going away to college is often the first time a young adult will move all of their belongings, especially if the family has stayed in the same home for a number of years. Now is the time to throw out all the extra items you may have accumulated over the years. Keep anything with significant sentimental value, but many childhood items such as toys, books, clothing, or stuffed animals can be donated or sold.

Next, make an inventory list of everything you intend to put into your mini storage. Think about how often you will need to use each item. Is it something you will need again next semester or term? Keep all items together based on how frequently they will be accessed. This will make it much easier when you are unloading the boxes at your storage facility and trying to decide where to put everything. Keep frequently-used items toward the front of the storage unit.

Once you have your inventory list, sorted by frequency of use, it can also be a helpful plan for how to pack your stuff for the move. You can usually start packing the less-frequently used items a few weeks before the move date. This allows you to get started on packing without having to worry about packing away something you may still need. Keep daily-use items such as toothbrushes, deodorant, or hairbrushes out for packing into a separate duffel bag, backpack, or toiletry case. Then you can just throw these items in the bag as you walk out the door for your move. This way you will be able to find your toothbrush the next day without having to dig through boxes of stuff.

When packing, you can’t go wrong by using strong boxes, preferably waterproof if you will be storing your belongings for a long period of time. You may be able to get away with using regular cardboard boxes if you will only be keeping your items in the storage unit over summer vacation or at another time when rain is unlikely to fall. Pack heavy items such as textbooks in smaller boxes. If you must use large boxes for your books, be sure to only fill part of each box with books, then fill in the rest with clothing or other light items. Ideally, you want each box to be easy to lift and approximately the same weight, rather than having a few heavy boxes and a lot of lighter ones. Boxes that are all the same size will be much easier to stack in your mini storage unit. Be sure to fill every box to the top so they do not get crushed when more boxes are stacked on top.

In the days leading up to your move, start preparing for the actual move day. Be sure to charge all cellphones and laptop since the chargers may be packed in boxes on the day of the move. Purchase bottles of water, sports drinks, fruit, or protein bars to keep you and your friends hydrated and fueled through the entire moving process. Time is often limited on the actual moving date because you will be rushing around to get everything out of your dorm or apartment and over to the storage unit before the truck is due back to the rental company. If you are using your own (or a friend’s) truck, you may be able to move at a more leisurely pace, but it is always convenient to have drinks and snacks on hand for when you don’t feel like making a food run.

Of course, before leaving your apartment or dorm room, do one last walkthrough to make sure you haven’t left anything behind. Check the bathroom for any toiletries you may have used on the move day. Be sure the place is cleaned to the landlord’s specifications so you can get your security deposit refunded. When you are done cleaning, pack all of your cleaning supplies in the same box or boxes so you can easily drop them off at your storage and retrieve them when it’s time to move again at the end of the next semester.

Have you ever wanted to get a gift for someone that you care about but had no idea where you could hide it for until you where planning to give it to them? This is only one of the reasons that people may need to use mini storage. When you think of storage and why people need if what first comes to mind are people who are moving or need to store a car, in which case they may need vehicle storage, RV storage, boat storage, long term storage or even climate control storage. However, there are also other types of storage and other storage uses.

There are many different times of year to give gifts and many other types of occasions. Some people give gifts on multiple holidays or days of celebration and then there are special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. This is not even taking into account the different types of holidays or the different types of celebrations and anniversaries. A person may want to give a present for graduation or another rare special occasion. In addition, you may give gifts more often, but no matter why they are giving the gift it is very common to not want the person to know what it is that they are getting ahead of time. This surprises them and getting to see their positive reaction as your payment for what it is that you have gotten them or made for them.

Giving a surprise gift means that you are not giving a gift in vain; you receive the joy of seeing their reaction, but you also are able to tell from their reaction whether they found the present pleasing or not. This means that if the present is not well suited for the person who you bought it for you can get them something else and keep what it is that you got them or return it and use the money for the new present. When giving a surprise present you may be worried that they will figure it out ahead of time or that another member of your family or friend may find out and let them know what this surprise is, where as if you store away the present until just before giving it you are sure that they will be surprised. This also means that you will hopefully not have to deal with them trying to find their present and that even if they do you can be sure that they will not find it where you have hidden it.

When you are going to be receiving a present, you may find your self-getting anxious or wanting to know what it is. Surprises can be intense and in many cases a person is simply too curious so will try to find their present. This can mean children or adult, and it can mean having every inch of a house be scavenged over. This can mean that the surprise will be ruined and the priceless reaction may not be there, or a more disappointing and not so authentic surprised face may take its place. When using mini storage a person will never expect what it is that they are getting and will definitely not be able to find its hiding place.

Gifts are not only received but are also given, meaning that a person may not want a gift that they receive but not want their family member to know, which can mean keeping an item even if you are not very likely to use it. These items can then add up and mean that you are left with many items that you do not actually want, but at the same time you do not wan tot offend the person who you received them from so, you are always able to use mini storage. When you use mini storage, you will be able to get the item when it is needed but you will not need to always have it around or have it with you when you do not want to.

Mini storage has many other uses but using it for hiding a gift is one that some people do not think about, but would find very helpful. Mini storage can be used any time you only need one item stored, any time that you have very small, or very few items that you need to be stored or kept safe. When you are planning to give a surprise present with mini storage you can be assured that you secret is safe and so is the item you plan to give.