Moving to a new home is always hard, but it can be particularly frustrating if you have a lot of belongings to pack. If you’re lucky enough to be moving into a larger home that has room for everything you own, your only concern is to make sure that all of it gets to its new destination. If this isn’t the case, you will need to make use of a self-storage service to keep what you own safe. This can be a hassle, but these five tips should help make things easier.
1. Store What You Won’t Need Now
The most important thing to remember when packing for a move is that you won’t need to keep everything you own in your new home. Old photographs, trophies, artwork and other kinds of memorabilia are often better off in a storage unit simply because you won’t need them right away. When it comes time to move, save room in your moving van for furniture, dishes, clothing and other essentials that you will need right away when settling into your new home.
2. Rent a Storage Unit Before You Need It
While you might be tempted to wait until just before moving day to rent a storage unit, you should have one ready to go at least a few weeks ahead of time. This is so you will have a place for your belongings if you are forced to move out of your current home earlier than planned.
3. Find a Storage Unit Near Your New Home
When you are shopping around for storage units, stick to those that will be near your new home. That will make it easier to slowly move your belongings into a more permanent location as you settle into your new surroundings.
4. Know How Much Storage Space You Will Need
Figuring out how much storage space you will need can be tricky. It’s easy to underestimate how many things you own and end up with a unit that is too small, but it’s also easy to go the other direction and pay for a space that is bigger than what you need. If you think you’ll need a little extra space but don’t know for sure, ask your storage facility about renting a smaller unit for overflow. If you don’t want to pay for this extra unit, ask a friend who has space in their garage or basement if they can hold on to some of your belongings for a short time. If you need help determining the storage unit size needed, try using this helpful storage calculator from this cheap NYC storage company.
5. Try to Move in the Middle of the Week
Moving is almost always easier on weekends when everyone involved has the day off, but that will also mean that the storage facility you use will be that much more crowded. To avoid having to deal with crowds of people who are moving their things on the same day as you, try to move most of your things in the middle of the week. You’ll save a lot of time if you can get right into your storage unit.
