Finding Budget Storage

Sometimes you just don’t have the room at home for all of your things. Be it long term storage items like furniture, tools or even that old car and that boat that you’re going to get to one of these days, it becomes time to get it out of your way and store it somewhere. However, storage units can be pretty expensive especially in this economy with every dollar counting. So instead of just renting a storage unit and going for it, it might be time to look around and see what kind of services you can drop and what kind of storage you actually need. Picking what kind of storage you need over what kind of storage you want make a difference in that monthly storage payment. Let’s take a look at a few different ways to cut down the bill and get some decent budget storage.

Dumping the climate controlled storage – Sometimes you need to store sensitive items and storage that controls the humidity and the temperature can really make sense. Other times it’s not worth the cold temperatures. Clothing does not like humidity so you can store it sealed up in plastic containers, for example. Or if you do need some climate control but cannot afford it, maybe you can keep that stuff at home and put something else in storage to get the room that you need.

Storing in a common area – If you are not storing a bunch of smaller personal items but are looking at putting a car away or something like that for some time, then opt out of the individual storage unit and go for a common storage area. Older warehouses that have been converted to storage are great places for this. You can get some indoor, secured storage for less than half of what an individual unit may cost. For an even cheaper rate, if your stored item can stand being outside, such as a camper or a covered boat, than a common area outside or even in a partial shelter might be the cheapest option yet.

Getting a less secure storage unit – This can be a bit of a gamble but in most cases is fine. Instead of getting a storage unit with a live-on-site person with an outside fence and such, go for a cheaper setup where the storage buildings are more exposed. You will have less security but that extra security comes with a price tag attached to it. If you storage items really are not that valuable, buy a really nice lock, buy some real cheap storage insurance and don’t worry about it.

Piling it all in the backyard – The backyard is a great place to shove those old cars and boxes and things. Just don’t move next to me and do it! I’m just kidding, don’t do this as it looks horrible and attracts bugs, mice, and the code enforcement if it’s real bad.

So you can get some storage but it’s like everything else, you sometimes don’t need all of the fancy options to get what you need. So just pay for what will work for you.