How to pick the right size storage unit? In a city where the apartments are small and the dreams are big, cheap storage NYC units are ever more important to living an uncluttered life and freeing your mind to chase your dreams. More than 200,000 people are drawn to the Big Apple each year, and fortunately, there are storage solutions of all sizes available. Follow these 10 best tips to get cheap storage and you’ll be one step ahead!
1. Large Unit, Small Unit – Know Your Size
Size matters in the storage game. Underestimate the size of the unit you’ll need and you’ll be stuck with a unit that’s too small for all your worldly treasures — meaning forking out extra dollars when you least need the surprise. Most people tend to underestimate the size and quantity of what needs to be stored. The reason for that may be that our mind translates “bigger items” and “more stuff” to be “more money”. Another reason may be that it’s hard for a non professional eye to visualize quantities unless everything is packed in boxes and concentrated in a room. Whatever the reason may be, underestimating the amount of stuff that you are looking to store may easily lead to a quote for a storage unit that is too small. Yes, the price sounds great, but you`ll rent a van or pay a mover to move your stuff into storage only to find that it doesn’t fit and you need another unit. And BAM! There goes your savings.
Some people may do the opposite and overestimate the amount of space that they need in storage only because they are moving out of a 5 bedroom house that may seem to have an inventory that requires a large storage space. In practice, after the garage / moving sale and disposal of items, you may not have the typical 5 bedroom amount of stuff anymore. If you go for a long term storage, the amount of money that you can save on the unneeded space may get to hundreds and even thousands of dollars per year!
Storage units are shaped as a cube and therefore the amount of stuff that fits in them is being measured by Cubic Feet which is the multiplication of 3 dimensions – height X length X width.
If a cheap storage NYC facility is offering you a great deal on a 10 x 10 x 8 unit you should do the simple math (10 by 10 by 8). That tells you that the size of the room is 800 cubic feet. An estimate from a professional mover will tell you the total volume of your inventory in cubic fit and you’ll know if it fits in this unit size or not. it will also allow you to compare price with different facilities and rent the right cheap storage NYC unit.
If you are not using a mover, you can measure each item and use a free calculator WebSite Page to convert the volume to Cubic feet.
2. Commit and Stay Longer
A long stay means a steady income for the storage facility without trying to fill up the unit again and again – an attractive proposition for them. Since the competition is big out there , cheap storage NYC facilities, especially in New York and New Jersey, are tempting clients to store with them by offering a free van for a self pickup or even a free move to storage done by professional movers as long as you commit to stay for a longer period of time. Other goodies may include 1 month free storage or sometimes even two, depending on the length of your stay. Many will also offer $1 for the first month and so on. Be sure to shop, compare, and look for the freebies!
3. Dont Search for High-end Climate Controlled Storage
Before you Google “Climate controlled storage units new york” ask yourself if you even know what it means. While a temperature controlled storage may protect your furniture from extreme heat in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter, a climate controlled facility is also balancing the humidity level in the room. However, unless you are planning to store oil paintings, your wine collection, musical instruments, items made of iron that are subject to corrosion or anything else that is sensitive to high humidity, you may go to a cheap storage NYC facility and save tons of money.
4. Be Prepared
When you move your items to storage and have to deal with finding a friend with a van, truck rental, or hiring movers, the last thing that you’ll be thinking about is buying a padlock for the unit or a cover for your mattress and furniture. Of course, storage facilities are more than aware of this unpreparedness and are there to sell you the necessary at hugely inflated prices. You’ll see all these last minute items for sale as soon as you enter the door. Save money by wrapping your furniture prior to moving it out of your house, buy a mattress cover or mattress boxes and get a padlock. Waiting until the last minute to grab these often overlooked items will save you a pretty penny.
5. Pay in Advance
NYC Storage units love cash in advance! Don’t we all? And they’re often willing to offer you a discounted price to pay in advance. Don’t forget to check with the storage company to see how much money you can save if you pay in cash and save them the credit card fees or if you pay for a few months or a year in advance. It may get you some free time in storage as well as a reduction of the monthly rate. Remember that self storage in New York and New Jersey is a very competitive market and many of the cheap storage NYC companies will go the extra mile in order to have your business.
6. Free is Unbeatable
While a free month in storage is a known incentive, and sending a free moving van for you to load is realy helpfull, more and more moving companies and cheap storage NYC facilities have started offering a free move to storage with professional movers coming to wrap and load the stuff for you. Remember – free is unbeatable!
7. Warehouse vs Self-Storage
Very few local NYC movers or NJ moving companies own self storage buildings which means that a mover can often offer to store your items in their warehouse, an open space with wooden crates or pallets. It usually won’t be climate or temperature controlled, nor will it have designated rooms or strict security. It’s also limited to a 90-day stay, so if you’re looking for short term solutions and looking for short term cheap storage NYC and New Jersey, this may be the best way for you to save money and keep it simple.
8. Mobile Storage and Storage Container Rentals
Another way to find cheap storage and get a free move or even avoid a move at all is to rent a mobile storage container if you’re lucky enough to have a large driveway or other space to keep the mobile storage on. All you need is helping hands to move the stuff in and out of the unit and lock it when you’re done. If you don’t have a place to leave it, the mobile storage companies usually offer to carry the container to their warehouse and bring it back when you are ready. This option will save you money on storage as long as you are willing to load and unload by yourself.
9. Look Outside the City for Even Cheaper Storage
If you don’t need to add or remove stuff from your unit frequently, sending it further out to the suburbs will get you much better rates and even with add-ons such as humidity control, drive up to the unit sections, and 24/7 security. It will definitely be cheaper than what it is in the city.
10. Pack the Right Way
Self storage is actually an art and a science. One thing that people usually don’t think about when they prepare for the move is the way they pack their boxes and containers. Tip 1: Fill up the boxes. Theme-based packing will leave boxes half empty and leave you with double the number of boxes and a bigger and a more expensive storage unit to rent. Tip 2: Don’t overfill the boxes with heavy items. Make sure you’re able to pick them up without breaking your back. Tip 3: Use the same size boxes as much as possible. That way they will stack more easily and will be less likely to tip.
