With self-storage now cheaper than ever, and accommodation and housing prices simultaneously higher than ever, many people are seeing storage as a lifestyle choice, having it there to keep their homes adaptable and clutter free, without filling cupboards, underbed spaces and sheds to the point of exploding.

Ironically, getting things out of the way makes everything easier to access, easy to find, and much nicer to be around!

The team here at easyStorage put their heads together and identified five crucial stages in life when you need storage – often fast!

1. My room, my kingdom

We’ve grown bigger, but our rooms don’t grow with us. We’re not quite ready to throw away Teddy, but the one your first love just gave you needs some space.

Friends are coming for sleep-overs, and not only do we need somewhere to put them, we just don’t want them to see that you’ve held onto that lovely card from your first friend, your first football boots, DVDs of children’s films. The list is endless. (I refuse to part with Shrek on DVD - sorry not sorry, as they say!)

Cue self-storage. Whip out the packing boxes and store away to your heart’s content, leaving the space under the bed free for spare pillows and mattresses for visitors, rather than boxes you’d really rather no-one opened except you.

We won’t tell if you don’t!

2. University

For students and parents alike, self-storage is a Godsend for University students.

Rather than lug everything home from halls or houses that need vacating over the summer or holiday periods, self-storage allows you to keep those belongings together.  Travel stress free to the family home, friends’ houses, or even (if COVID ever goes away) to head off backpacking.

Grateful parents will receive their students home with open arms if they turn up on the doorstep with only the essentials rather than an entire houseful of goods.

It works for parents too. While the students are away, they can use self-storage to release up a bedroom until the wanderers return – removing whatever it is that they’ve been keeping in the room for use at a later date when the wanderer inevitably heads out again.  

Again, we won’t tell if you don’t!

3. Entry into the professional world (first job)

It comes to most of us in the end: the World of full-time work.

Whether you went straight out to work, went to University straight from college before heading out, took a gap year or were lucky enough to get an apprenticeship, these all involve a lot of change.

When moving into a house-share or your own space, or simply needing your room in the family home to meet its new role in your life, self-storage is a great way to hold onto what you may want or need later. It’s a great way of ensuring that you have the space to both relax, and to house your work clothes and any equipment you need.

4. Moving in Together/Just Married!

Two become one and two lots of possessions suddenly need space. There’s the fabulous (hideous but expensive) vase that Aunty bought for your new lives together; an entire childhood’s worth of sports trophies; pictures your partner hates; and the best gadgets you think you’ll need but never use. (I recently bought an amazing bottle opener, but sadly still can’t figure it out!)

A good deal of tact is needed at an already stressful time. To help you enjoy the excitement rather than feel the stress, self-storage can postpone not only decisions about what you will and won’t need, but also awkward decisions about how to tell your partner that you hate their prized possession.  

You can take things out of storage gradually, building a home to your combined tastes and style. And of course you can whip out that vase just before Aunty comes to visit.

And - you guessed it = we won’t tell if you don’t!

5. Growing Families

First babies come with a whole lot of fuss and fanfare. Ready or not, the new family member will turn up when he or she is good and ready. If you’re lucky enough to get the time before Baby One’s appearance, you may be reordering and redecorating your home.

You’ll need space for cribs or cots, baby chairs, prams, baby clothes, baby baths and other baby equipment. Sometimes you just have to wonder how people ever managed before all of this equipment came along to make our lives easier.

To make space for the decorating and reorganisation, self-storage can be a real blessing.

But then comes the bad news. Babies grow fast. Really fast. Within months they’ll be out of their first set of babygrows. Within a year, baby chairs may be replaced by child guards, baby gates, walkers, potties and more.  Before you can say ‘where did the time go?’ they’ll be off to nursery or primary school.

The ‘stork’ may later deliver siblings, or there may be friends who want to stay over. Or even incredibly large sports equipment to store. (My son was a hockey goalie. The padding alone took up a triple sized sports bag.)

This constant change puts demand on space, and self-storage offers parents the space to put things that they want to keep but aren’t currently using. For those who are planning ahead to more offspring, keeping all the baby paraphernalia makes a whole lot of sense, to avoid a second load of spending.

CPAG estimates that just to clothe them from birth to adulthood costs around £16,000 – not including footwear. Much of the time, young children have grown so fast that their clothes are barely worn. It makes sense to store them. No-one needs to know clothes are hand-me-downs.

And, of course: we won’t tell if you don’t!

To get a no-obligation quote for self-storage, easyStorage has an online calculator/booking site: https://book.easystorage.com/

There’s even a calculator to see how much space you need: https://book.easystorage.com/need-help-deciding

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