If you've made the decision to visit a self-storage business, like Pearl Street Self Storage, to look at the available units and rent some space to provide extra storage for your possessions, you might be thinking about how you can reduce your monthly bill.
While shopping around to find the most cost-effective storage facility is one idea, a universally acceptable approach is to take a serious look at what you're thinking about storing and see how you can reduce it. Many people make the mistake of storing things they won't ever need again, and by avoiding this miscue, you'll be able to fit your items into a smaller space that best suits your budget. Here are three ways to reduce what you'd otherwise be planning to store.
Charitable Donations
Think about the various charitable organizations in your community. While many people support these groups through cash donations, donating items is also acceptable. Some such organizations have stores that sell used home items to raise funds for people in need. In other cases, your donations go directly to people who can benefit from them.
Call a couple of these groups to determine their current needs; they could have an immediate need for furniture, clothing, towels or even children's toys. Although helping people in need is the main perk of donating your goods in this manner, you can often receive a tax receipt for your generosity. Either way, you'll be reducing your items to allow you to rent a smaller storage unit.
Giving To Young Adults
Whether you have children who are young adults, nieces and nephews in this age group or you have friends with children of this age, your donations of household items can often be helpful if they're getting established in life. Young adults moving into their first apartments or buying their first homes can benefit from gently used furniture, kitchen accessories and more.
Reach out to people in your life who may have a need for what you have; a smart idea is to compile a list and distribute it by email with the instructions that the first person to claim each item gets it. You'll be able to whittle down the things you'd otherwise be storing and, as a result, find a smaller storage unit that suits your budget.
Helping Local Groups
If you want to give some of your items away, you don't necessarily have to target charitable organizations. Think of groups that are involved with your life and determine if they have a need. Your church might wish to have a gently used couch for its youth group room; your child's soccer association could benefit from the coolers that are gathering dust in your garage.
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