There are many ways renters can alleviate some of the stresses that come along with moving into self storage. Whether you want to free up space in your home or you’re transitioning into a new apartment, renting a storage unit offers many advantages, and moving in doesn’t need to be a difficult process. From finding the right storage unit, to packing tips, to moving day essentials, we’ve compiled suggestions to make your move into self storage a stress-free experience.

Stress-Free Move Checklist

1. Create a Budget

Reduce stress and plan for important costs by creating a moving budget. Be sure to include some wiggle room for unforeseen and variable costs like gas, food, and replacing old moving boxes. Keeping to a budget for moving into self storage can help you save money throughout the process.

2. Get Organized

Make an list of tasks that need to be completed before moving into your storage unit. These items may include obtaining packing and moving supplies, renting your storage unit, reserving a moving truck, or hiring movers, depending on the amount and size of items you’ll be storing. Create a moving checklist to ensure your transition goes as smoothly as possible.

3. Plan Ahead

As soon as you have a moving date nailed down, start planning. Begin doing research on self storage facilities in your area and reserve a storage unit in advance in order to guarantee availability. Need a moving truck? Make your reservation early.

4. Pack Early

Many self storage facilities, like Storage Etc., offer packing and moving supplies for sale in their offices. Pick up boxes, bubble wrap, tape, and packing peanuts and get packing. Save time in the long run by packing everything you can ahead of your moving date. If it’s not essential to your daily life, pack it up!

5. Ask For Help

It may be difficult to ask for help sometimes, but trying to move into a storage unit all by yourself can add unnecessary stress. Everyone has moved at least once in their lives, and they understand how hard the process can be. Reach out to family, friends, and neighbors to see if they can spare some time to help you move heavy furniture, pack, or sort through your belongings. You may want to sweeten the deal with the promise of pizza at the end of the move.

6. Have a Backup Plan

You likely won’t need a complete backup plan for moving into self storage, but it’s important to be prepared in case certain elements of your move change abruptly. If your movers don’t show up or your friend with the truck bails at the last minute, it’s essential to have a backup plan in place. Keep a short list of movers and friends to help out in a pinch.

7. Clear Out the Clutter

As you begin the packing process, this is the perfect opportunity to clear out the clutter and move only what is necessary into your new storage unit. Anything you haven’t used in a year and you may not need again should be donated or put in the trash in order to eliminate unnecessary clutter.

8. Create a Moving Day Survival Kit

Before moving day, pack a survival kit to keep you and your helpers well-fed, hydrated, and stress-free. Your survival kit can include snacks, bottles of water, phone chargers, important documents (such as your storage unit number and gate entry code), and petty cash to pay for coffee, lunch, gas, and unforeseen costs.

9. Stay Rested

One of the best ways to ensure you have a stress-free move is getting enough sleep, especially the night before moving. It’s easy to put sleep on the back-burner when you’re working feverishly to get everything packed, but keep in mind that the less sleep you get, the more likely you’ll feel overwhelmed by stress. Make sleep a priority.

10. Reward Yourself

Plan on rewarding yourself for all of your hard work. Treat yourself to a nice dinner, a massage, or pizza on the couch with your significant other after a long day of moving into self storage. Knowing you have a reward waiting for you helps keep you motivated and the stress at bay during your move.

Enjoy a Stress-Free Move into Self Storage

Moving into a self storage unit can be super easy when you plan ahead and take care of yourself. At Storage Etc., we provide our renters with clean storage units and quality facilities in order to reduce your worries on moving day. Plan ahead by finding a Storage Etc. facility near you and get organized in your move to self storage.