Service Review: Public Storage Pt 2 Moving Out
I previously posted the first part of my review of Public Storage based on setting up my account and moving in to the facility.
Now that I’ve moved out and closed my account, I want to give a follow up on how that whole process went.
Overall, I am very satisfied with Public Storage and the service I experienced with them, and I continue to recommend them to anyone who needs short-term storage. Luckily, by starting my tenancy in the “off-season” (before the summer months when the rent prices jumped as demand increased) I was able to save a ton of additional money as well.
As far as moving out goes, my only complaint is that Public Storage needs to get it’s policies straight and either have a standard across the entire chain or let each location set their own policies. It was a little confusing as to what I was supposed to do before moving out.
When I set up the account, the location manager told me that on move out day, I’d just need to come into the office once I moved out my stuff and then close the account. Then when I looked at the paper work from my contract, it said I needed to notify Public Storage seven days in advance of my move. On the website, the FAQs state that you just have to remove your lock and tell them you’re out, and no advanced notice is necessary. I called the customer service line seven days in advance just in case to let them know that I was planning to move out. The representative I spoke to told me I had to call the location at least 2-3 days in advance to let them know I was moving out. When I called the manager at the site, he let me know that all I had to do was come see him once I was moved out and no notice was necessary.
That was a little frustrating, but I just made sure I covered all my bases and everything was fine. For future Public Storage tenants, I’d just make sure to go by what your site manager says.
Moving out (besides the actual physical moving) was a breeze. Once everything was out and I removed my lock, I went into the office. The manager closed my account and printed a final invoice for me, and I was done. That took about two minutes. Then I was done. I haven’t had any issues at all.
If you’re looking for a great storage option, you should definitely check out Public Storage. Compare their rates to other companies in your area, and if it’s best deal out there, go for it.
Moving Tomorrow - Here’s How I Saved Money
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m moving tomorrow. This is the second time this year, but thankfully it will be the last time for a while.
Our internet service is supposed to start at our new place tomorrow, but who knows if it actually will. So if there aren’t any posts for a few days, you know why. I’ve tried to schedule a couple posts in advance just in case.
But as a nice review, here are some of the moving tips I used to save money over this three month, double moving adventure:
- I reduced the amount of stuff I had to move by giving away or donating unneeded items and made some money by selling books to used book stores.
- I found free moving boxes by getting them from friends and rescuing them from recycling bins in my alley.
- I saved money by shopping around and taking advantage of the cheap first month’s rent at Public Storage.
- I saved money by not buying packing supplies and just using items I already had.
- I saved money by using resuable products for cleaning, like reusable Swiffer cloths and rags instead of paper towels.
- I prepared for moving day by putting together a moving day kit and planning ahead to save money on the day.
So the big move is tomorrow, and then I’ll be back blogging for you soon!
Thrifty Moving: Save Money on Moving Day
Moving can be really costly. Extremely costly. If you hire movers, packers, the whole nine yards, it can be a couple thousand dollars to make your move. Whether you’re moving across town or across the country, there are a few ways to reduce the costs.
I’ve already covered preparing for your move by getting free boxes and being creative to save money on packing supplies, but there are ways to save money on moving day as well. Here’s a few tips:
Enlist the free help of your friends and family
Everyone hates moving and most people try to avoid helping other move. Still, this is one of the easiest ways to save money. It may take some bribing, but usually you can convince friends and family to give you a hand. Promise to help them move when the time comes, or take the opportunity to help them move ahead of time so they’ll “owe you one.” If they won’t be moving any time soon, think about trading other IOUs–promise to help them remodel their kitchen or pet sit when they’re out of town.
Make sure to feed your helpers! If it takes all day, provide them breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They’re doing physical labor for free, so don’t let them waste away!
Find the Cheapest Truck Rental or Borrow a Friend’s
If you only have a short-distance move and are lucky enough to have a friend with a pick-up truck, try to bribe them to let you borrow it for your move. If you offer to reimburse them for gas, there’s no reason they should say no.
If that fails, you’ll have to rent a vehicle. Shop around to find the best deal in your area. Uhaul is usually the cheapest, but not necessarily since they charge you per mile on top of your rental rate. Talk to your friends and family about how much their moves cost. We found it was cheaper to go with Ryder who had an online promotion with a flat rate for an all day rental, mileage included.
Have Food and Water on hand
You’ll need to keep your energy up and your body hydrated since moving is such a physically taxing activity. Have easy to eat and nutritious finger foods on hand to munch on during short breaks. I think the tendency on moving day is to just go grab some fast food, which isn’t healthy and can be expensive. Think about visiting the grocery store the day before to pick up some eatables.
Make sure to have plenty of water or sports drinks like Gatorade on hand. Instead of buying tons of bottles, consider purchasing a portable water cooler, like this 5 gallon Rubbermaid watercooler
Make a Moving Day Kit
A few days before you move, or as you’re packing, assemble items you’ll possibly need on moving day into one easy to carry kit. This will prevent last minute shopping because you can’t remember where you packed a screw driver. Check out what I put in my kit.
Thrifty Moving: Make a Moving Day Kit
It’s moving day, your truck is half loaded. You scratched your arm on the edge of a box and have a pounding headache. To make matters worse, you need to take your bed frame apart but can’t find a screwdriver to save your life.
You know you have all those items, but can’t remember where they were packed in that sea of brown boxes. So what do you do? You run to the nearest store and buy all the things you need.
The easiest way to prevent this last minute, emergency and impulse spending is to have everything you could possibly need in one place. The best way I’ve found to do this is to assemble a moving day kit.
I’ve actually seen these “moving day kits” sold online, which is ridiculous. I was able to put ours together with things I found around the apartment. Check it out:
Here’s what the kit contains:
- First Aid Kit
- OTC Pain Medication
- OTC Allergy Medication
- Tools (hammer, hex keys, screwdrivers, box cutter, etc)
- Measuring Tape
- Scissors
- Flashlight
- Tape
- Notepad
- Pen/Marker
- Umbrella (they keep changing our weather forecast)
- Papertowels
- Moist Wipes
- Garbage Bags
We were lucky to have a travel first aid kit on hand, but obviously if you don’t then you don’t have to go out and buy one. A ziploc bag with bandages, antibiotic ointment, gauze, or whatever else you’d need should suffice.
Other things you may want to include:
- Paper Plates/Cups/Cutlery
- A deck of cards (for possible downtime)
- Cleaning Supplies
- Specific Medications you may need
- Anything else that will help with your move!
Put it all in a convenient carrying bag. We have ours in an old backpack which can be tossed in the truck and taken with us from location to location.
Thrifty Moving: Saving on Packing Supplies
I’ve already tackled the challenge of finding moving boxes for free. So now that you have the boxes, the next step is to pack up your stuff. Easier said than done.
One of the trickiest parts of packing is making sure you pack your items in a way that they will not break during their journey. Often the solution is to buy costly packaging materials.
Instead of spending more money, you can save money and possibly pack all of your stuff using items you already have or can easily get for free.
Here are some of the item’s I’ve used:
1. Newspapers
Newspapers are available in abundance everywhere, and usually you can get them for free (free newspapers or checking recycling bins). They’re great for wrapping dishes and other breakables, and also can be crumpled up to provide cushioning and fill in empty spaces.
The only downside is the ink will come off on your hands and on your stuff. Though it washes away pretty easily, the last thing you want to do when you unpacking is wash all your stuff before you put it away.
2. Grocery Bags
Paper or plastic will do. They’re great for wrapping fragile items, especially the paper bags. Either one can be crumpled up for cushioning.
When I’m packing things that could possible leak–toiletries like shampoo bottles or food items that are not sealed–I will usually wrap them in plastic bags just as a precaution.
3.Towels, Clothing, & Other Linens
Have a lot of random towels? What about clothes? Sheets? You’ll have to pack them as well, so you might as well get some extra use out of them. I use them to wrap anything: dishes, glasses, ceramic figures, lamps, vases, whatever.
I also roll them up to cushion items in boxes and fill awkward empty spaces to keep items from shifting.
4. Tissue Paper
You can easily go out and buy tissue paper for this purpose, but this is another item you make have around for free. It may come from gift bags or shopping trips and is usually tossed out, but keep it if you can! Again, this is perfect for wrapping fragile items in. In my last move I had an entire set of glasses wrapped in the pink tissue paper I got the last time I splurged at Victoria’s Secret.
5. Bubble Wrap & Other Mailing Supplies
If you buy a lot of things online, like we do, then you probably get a ton of bubble wrap, padded envelopes, and other packing supplies along with your order. Don’t throw them away! You can recycle them by using them again when you’re packing up before your move.
Don’t toss up those padded envelopes either! You can put appropriate sized items inside and also cut them open to wrap items in.
6. Yarn
I’m a knitter, so I have tons of yarn around, sometimes leftovers or balls I found at thrift stores or got for free that I haven’t used yet. I’m not going to throw them away obviously, and it’s stupid just to have a box of yarn when it can easily be utilized. Mostly I use it to cushion items and fill in empty spaces.
Most of all, be creative. If you’re moving soon, keep your eyes open when tossing stuff out and think, “Can I use this as a part of my move?” Using free resources around you can save you money.
Have any other suggestions or nifty ideas to save money while moving? Let me know.
See Also:
Finding Free Moving Boxes
Service Review: Public Storage
Service Review: Public Storage
As I’ve mentioned before, this summer is a little hectic for me in terms of shuffling myself and my stuff around as I move twice. Part of this chaos has included me putting the majority of my possessions in storage for three months. This is not an ideal situation, but it’s temporary so I cope with it, and of course sought the cheapest option possible.
I decided to go with Public Storage, after seeing many television ads and banners touting first month’s rent for just a dollar. I figured that pay $1 for the first month and then only paying full rent for two more months was the cheapest option in my area.
Their website is immensely convenient. I was able to search for all of the locations in my area (in Chicago, there’s a lot to choose from) and see the prices for each location. By browsing a couple locations, I quickly saw I could save about $10-20 a month at a location a little further away from my apartment, and then save $10 more at the location just a block north of that (I have no clue why they have two locations a block apart).
Using the website size guide and storage tips I selected the size unit I needed and reserved it online. The next day I got a call from the manager inviting me to come down and inspect the unit and fill out the paperwork. Easy as pie.
Unfortunately though, $1 is not all you will pay in your first month, and I did not find this out until I went in. The rent is $1, but there is also an administration fee and by law you have to have some sort of insurance. If you move in on any day besides the first of the month, they will pro-rate the rest of that month, and then your $1 rent will begin on the first of the next month. So since I moved in on April 30th, I was prorated for that day, and got May for $1. The administration fee was $22. I picked the cheapest insurance, $2000 coverage for $8mo. In total I paid $36.66. Not bad considering my normal monthly rent is $85.
Overall my experience has been great so far. I’ve had no problems with the facilities and the managers are very helpful. There are three options to pay rent each month: take it to the office, sign up for auto-bill pay, or pay online. I pay online each month, which takes about 1 minute of my time.
I highly recommended checking out Public Storage and of course comparing it to other options in your area to make sure they’re the cheapest option. From my experience their service is great, the facility is clean and well maintained, and customer service is very helpful.
Once I move out at the end of July I’ll post an update on how moving out goes, though I expect the transition out to be as smooth as moving in was. Update: part two of my review, covering my experience moving out and closing the account, is available here.
See Also:
Savings on Packing Supplies
Finding Free Moving Boxes
Thrifty Moving: Finding Free Boxes
At the end of this month I’ll be moving for the first time in three years, and then three months after that I’ll be moving again, so my mind is definitely focused on finding ways to make moving simple and cheap when it can be so costly and stressful.
Boxes are an essential element of the moving process–you have to pack your stuff up before it can be relocated. The thing that amazes me is people pay money for boxes, or even pay people to box up their stuff for them. I know many of these people are short on time or have other good reasons for this, but I really don’t mind doing a little work to save a good deal of money in return.
Here are some great tips on finding free moving boxes:
1. Keep Your Boxes
I feel like this is the most obvious tip, but I’ve had countless roommates who move every year at the end of their lease and every time they finish unpacking they toss (or recycle) their boxes. Then the next year they’re running around buying or trying to find boxes.
If you know your situation isn’t permanent and you don’t mind take up a little (yes, just a little!) closet space, then the simplest way to score free boxes is to just keep them!
The amazing thing about the technology of boxes is they break down. Once flattened they take up such a small amount of space, easily placed against the wall of a closet while other things can be stored in front of them.
I also do shop online from time to time to nab a great deal, and sometimes the boxes my items come shipped in are the absolute perfect size for packing books, dishes, or even as big as a normal moving box. So I flatten those and keep them too.
It’s so simple: if you already have the boxes around then you just have to pull them out, tape them up, and put stuff in them. No money required (except for the tape–unless you can score that for free as well ;).
2. Craigslist
Oh Craigslist. Such a wonderful tool. The free section is a great source for all kinds of things, including moving boxes.
Here in Chicago, where a lot of renters move on the 1st of the month, that’s the best time to check. Usually the boxes start popping up on the first, though some will continue to show up through the first part of the month. Of course, you can check anytime by simply searching the free section for “moving boxes.” All you’ll have to do is go get them
(Side tip: If you’re looking for furniture or electronics like TVs, the end of the month is a good time to look for those on CL as well, for free or for cheap. A lot of people preparing to move realize they won’t need/be able to fit their stuff in their new home and want to get rid of it quick.)
3. Grocery/Retail Stores
Having worked in retail, I’ve seen countless boxes come in with inventory each week. After they’re emptied they go in the dumpster. Such a waste, especially in the eyes of a thrifty mover.
So you can easily “dumpster dive” for these boxes and hope you find something useful that hasn’t been contaminated by something gross/rotting. Also, my recommendation, is whenever you’re in a store that you frequent or is convenient to your home, just ask about boxes. Most stores have a certain day of the week that they receive their inventory and can let you know what time would be best to come by.
We used to give away boxes all the time at the store I worked at, as long as people asked for them. We’d often even set them aside in the back room until they came by to get them.
4. Your Friends & Family
Other people move as well! And a lot of the time they won’t mind lending or giving you boxes from their most recent move. If you put out the word far enough in advance, they may even do some of the work for you, saving boxes from online purchases or grabbing empty boxes they seen thrown out at various places.
Networking is a great tool, even just to score some free boxes.
If none of these suggestions work for you, many moving & storage companies sell boxes, including U-Haul or Public Storage (which sells an apartment pack, which a lot of my roommates have used and loved). So if you need to buy boxes as the last minute, then you still have reasonable options.
See Also:
Saving on Packing Supplies
Service Review: Public Storage
