Moving around Fall River, Massachusetts from one house to the next is difficult enough, but moving out of the country and overseas is a completely different story. Moving is never fun, but having to deal with all your belongings when you might not know exactly how much room you’ll have for them in another country makes it even more challenging.
Making Adjustments
Living spaces in other countries outside the United States are often much smaller than what we’re used to at home. There are lots of things that you just won’t have room for, such as heirlooms, keepsakes from your childhood, trophies, large collections of books and other non-essential items.
However, chances are you don’t want to throw out all your old things – you never know when you might want to look through your high school yearbook or show someone your first pinewood derby car. Some things are just too important or filled with memories to just throw away or sell on eBay.
So if your plans involve a 2-year move to Germany, South Africa or Japan and you know you’ll be coming back after moving out of the country, you very likely won’t be selling all your things or taking them with you. For people who don’t own their own home or have a place to leave such things behind, one solution is to rent a long term self-storage space.
Lots of Storage Options
Different sizes of long term self-storage spaces are available, depending on the amount of furniture, clothing and other important items you need to store. If you are moving for business, check with your company about storage allowances that are frequently available in relocation packages. This could cover your costs for monthly storage or at least help make it more affordable.
Affordable Storage in Fall River, for example, has long term self-storage spaces available from 5 feet x 5 feet in size all the way up to 10 feet by 20 feet, plus options for vehicle and recreational vehicle storage. You can use their handy online space calculator to help you figure out how much space you’ll need before you rent the space. Check out the space descriptions for more information on what types of items work best in each space.
Tips for Sorting Storage Items
Moving out of the country for any length of time can be intimidating. Make your move easier by going through the items you’ll be storing. Here are some tips to make knowing what’s in storage – and what isn’t – a lot easier.
#1 – Consider Making a List
Some people are list makers. You can make a hard-copy list or keep a list on your computer, tablet or smartphone. There’s probably an app for it if you look hard enough. When moving out of the country it’s easy to forget what’s in storage, and when you go to look for something it’s nice to know where you can find it. Some people just make a room-by-room list of objects, while others neatly pack things in boxes, label the boxes numerically or alphabetically and make a list of items that are inside. Whatever works for you is always the best solution.
#2 – Furniture in Back, Important Items Up Front
Put all of the large, heavy items in the back of your long term self-storage, such as furniture, appliances and other big items. That way, your smaller items, boxes and special things will be at the front of the storage and easy to find if you need to send a friend or relative to retrieve them or for when you come home. Organization is key. You don’t want to have to dig through a bunch of heavy furniture when you get back just trying to find your winter coat after spending a couple years in a tropical location.
#3 – Give Away Things You Don’t Need
If you have a younger sibling or friend who is moving out on their own, consider giving away or lending pieces of furniture rather than storing them when you are moving in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. If you have old clothes that you know you won’t want when you get back, see if anyone wants them or consider donating them to a local church or community center that can really use them. Small appliances that might become out-dated or get into disrepair in a couple years’ time can also be given away when you are moving out of the country.
Affordable Storage in Fall River Makes It Easy
If you are moving in Fall River, Massachusetts, or anywhere else in the South Coast area, to another country outside the U.S., consider moving your things to Affordable Storage in Fall River. They offer 24/7 security surveillance, feature keypad entry and run a very clean and well-maintained facility. They can also store your car, boat, motorcycle or RV and even offer disk locks for added strength and security.
Call the on-site manager at Affordable Storage in Fall River for more information. You can even rent a Penske Truck for moving your items into storage through their office, as they are an authorized Penske dealer. You can reserve a long term self-storage unit online today and there are options available that allow you to set your account up for automatic payment or make monthly payments online.