Storage wars: how best to store your stuff

If you're like most people, your stuff has a way of creeping up on you. Your apartment might have seemed downright cavernous when you moved in, but even just months in, your place feels packed to the brim. And with many modern units sizing down on storage, just where are you supposed to store your stuff?

Short-term storage

Traveling for a couple months? In between leases? Renting out your spare room? Originally developed as a summer storage service for out-of-town university students, companies like Store Your Dorm and UniversityBoxes.ca will pick up your packed items and deliver them back to you when school starts (or on your requested date), a convenience you might find well worth the price. Don't let their collegiate-themed company names fool you though, these and similar services offer storage options outside of just the summer months, and will take large items like furniture too.

Flexible storage

Looking for even more flexibility? Say you're a clotheshorse with an extensive collection of ballgowns. Or an expert and collector of rare artifacts. While these examples might be extreme, we've all found ourselves in a situation in which we're out of space to store our things, but we still want easy access to them. A service like BoxIt will provide you with plastic bins, along with use of an online portal for you to catalog what's going into each of your boxes. Then, when you find yourself in need of your feathered A-line dress, or an 18th century sitting room tchotchke, you can simply log into their website and request next day delivery of the specific box your item is housed in.

DIY storage

Want to keep it simple? With a bit of ingenuity, you can maximize the storing capacity of your apartment, no matter how small it is. Extra hooks, shelves, and hidden bins can give you extra space where you didn't think you had any. Conversely, if you have large, bulky items that you won't need for a while, but can't bear to part with, a no frills self-storage unit could be your best bet. Popular in most major cities, you'll be able to find a reasonably priced and conveniently located facility for your great-aunt's antique curio cabinet, as long as you're willing to move it in and out yourself.