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Saturday 26 October 2013

Downsizing Your Current Home

It is just human nature for us to be 'hoarders'. We tend to accumulate items as we progress in our status in life. We have this so called 'hierarchy of needs' wherein we have progressive needs that build over time and in the process we end up having too much clutter in our life. This is evident if we look around our homes.

Having too many items in your current home is not healthily especially if you end up having too little space. Sometimes, we tend to accommodate such clutter in our house by making way for storage space that we end up having even more clutter. At some point in our lives, we just need to de-clutter our lives and homes especially if you are planning to sell up and move into a smaller place or an apartment. Having that in your plans, there is no way that all of your items will fit to the smaller apartment or living space. While it can be hard to part with belongings, it feels great when you de-clutter and have a lot less to store in your home. Sometimes, people find it therapeutic, too.

Don't wait for a major move, renovation or downsize of your home to de-clutter your belongings. Do a regular spring cleaning to make it easier for you when the time comes for these life changes to happen. Even if you don't, you will have a more livable space that sometimes could lead to healthy relationships with yourself, with others and your surroundings.

Here are some simple tips for clearing the mess before downsizing, just simple clearing your clutter:

Start by sorting - sort through your belongings and create a rough list of what you find. Write them down under "must keep", "want to keep" and "don't need" categories.
Find some storage - if you have items that you may want at a later date, but can't take them to your new home yet, find a storage unit near Brisbane or managed storage to keep it safe for a while. You can also find some storage for some seasonal items if you think you don't have enough storage space in your new home. But at some point, you just need to create some space in your new home for these seasonal items, to make it cost effective in the long-run.
Have a garage sale - selling items that you don't need can help pay for some of your moving costs.
Give it away - if you can't take some stuff with you give it it friends or charity. At least then it will go to a good home!
Be ruthless - the best advice is to be very strict about what you keep and what you throw away. If you are unsure or you don't see yourself using it within the next 3 months (shorter periods, the better) then you probably don’t need it.
Start a habit of regularly doing some spring cleaning. This will ensure that you will have a shorter checklist  to do when you are about to move.

Thursday 24 October 2013

Packing and Storing a Refrigerator

There are certain items in every household that need extra care and attention to move them safely and without causing any damage. Large size mattresses and sofas are a couple of such items, and heavy appliances such as refrigerators are another.  When you want to move your refrigerator to a new home or place it into self storage, then it’s a case of getting the right equipment together to do the job and get it out of the house and to where it’s going without causing damage.

Start by getting hold of a heavy duty trolley with safety straps to make the move much easier, it’s possible to rent these from equipment supply places. If it has to be lifted down stairs, consider renting a trolley with three wheels on each side, as it will be easier to pull down the steps.

Before you start moving the fridge, make sure it is completely defrosted and cleaned out. Any food left inside will soon start to smell and decompose and the smell can get pretty bad if left for a long time. The same applies if the fridge isn’t cleaned out properly and remnants of food are left in the corners or stuck to the shelves. Unplug it and leave it overnight to defrost before giving it a good clean, including the extra parts inside such as the shelves and egg holders.

Use tape to secure the shelves inside the fridge unless you decide to remove them and pack them separately, if you do then ensure you put them somewhere safe where you can find them again once settled in to your new place. Use rope to fasten the doors so they don't swing open when you are taking it out of the house or on the move as this could damage them. Make sure the electrical cord is also secured, either under the machine or by taping it to the back of the fridge. If you leave a fridge with the doors closed for a long time mould can start to form so if this is the case then leave the doors ajar until the actual moving day so air can get inside.

Slowly lever the trolley under the fridge from the back and shimmy it right under until the trolley can easily be tilted back. Use at least two people to move it out of the house - one to help guide it from the front and one to push the trolley. Take things slowly, especially if you have to negotiate stairs.

It is possible to lay a refrigerator flat on its back in order to move it; however this can cause it to be damaged much more easily than moving it in the stand-up position. There is a possibility when in a horizontal position that oil can seep into the cooling tubes which you don’t want as this could result in the fridge not cooling as effectively as it should.

Monday 21 October 2013

Common Reasons Why You Might Need Extra Self Storage Space

Years ago, it is not common to hire extra space or what we call now ‘storage space’ for personal reasons. It is usually considered and done for business purposes, including inventory, during renovation to store the pieces of furniture to give way for such, and during a move when equipment and pieces of furniture are expensive to sell and to buy again. 

Even when using storage for inventory, only usually big business would allocate space in their layout. Now, hiring extra self storage around Brisbane is becoming more and more common and the reasons behind it often share a lot of common ground. It is no longer just a business purpose, but it has become personal and an extension of someone’s personal life.

Here are the top reasons people need self storage or other self storage solutions:


  • More space - the more you can put into storage, the more room you will have in your home. Many people still want to keep some furniture and other items but may not want to use them in their home. There are some pieces of furniture, especially the antique or valuable ones that may not blend well in the design of your home, but are too valuable to just give away. Hence, you might want to just keep them until when you find a new home for these.
  • Moving house - there can often be some down time between moving out of a current address and moving into a new home. This usually happens when you are in the finishing touches in your new home that you can’t put your items yet. Also, it happens when you are putting your old place for rent or for sale, and you need viewers to have a better perspective in seeing the space of the home. Without clutter, they could envision how they want to set up their new home. For these kinds of instances, short term storage is the perfect solution.
  • Protect goods - storage can help you protect collectibles as well as antiques that you just don't have room for at home. Security and safety of storage facilities have become a standard requirement. Storage units are usually stored in fully-gated and secure warehouses, and only authorized representatives and personnel are allowed to access these units. Storage facilities are often more secure than keeping items in the garage or shed.
  • Spare equipment - businesses (especially kitchens and caterers) have a lot of extra equipment that they don’t need all the time. Storage lets businesses keep equipment they will need in the busier seasons out of the way during quiet times.
  • Inventory storage – this does not only apply to big businesses but also small entrepreneurs. As a small business, you would usually have an office space or even do it at home. Having a storage facility, even if it is small, you provide an extension for your office space by storing your inventory in these facilities.
  • Renting out your current space while travelling – this usually happens when people are thinking of long periods of travel and they would like to rent out their current place while they are away. And by doing so, you do not want to leave all your belongings to the new occupants. You only want to leave the basics and keep your very personal belongings on portable storage units. Usually, you will get a net profit from it, where the cost of renting mobile storage units is lesser compared to the rental income you get.


The list may not be comprehensive, but it gives an example of what are the common reasons of engaging a storage facility. From the list, you can see that there is an common underlying reason, which is extending your living or working space. Hiring storage has become more common and it is no longer expensive. And nowadays, it is even easier and more convenient to rent one. That is why, more and more people are utilizing portable self storage units now than before.


Buying Real Estate as Therapy

They say, shopping is therapy and if there is really any need to go for shopping, we usually subject ourselves to such due to undergoing form of emotion – we go shopping because we are under stressful situations or we are just unable to contain elation or happiness. Shopping would usually help us release these emotions and make us feel better at the end of the day.

The notion of ‘retail therapy’ is common practice whenever we undergo such emotion, but there are instances that consumers are turning to big purchases – say a car or some ‘real estate therapy’ to solve the bigger problems in their life. If retail therapy involving smaller purchases (but mind you, sometimes the smaller items can easily break a bank, too), would result to buyer’s remorse, bigger purchase have a higher likelihood to inflict such, especially if the payment is made thru time and it is difficult to escape it, resulting to default and bigger loses. However, there are certain extreme emotions that sometimes real-estate therapy could help, i.e. relocating to a new place could result to a better change.

One example of which is when people experience a traumatic or life-changing event, such as the death of a loved one or divorce. In this situation, change can help. It can often be easier to relocate to help deal with the pain, that is why, once it is over and loved ones have come into terms that the person who passed away will not come back, it is about time to move one and usually, having a change of environment can help. Although some resort to traveling, but others will view it as temporary. Sometimes, permanent change could be the answer – a time to start anew. Meredith Fuller, an Australian psychologist, agrees that relocating after an emotional upheaval can be therapeutic.

However, there are always two sides to a coin. Not all real estate therapy is associated with negative events. Just like retail therapy, wherein some form of elation or positive change can bring it about, relocation can also be triggered by positive changes, such as a new job or a growing family. This form of change is easily dealt with and usually, people look forward to it.

It is a known fact that any form of retail therapy, especially those prompted by emotions would often times result to buyer’s remorse. The same goes for big purchases, like properties. Like any property purchase, real estate therapy should be approached with caution. Moving house can entail unnecessary financial and emotional stress, so buyers must carefully consider the decision relocate to avoid buyer’s remorse. 
Even if such purchase has already been carefully thought of and planned, the stress that goes with the process of relocation can be unbearable – finding the right place (careful planning and selection should be done on this aspect), sorting out your current stuff, selecting a self storage facility to move your items temporarily, and moving movers to carefully move your items from your old house to the self storage and the new place. It may be a daunting task to just look at it from an overall perspective, but with careful planning, it could be just a breeze; the latest innovation with self storage near Brisbane are the portable units. Our self storage company will bring the portable storage units to your location, saving you the hassle of transporting it to the units yourself. While the convenience of the concept keeps the storage cost so low, it's really Supercheap Self Storage. What is constant in life is change. Change is good and change is always for the better, if done carefully and with due diligence. If done for the right reasons, change is good especially moving to a new place thru buying a new home. It does not only mean a new address but a new lease on life.

Friday 26 April 2013

Keeping Musical Instruments in a Self Storage Facility to Free up Space in the Home

Musical instruments are expensive and need to be taken care of well. Unfortunately, many people may live in dense, built up environments in small houses and they may not have the space to store their instruments and sound proofing to practice. The self storage facility can be a good option.
The making of music is almost as old as the first human that discovered pleasant sounds. It can be argued human beings are genetically inclined to make music. However, genetically inclined or not, the truth remains that people today may not tolerate your band practicing “Sweet Child of Mine” over and over or the still bad playing of your clarinet solo from “The Mission”. That, and apartments might not even have space for an entire drum set. If you face such a situation, do consider the self storage facility as a place to keep your instruments and to practise with your band. Here are some advantages to using the self storage facility.
1. Convenience
Many of the facilities have branches all over your state so you don’t have to go far to find one. However, you might have to ask the owner if it’s possible to practise in the unit you rent. It usually isn’t a problem but do check anyway just in case.
2. Noise (or the license to)
The last thing a musician needs is to control his own volume. You may annoy your neighbours at home but you don’t annoy anyone at the facility. Most people are there to pick up their goods or store them so you can make as much noise and mistakes you want over there.
3. Space
Of course, you have all the space to yourself to use. You don’t have to worry about your drum sticks or the bow of your double base hitting the wall. If you have a band, you can even opt for a bigger unit.

With these advantages, don’t rule out using one of the self storage facilities for your band practise. However, do take note that the maintenance of your instruments is your own responsibility. Your instruments need regular cleaning. Moisture can cause rust, the rosin left on the wood of your violin can damage the wood and the saliva in your flute can be really unhygienic. Always make sure your band and you are disciplined enough to clean your instruments after every practice session.

Keep packets of silica gel in your instrument cases to create a dry environment for the instruments. It might even be a good idea to have packets of silica gel placed in the unit itself to dry out the environment for better maintenance of the instruments.
The drawback to an enclosed unit might be the deafening noise that you are exposed to when playing. A good suggestion could be ear plugs. You need not get industrial ear plugs that cancel out all noise, just normal ear plugs that reduces the impact on your ear drums. A musician’s ear is very important and it is vital not to damage them.

Wednesday 24 April 2013

The Maintenance and Storage of Camping Equipment When not in Use


Camping has become one of the best family bonding activities or as a character development for children and youths. However, what many overlook is the maintenance and storage of camping equipment during the period when they are not in use. This article shows you some tips that might be useful. 

Camping – the best activity for families to bond and an excellent chance for children and youths to get out of the house into the great outdoors. Right before any camping trip, many people would make a trip to the camping equipment store to purchase tents, portable toilets, outdoor stoves, jack knives etc. You use these newly purchased, and quite expensive equipment in your camp, and when camp is over, store them somewhere. When the next trip comes, you retrieve the items you stashed away and you discover the tent has started to rip, the jack knife has rusted and your stove simply cannot start. It’s a trip to the equipment store again amidst a whole lot of cursing.
Sounds familiar? Here are some tips that soldiers, camping experts and outdoors men follow when it comes to the maintenance of their camp equipment.
1. Keep moisture away
Soldiers know that it isn’t necessarily the enemies that you fear most but moisture that creeps into your equipment. Moisture can destroy. It causes rust, so your jack knife isn’t sharp anymore and the metal parts of your stove, unusable. It can damage your tent by causing the polyurethane coating to stick to itself, ripping the material when peeled apart, and by encouraging mildew growth. Always remember to dry all equipment thoroughly before putting them away. This step is even more important if you are storing in a self storage facility as you will not be accessing it as much.
2. Keep an inventory
This is the most overlooked step but it is so simple. Whether you’re storing in your garage or in the self storage facility, you must have with you a list of all the items that you have purchased. Why is this important? It is because the items are seldom used and you will forget what you had put away in storage. This will save you money in the long run by preventing you from buying stuff you already have.
3. Wash all equipment
This is obvious for your mobile toilet. However, many forget that many items are placed on the ground full of foreign bacteria that can be brought back to your storage. Give everything a rinse with a hose and some antiseptic wash, and that includes your backpack. Then remember point number one.
4. Protect
A good tip to follow is to put what can go into your backpack in there. Lining the interior of the backpack with a plastic bag is optional with today’s material but it can give you that extra protection against moisture. The benefit of storing things in your backpack is of course, the convenient the next time you go camping. As for larger items, wrap them in plastic neatly in storage and they can last you a long time.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Preparation Tips For A Quick House Sale


So you want to see your house quickly? It can be a long process sometimes as competition is tough and it's a buyer's market. There are ways to increase your chances though which involve some elbow grease and hard work, read on for some practical ideas on how to sell your home as quickly as possible.

Selling a house quickly is possible to do, but it involves doing some work to get the result you want and that includes a lot of planning and preparation, organizational skills and even some creativity.

The best way to start is to pack up the things you never use, as you do this task it gives the chance to sort through your things and throw away those items that are old, unnecessary and useless. If you have an attic full of boxes this might be a good place to start, work your way from the top of the house down and concentrate first on storage spaces such as cupboards and closets, the spare room, and the basement or cellar.

Pack the things you intend to keep in cardboard or recycled boxes and if you have the space available stack them neatly in the garage out of the way of prospective buyers prying eyes. It’s actually an even better idea if you store them away from the house at a storage facility where you can rent a self-storage unit very cheaply and leave the property nice and clear of any junk that might distract viewers from the house itself, which is what you want them to see.

Leave those rooms you use the most until last, then clear out drawers and units, clear the counters and remove pictures and photos. The idea in these frequently-used rooms is to have your things organized in such a way they can be quickly hidden or put away when a buyer comes to have a look around. Baskets are attractive and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, whilst storage bins or boxes are great for holding kids toys and larger sized objects.

 The first things people notice about anyone else’s house is how untidy it is and if it’s clean. If you simply don’t have the time or motivation to spring clean the property then spend that money and get the professionals in to do it for you. You’ll be surprised at how fussy potential buyers can be and dirty bathrooms or kitchens are complete turn-offs. Get the carpets cleaned or the floors waxed and make the place shine like it never has before.

Your home has now become a show home, forget that is was once the family home and store away all those personal bits and pieces in boxes ready to be moved into the new place. Home buyers aren’t interested in your family photos, they want to see how much space is available in the living room and if there are enough cupboards in the kitchen.

When people are buying a place they want lots of storage space, this includes the garage too. If your selling literature states, ‘a 2 car garage’, then make sure that is obvious when anyone comes to look. People are very visual and not particularly imaginative! Get any repair jobs completed before putting the house up for sale, wear and tear on a property is not a good look.

Last, but not least, is to sort out the exterior of the property. Think about how your house looks when people see it for the first time. Does the front door need a new coat of paint? Is the garden well-kept and the grass cut? You could easily add some flowers to the front area to make it more appealing.