Recently, I went to visit some friends who live about an 1 hour north of Calgary.  They live in a log home that was built in the late 1980s.  They do not have central heat in thier home.  Instead, they use a wood stove.  They have lived in the home for over 10 years, and they enjoy using this method to heat their home.  I asked them where they put all of their wood.  They showed me where it was stored.  They had purchased a storage unit , which they leave on thier property during the cold season.  I told them that was a great idea.  Not only does it store the wood, but it also helps to keep it dry.

Do storage facilities allow tenants to store firewood?  I have a lot of firewood on my property, and I do not need it for the summer.  I want to save the wood, so I would like to store it to keep it dry.  I know that most places do not allow living or organic items, but would they make an exception for firewood?  I guess I could store it outside, but I feel it would keep the wood more dry if I used self storage .  It would take a little work to pick up and drop off, but it would be worth it.

All self storage properties have a way of disposing belongings left by someone who fails to pay thier bills.  Most places auction the items.  An auction is an excellent way to get a lot for a little.  If someone fails to pay over a certain period of time, the manager opens the space and allows bidding to the public.  While most places dont let you inside the unit, they let you bid on the space from outside, so you get a good idea of whats inside.  I have seen someone get a nearly brand new snowboard for less than $100. 

I recently helped my neighbor move some things out of her sewing room.  She had an average bedroom transformed into a sewing station.  She tailors clothes in her spare time.   However, after a few years, she had accumulated more stuff than she had room for.  She decided to get a storage unit for her extra fabrics and equipment.  I helped her move everything.  It took three trips in a pick up truck .  At least i was rewarded with a free dinner.

Part 1.  A Strange New Lock

The year was 1965.  The sun was shining bright in the beautiful city of Saskatoon, SK.  A young girl was playing in a field behind the apartments her and her mother lived in.  She had always loved to pick flowers and give them to thier nieghbors.  As she skipped across a sea of dandilions, she noticed something shining in the dirt.  As she reached down, she realized it was a lock.  It looked similar to the lock momma used on her storage unit down the street.  However, this lock was unusually clean and shiny for being in the dirt.  A small key was attached to the lock bolt, which fit the lock perfectly.  She began making her way back to the apartment complex, but stopped suddley when she heard a noise.  She was sure it came from the lock, but that was crazy.  She heard the noise again, and this time the lock vibrated slightly in her hand. 

Part 4.  A History Lesson

Mona went to bed later that night, having had an exciting day.  She laid PL down beside, and had to warm him up before she could snuggle with him.  He was, after all, made of steel.  Soon, she was in a deep sleep, dreaming about PL, the movers , and mommas storage unit .  When she awoke, it was again bright and sunny outside.  Mona quickly jumped out of bed, threw her clothes on and put PL in her bookbag, and ran into the living room.  After doing her chores, she grabbed her bookbag went down to the basement level of the apartment complex and knocked on door 2B.  Roger Wilson lived there.  He was an old man who had lived in the same apartment for over 40 years.  Mona wanted to see if Roger could give her a clue as to where the pad lock might of come from.  When he answered, he was delighted to see her.  The two had cold glasses of Iced Tea and home made chocolate chip cookies.  When Mona brought up the subject of what used to be in the old field behind them, she was told there was once houses there.  Each house had looked almost exactly alike, Roger told her.  He even produced a picture of the nieghborhood, two years before it was destroyed.  Mona couldn't help but notice a small shinging object sitting on the porch railing of the house directly in the center of the picture.

Once, while at my parents house, I tried to determine what sized storage unit they would need if they planned to move.  I began counting all thier furniture.  Yes, I was really bored.  They live out in the middle of nowhere.  The have two bedrooms, the master and my sister's room.  They also have a game room complete with pool table, and a 2 car gargae with sheet metal equipment.  My parents own a Heating and Air Conditioning business, so the garage is a shop.  I determined that they needed at least a 10x30 for the house, and a 10x20 for the garage.  Too bad they don't need storage right now.

There was once a guy who called in about storing guns.  While I did not think it would be a problem, I advised that the manager would have to give the ok.  The man was not happy about that.  He demanded to know why I couldn't tell him if guns could be stored.  I explained that I was at a reservation center, and that the manager has to make those decisions.  He said he would go somewhere that would take his business.  I later found that no properties in the area allowed guns to be sold.  I am assuming he had to find another place for them.

A friend of mine got a call the other day.  The person calling started the call by asking some unusual questions.  He first wanted to know if there were outlets and lights in the units.  He then wanted to know if there were windows in the spaces.  When my friend asked what he was planning to store at the storage facility, he said he wanted to live there.  He said he wanted the outlets so he could watch porn, and didn't want anyone looking in when he was doing obscene things.  My friend promptly ended the call.

I have finally decided to clean my winter storage space out.  I have not been able to find half of the clothes I have in there because there is so much clutter.  I feel that I will have to set aside more than one day to make sure it all gets done.  I am not looking foward to it because I like to procrastinate.  I know the space is the right size, I just need to organize it better.  I will be able to actually use the space once this is all done.

The best way to save space is by learning to condense.  By stacking and condensing your things, you will be able to save a ton of space.  Some people spend a ton of money on a storage unit .  But if you can part with things you do not need, then pack the things you do, you can wind up fitting a lot in a little space.

Sometimes I want to write blogs, but I have nothing to say.  Most of my blogs are about storage , since that is my job.  But you can only say the same thing so many times.  Self storage is not necessarily the most exciting topic.  However, I feel by writing blogs about this topic, others can get help and make smart shopping decisions.  Most everybody I work with truly wants to help people as much as possible.

I recenly read a good article about self storage in America.  It seems Americans are finally starting to scale back on extras.  The article, from the New York Times, discussed a few situations in which self storage has helped people when they are going through major life situations.  It is important to remember that storage if often cheaper than that of paying rent.  One tenant at a facility in general, had put all of his things in there, and lived out of his truck, so he could pay past due bills.  Storage is definatly on the rise.

My grandparents live in a huge home.  As I have mentioned before, most of their free space goes towards storage .  However, they recently took a large upstairs bedroom and turned it into two smaller rooms.  My grandfather did a great job on the space.  The coolest part was that the bedroom had origianly been two rooms.  When my dad and his sister still lived at home, the rooms had been their bedrooms.  I never got to see what my dads room looked like.  Now that the room is split again, I can picutre the size and shape of the room my dad once called his.

Why in the world are there storage units out there that dont have a fence around them?  In a time where businesses are robbed every 10 minutes throughout the nation, would it not be a smart decision to make sure a property is well secured.  Apparantly, there are still people out there who would rather sacrifice security that to pay a few extra bucks.  I can not stress enough the importance of the phrase, you get what you pay for.

What is the difference between self storage in Canada and storage in the United States?  Not much, actually.  Nearly all storage facilities in Canada are modeled after US facilities.  This is mostly due to the history of the storage industry.  When storage units in the United States became popular, most entrepenuers decided to expand into the great north.  They created properties similarly, and began to operate them in the same fashion as well.  The properties in Canada even use feet as the space measurement size, although Canada uses the metric system.