Want to save money on your upcoming move? The best way to minimize the cost of moving is to prepare in advance and be really well organized – here are our top tips for saving money:

• Declutter early – sell, donate, giveaway or take to tip all items you don’t want to move – don’t pay to move something you don’t need
• Oh and don’t wait to the last day to start decluttering !
• Hire a skip bin – if you are a bit of a “collector” consider hiring a skip bin 2-3 weeks before your move to get rid of unwanted items before the move
• Pack all smaller items (clothes, linen, bedding, kitchen cupboard contents, cleaning materials) into cartons or sturdy plastic tubs and seal them before move day
• Where possible use standard removals cartons to ensure they stack quickly and easily in the truck – using standard removals cartons can save more than one hour on a local move
• Move your packed cartons into the garage, front room or onto your verandah so they are easy to access and quick to pick up on move day
• Empty your fridge and freezer, unplug all electrical items and take the dryer off the wall
• At the delivery house decide in advance where you want the large items placed so the crew can put them into the correct room for you
• If you have a suitable area, ask the crew to put all your cartons and tubs into one place – garage, front room etc – so that you can unpack at your leisure
• Remember to let us know well in advance if you have any very large or very heavy items which may need special handling – piano, billiard table etc

We are always here to help – feel free to call us if you would like more tips and advice to help you get ready for your move.

What do you mean “Mobile Storage” ? We all know and understand traditional storage options – large shed, long way out of town, you have to work out how to get your stuff out there and then you also have to work out how to get all your stuff into the blinking shed. Well how about re-imagining storage ? That’s what we have done here at Stash+Lode.

Mobile Storage Units are just what the name says – secure, weather-proof, insulated storage units (think of a brand-new, clean mini-container) – that can be loaded onto a truck or trailer and brought out to be left at your residence for you to pack in your own time, in your own way. And there’s more. You can then keep your mobile storage unit at your home so that you have on-the-spot access or we can pick it up and bring it back to our dedicated depot for storage (which also has 24/7 access, but just at our house)

Here are just some of the great ways you can use mobile storage units to save time and money:

* DE-CLUTTER – prepare your home for sale – every real estate agent will tell you to de-clutter your home to get the best price. We can deliver the mobile storage unit to your residence and you can work with your agent to move personal items into the unit to streamline the presentation of your house. You can keep the unit at your property for quick access or we can pick it up and take it back to our depot until your home is sold.

* RENOVATE – we deliver to your home and then as you renovate rooms or areas of your home, use the mobile storage unit to keep furniture clean and out of the builders way. As you finish a room, move the furniture back to the house and then move the next room to the mobile storage unit. Finished renovating ? – call us and we come and pick it up. Easy !

* HOBBY OR HOME BUSINESS – need some extra space for stock or materials for your hobby or home business ? We can deliver the mobile storage unit and place it as required. You can store goods, set up shelving or a work bench, get on with your hobby or side-hustle and when you are finished for the day, lock the doors and go back to an uncluttered house.

* GOING OVERSEAS or JOINING THE GREY NOMADS ? – want to rent or Airbnb your house while you are gone ? Use a mobile storage unit to place personal, valuable or fragile items in a safe and secure environment and you are ready to go – your house is now (almost) tenant proof !

* BUILDING A NEW HOUSE ? – want to live on site while you build but just not enough room in the caravan ? Mobile storage units will keep your belongings clean and secure, but still at hand in case you need them, while you are building your dream home.

* BETWEEN SETTLEMENTS ? – sold one house but not yet able to find or access a new house ? We deliver, you load, and then we take your goods back to our depot in the secure storage unit/s – and when you get access we can deliver the storage units to your new house. One of the most amazing benefits of using mobile storage units is NO DOUBLE HANDLING into and out of a storage shed, so saves you a ton of money and eliminates damage from double handling.

* JUST GOT TOO MUCH STUFF ? – rent a mobile storage unit, or two or three – we can make space for almost anything.

So many opportunities – this is why mobile storage units are really shaking up the traditional storage world – clean, secure, mobile, flexible and cost effective. TRUST US – Storage will never be the same again !

If you want to avoid a nasty shock when you open up your storage unit here are our Top Tips for Stashing your Stuff:

• Ensure your fridge is empty, room temperature inside and perfectly dry – or you might find some furry, green friends inside when you open it up
• Dry the inside of your washing machine thoroughly and if it is fitted with a barrel locking system fix the washing drum during the move and storage
• Place mattresses into plastic mattress bags to keep them dry and clean
• Don’t put leather lounges or leather chairs into plastic – they may sweat and mould – leather is best protected with natural fibre covers
• Use quality cardboard boxes or sturdy plastic tubs for storing small items – cheap cardboard boxes will crush and collapse during storage leading to damage and breakages, cheap plastic tubs will split if too much weight on top
• Use standard size cartons where you can to maximise stacking and space saving in the storage unit
• Never store flammable or dangerous liquids, never ever
• Ideally never store any liquid that could leak during storage as it may damage or spoil other contents of your storage unit
• Wrap white goods in corrugated cardboard or moving blankets to protect from scrapes and scratches
• Stack sensibly – put bulky heavy items at bottom and lighter items on top
• If stacking cartons onto a table or sideboard, cover the table with pad, moving blanket or even a flattened cardboard box to avoid scratches
• Keep “may need” items at the front of the storage unit so that you can reach them if you need to
• If you have space leave a laneway in the centre of shed to the back wall so that you can retrieve items from back of shed if needed
• Consider taking out storage insurance or checking to see if your household goods policy will cover goods in storage.

Don’t forget you can ask your professional storage facility staff or advice on how best to protect your goods at their facility – Good Luck and Get Stashing !

The size of your move does matter! In Removals Speak we call it “volume” and we measure or assess the size of your move in cubic metres (m3). Why does the size of your matter? There are lots of reasons including but not limited to:

• What size truck do you need to ensure all your goods will fit in one trip?
• Will the truck fit in the driveway or street at both the pickup and the delivery residences?
• How long will it take to load and unload – will you be able to move all your stuff in one day or does the move need to be spread over 2 or even 3 days?
• How many crew members will be needed to ensure you are not unloading in the pitch dark at midnight?
• How much is your move going to cost you?

All of these questions will be impacted by the size or volume of your move but lucky for you we have several ways to help you measure your move size including:

• Complimentary online inventory – just click your furniture items and number of cartons and our efficient system will calculate the volume of your move
• Email us an inventory – a list of all your items – and one of our experienced consultants will review and calculate the volume for you
• Don’t do online or inventories ? – then phone us and let’s talk about how many rooms in your house, major furniture items, whether your cupboards are jammed full of stuff and we can make an estimate of volume for you

So there is no excuse for not knowing the size of your move and once we have the volume we can recommend the most efficient and cost effective move plan just for you.

Breathe a sigh of relief! Did you know that your move is one of the top stressors that can affect your emotional health? We recognise that moving is stressful, which is why our team works hard to make sure that every aspect of your moving needs is handled with care.

Pack like a pro
The first thing you should do to avoid extra stress is to make sure you’re up to speed with packing. Pack like a pro by planning and decluttering beforehand. Set an alarm on your phone, work hard and fast during the hour’s block, then stop (and take a break!). A little bit every night far outweighs trying to pack everything in one evening or weekend.

If it’s a bit too late with that advice… we do offer packing services as well, so don’t you worry. We’ll handle all your items with good care, and make sure they’ll arrive in your new home without a scratch.

Get to know your new area
Next, something that can calm you down before moving is properly familiarising yourself with your new neighbourhood. Go on and grab a coffee if you can, see the local shops and check out the parks. Get yourself excited about your new life!

If your new home is located a bit further away than what’s convenient for a coffee or lunch, at least go on Google Maps and have a look around! Google the cafés and browse their Instagrams to see what yummy pastries they offer.

And when you’re ready, give us a call and let’s get your moving day sorted out. 

Stash + Lode offers moving services, removals, packing, storage units and pods all over the Sunshine Coast & beyond. So basically, we do everything. You can sit on your couch while we do the packing, you can even sit on your couch while we carry it out if you want. While you’re still deciding on what items to keep or throw out, we’ll store them for you. As for the stuff you don’t want anymore, consider them gone! 

When you’re ready to relieve some of that stress, give us a call.