How to downsize a storage unit and lower your bill

A few signs point to a unit that no longer fits what you store:

• You can walk around freely inside, with open floor space on more than one side
• Boxes are stacked low, with plenty of room left above them
• You have not opened most of the boxes since you moved them in
• You took items home or sold them, and nothing replaced them
• You rent two units and both are only partly full

If two or more of these sound familiar, it may be worth taking a closer look. Your needs may also have changed. Maybe you now have more room at home, or a project that needed storage is finished. A unit that fit well a year ago may simply be more than you need today.

Before you pick a smaller size, decide what stays. Plan to visit the unit for a few hours and sort items into four groups:

• Sell: furniture, tools or electronics that still have value. Local listings or a yard sale can help.
• Donate: clothes, household goods and furniture in good shape. Many charities accept drop-offs, and some offer pickup.
• Toss: broken items, old paperwork you no longer need (shred anything with personal details), and anything damaged.
• Take home: items you use often or that fit easily in a closet or garage.

What is left is what you need to store. If you rent two units, this is also the moment to see whether everything could fit in one, so you pay one bill instead of two.

Keep in mind that downsizing means relocating your belongings yourself from one unit to another, even at the same facility. Plan for the time, the help and any truck, dolly or hand cart the job may need. Some facilities lend carts or dollies to renters, so it is worth asking at the office.

Unit sizes are usually named by their width and length in feet. Sizes and names vary by facility, so treat these as rough guides:

• 5x5: often a small closet-like space for boxes, bins and a few small items
• 5x10: often fits boxes plus some furniture, roughly the contents of a small room
• 10x10: often fits the furniture and boxes of a larger room or a small apartment

When in doubt, think about how you will use the unit. If you need to reach items often, a little extra space for a walkway can help. If you only store boxes you rarely touch, a tighter fit may work. Measure what you have left, or stack it neatly in one corner of your current unit to see how much floor space it takes. Ask the facility staff to show you the smaller unit before you commit, and leave a little room so you can reach items without unpacking everything.

A smaller unit is not always a lower bill. Before you switch, compare:

• Your current rate vs. the new rate: the smaller unit may be priced at today's move-in rate, which can differ from what you pay now
• Fees: ask about admin, setup or lock fees on the new unit or rental. Our guide to self storage fees explained lists common ones.
• Rate increases: ask how often rates have gone up for current renters and whether the new rate is a promo that changes later
• Insurance or protection plan: check whether your plan carries over and whether its cost changes with the unit size
• Access hours and location: make sure the new unit has the access you need, like drive-up, elevator or hours that fit your schedule

Add it all up for a full year with the true yearly cost of a storage unit, so you compare total cost, not just the monthly rate.

Your current facility may be the simplest place to start. Ask by email or at the office:

• "Do you have a smaller unit available, and what would my monthly rate be?"
• "Are there any fees to switch units here?"
• "Could you lower the rate on my current unit instead?"

A written reply gives you a record of what they offered, so you can compare it with the cost of a switch. For tips on how to ask, read how to negotiate storage unit rent.

Cut My Storage is free for renters. We ask your storage facility for a better rate in writing, and we can also ask storage facilities within about 3 miles for written quotes on your behalf, so you can compare your options. We never switch your facility without your OK. Any move of your items is your choice and your own. We work by email only: hello@cutmystorage.com