Storing the Sentimentals

By Brianne Manz at Stroller in the City

I have always wanted to raise my family in New York City. This vibrant city is bursting with culture and activities and exciting adventures on every corner. BUT raising a growing family in New York City is not easy and one of our biggest obstacles is space, or lack of.

We live in a small two bedroom apartment. There is definitely enough room to live but with three growing kids, two little dogs, my husband, me and the accumulation of all our stuff, it feels like we are bursting at the seams. Scooters, doll houses, and stuffed animals galore take up more space than you think. Plus limited closet space forces Jason and I to do the typical New Yorker seasonal closet swap. This means summer stuff goes away, usually in a suitcase under the bed to make room for winter clothes.

I am usually very good about streamlining our lives and purging the unnecessary goods my children have collected over the years; especially baby gear we won’t use anymore but sometimes I want to save the important items. The things they can pass on to their children or use again in the future. It isn’t fair that just because we live in a small space my kids should be deprived of these memories and mementos. Plus kids clothes and gear is expensive. If you plan on having more children and in case three, you will need all that stuff in the future—you can’t just get rid of it. That is where FlatRate comes in

FlatRate is a New York based moving and storage company that provides an all-inclusive fixed price quote before you move. FlatRate now operates nine branches throughout major cities in the US and in London and Singapore, as well. Their mission is to make your move seamless, stress-free and completely transparent. I can’t even list how many movers I’ve used over my lifetime that quoted one price but charged nearly double once the move was complete. FlatRate doesn’t do that.

Since we are not moving just yet, we use their storage facility offering short and long-term storage options at minimal costs so we don’t have to sacrifice our cherished belongings to save space or pay exorbitant fees to store our stuff. And the best part…they practically do everything for you which is perfect for a busy family like me. We’ve been using their storage units for short term, our seasonal belongings as well as their long-term, for bigger things like Gemma’s nursery furniture. The facilities are super clean, climate controlled and safe. But, in my case, I’ve been there only once because they have door-to-door service so you can call and they pick up or drop off. It is literally full-service. FlatRate just announced they are offering Free Winter Storage! Three months free for repeat customers and two months free for non repeat customers.

I also use FlatRate for their Upcycle Program where we donate unwanted items and they will deliver to the Salvation Army. They provide us with two boxes to fill up and they will come pick up!

The kids helped me pack up a few items and there were no tears or pleading to keep something since they knew their favorite items were just going on a little vacation to the FlatRate storage facility and we can get them back any time. It is such a relief to clear things out of our apartment and be able to store and donate at the same time.

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from http://blog.flatrate.com/storing-the-sentimentals/