Phoenix Self Storage Topics

Storing My Business's Paperwork

Running a business from home was supposed to be a breeze when my wife and I first set things up. And in some ways, it has been. Working at home means that I get to see more of my family, and in the long run, I'll probably make more money this way. The problem, though, is that my tiny home office isn't nearly large enough to store all the paperwork that's necessary for running a business! That's something you don't really think about when you're working for some huge company that probably has an entire room just for filing paperwork!

So after last tax season, I knew I needed to figure out which paperwork I needed to keep and where I was going to keep it! That's when I found a Phoenix Self Storage location called US Storage Centers. The US Storage Centers Phoenix Self Storage center was close to home, and they had some great options to help me figure out how to store my tax paperwork and other necessary business paperwork.

Figuring Out What to Store

Before I actually rented a storage unit, I needed to figure out what to store. Never having done the paperwork side of a business before, I had to ask my accountant which tax paperwork I needed to keep, and how long I needed to keep it. That would let me organize everything better so that I would be able to get it into store for as long as I needed it. Here's what I learned I needed to keep, according to the IRS:

• If I needed to pay taxes, I needed to keep records for at least three years.
• If I file a claim for a credit or a refund after I file my taxes because I find out about it late, I have to keep the records for three years after I paid my taxes or filed the original taxes.
• If I claim worthless securities or bad debt, then I have to keep those records for seven years.
• If I pay employment taxes, I have to keep the records for at least four years past the date the tax is due or is paid – whichever is later.

Basically, the longest period of time I'd have to keep most of my paperwork would be about four years. By dating everything when it went into storage, I'd be able to routinely clean out my tax files from storage so that I wouldn't end up getting a bigger unit and paying for storage I didn't really need.

Besides tax paperwork, though, I had lots of other paperwork scattered around my home that I knew I needed to organize and take to my Phoenix Self Storage unit. So, I decided to start sorting things and getting it into shape. In the end, I needed a file cabinet for tax information, another for client information, another for information on new leads, and another on information on projects I'd already completed. Four file cabinets just were not going to fit in my space in my home office!

That's why I decided to go ahead and get a small storage unit at US Storage Centers Phoenix Self Storage. The location was perfect, and the unit came it at a good price. By storing by paperwork there, I could clear out a ton of space at home, keep things organized, and keep my vital information protected.

Surprising Advantages

I've been using my storage unit at Phoenix Self Storage now since last tax season, and in that past year or so, I've found some really interesting side benefits to storing my paperwork out of my own home office. Here's what I've found out:

Phoenix - Storing Our Furniture Between Homes

Moving into a new home is a tough business, but when you've got some lag time between moving out of your old home and moving into your new one, it's even tougher. That's what happened with our last move because our old home sold while our newly constructed home was still being finished up. Luckily, we were able to stay in a long-term hotel for a few weeks until we could move into our new home, but what were we supposed to do with all of our stuff – especially the furniture?

My wife was really nervous about storing our furniture. Suppose something happened to it? I mean, we had some expensive, heirloom quality pieces to store!

Luckily for us, we found the Phoenix Self Storage location called US Storage Centers. This Phoenix Self Storage center seemed to provide all we needed to feel comfortable storing our furniture and a few boxes in our storage unit.

Luckily for us, the garage of our new home was already finished, and it was big enough to hold the majority of our boxes. We still thought we'd need a big Phoenix Self Storage unit, though, since we had to store almost every piece of furniture we owned. But the manager of the US Storage Centers Phoenix Self Storage location helped us figure out that by stacking the furniture in certain ways, taking pieces apart when possible, and storing furniture up towards the ceiling rather than spread along the floor of a unit, we could use a smaller unit than we were originally thinking.

That was a huge help because we were already having to shell out quite a bit of money to live in the long-term hotel, and it was a relief to see that we could save some money on our Phoenix Self Storage unit while we stored all our furniture.

Even though the US Storage Centers Phoenix Self Storage location had excellent security and watertight units, my wife was still concerned about damaging our furniture while it's in storage. Obviously, lack of climate control and being packed together tightly into a storage unit isn't the ideal situation for keeping your furniture in tip-top shape.

The manager of the Phoenix Self Storage location, though, assured us that we would be able to keep our furniture in perfect condition even while it was in storage if we took a few of his furniture storage tips. Here's what he told us to do to protect our furniture while it was in storage:

• Put pallets on the floor: Even watertight units like the Phoenix Self Storage unit can have problems with moisture once in a while – if the weather changes dramatically or if really heavy rainfall causes water to leak under the door. That's why the Phoenix Self Storage manager suggested we put most or all of our furniture up on wooden packing pallets after covering the floor with a tarp. That way, they'd be off the floor and protected from any moisture that might condense or pool there.
• Cover with cotton: You might think it's a good idea to cover furniture in plastic or wrap it in plastic when you store it, but the Phoenix Self Storage manager assured us that this is actually a really bad idea. Plastic can cause moisture to build up, which can cause odors or mold on furniture. Wrapping and draping furniture in cotton sheets or drop cloths is a much better idea! Luckily, my wife had some extra cotton sheets at home that we could use for just this purpose.
• Use cardboard and bubble wrap: Since we were dealing with some very valuable furniture, some of which had fragile or sharp edges, the manager told us to get corner protectors that were cardboard or to wrap parts of the furniture in bubble wrap. Corners are the most prone to chipping, so we were grateful this this hint!

Our Long Preparations for Baby

I'll admit: I'm a planner. I always have been, and I probably always will be. It takes me a long time to plan for major events, which is why my husband and I had a three-year engagement! Having a baby definitely qualifies as a major event, and it has taken me two whole years to get ready before I feel like we're actually prepared to have a baby. Part of my preparation has been gathering up baby stuff and saving it in our Phoenix Self Storage unit so that it would be ready when we finally decided to get pregnant.

I started the process of gathering up baby stuff about a year before we were going to try to get pregnant. We already had a Phoenix Self Storage unit at a place called US Storage Centers. It was close to home, and it was easy to access. We were already paying for the unit, but we decided to get a slightly larger one so we would have room for baby stuff, as well. At any rate, we'd always had a good experience with this particular Phoenix Self Storage location, so it seemed like a good idea to keep going with them for our baby storage that we would be needing.

Once we upgraded our storage unit (it was barely big enough for the odds and ends we had stored there before!) I started shopping around for baby stuff. For my wedding, I did lots of DIY stuff and got really good bargains. That’s part of the reason I take so long to plan major events – I like to get good deals on stuff!

It was really easy to find good deals on baby stuff, and every time I would buy something, I'd put it in our Phoenix Self Storage unit. I ended up getting our crib set, rocking chair, and other nursery odds and ends for next to nothing, which was obviously going to save us a ton of money in the long run.

Also, I started getting really interested in crafting things for our new baby's room. I started making wall hangings, quilts, furniture covers, and all sorts of other things. It was nice to be able to make these things well ahead of time without having to be concerned about where I would put them when they were done. Since we were in a smaller apartment at the time, there wasn't really room to store things that we didn't need at the moment, so into our Phoenix Self Storage unit went all those hand crafted items.

We All Play Paintball

Many families have one or two things that they just always do together. Maybe it's boating or camping or playing baseball. In my family, though, it's playing paintball! When my oldest son turned ten, we decided to try out paintballing together, and we had such a blast that we've never stopped since. Now that all the kids are old enough to responsibly handle a paintball gun, we all have our own gear, and we go paintballing together on a regular basis. Even my wife and daughter love to go paintballing! Since we don't have a ton of extra space in our home, though, we keep our paintball gear in a nearby Phoenix Self Storage unit by US Storage Centers, which helps us keep our gear together and keep our home free from being overrun by paintball gear.

Seriously, when you have a family of five paintball players, that adds up to a ton of gear! We all have our own gun, plus a few extra specialty pieces. Plus, we have some camouflage outfits that we use for scenario games. Since we sometimes play in weekend-long scenario games as a team, we take a tent, cooler, and grill with us to the scenario sites, which usually have a campground where the teams stay while they're playing. Add that to the fact that we tend to buy paintballs in bulk whenever we can find them on sale, and we just have a ton of gear to deal with.

After more than two of us started playing paintball, we decided we needed a better solution than taking over the garage with all the paintball gear. Sure, we have room in the garage for all the gear – but only if we take up one of the parking spaces! Since my wife and I don't like alternating who gets to use the garage parking space, we decided to look in to Phoenix Self Storage units for our paintball gear, and that's when we came across the US Storage Centers Phoenix Self Storage location.

Preparing for Three Months Abroad

Going abroad for a few months has always been a dream of mine, and when I turned twenty-two, I knew it was now or never. I was in between jobs, had a bit of money in savings (miraculously!), and didn't have any real reason not to go. So, I started planning my solo trip abroad for three whole months. I decided to go in August, during the shoulder season in most of Europe when things would be cheaper, and also when my apartment lease would be up. After all, I didn't want to pay rent if I could avoid it. The problem was figuring out what I was going to do with all my stuff while I was gone, and that's where a Phoenix Self Storage location called US Storage Centers came in handy for me!

I couldn't figure out what to do with all the stuff I owned when I was going overseas. I didn't have a car at the time, so that helped, but, still, there were all the odds and ends, such as kitchen utensils, furniture, and the clothes I wouldn't need when I was traveling. I talked to a friend who had used a Phoenix Self Storage unit before, and she said that would probably be a great option for me.

So, I visited US Storage Centers Phoenix Self Storage to rent a unit from them. The whole process was really easy, and I was luckily able to just pay ahead for the time I knew I'd be gone. I even set up an automatic payment for the months after I was supposed to get back, just in case I changed my plans at the last minute. The fact that I could do a month to month lease was just perfect for me, since that meant I could terminate the lease on my Phoenix Self Storage unit whenever I happened to get back into the country.

Whether it's your man cave or the place you store all the things that you don't want your wife rifling through, your garage can be a sacred palace for you. It's the place you park your cars, you keep your tools and you're able to kick back, get greasy and feel like the king of the house. You probably have your car there too, and you might even have a television or an entertainment center. That's why Phoenix, self storage is so important for you and for your garage.

When you take advantage of a Phoenix self storage unit, you are able to maximize the space that you have in your garage at home – and you can make that man palace that much more important. You might have everything you need in your garage, but you might not be able to make room for the luxury and entertainment items that you really want to spruce up your garage. You don't want to have to inch and claw through your garage – careful not to knock anything down – and you don't want to have to sacrifice the things that you really want hanging around. Phoenix self storage is your answer as this storage solution will give you more room than you would have ever imagined.

The organizational process can be done in the space of a single day, and with your Phoenix self storage unit, you can have your garage cleaned out in just hours. You can gather all of the old or unessential items from your garage, load them into your trunk or the bed of your pick up truck, and pack them into your self storage unit. With this done, you'll have the room you've always wanted to do the things with your garage you've dreamed of.

Phoenix self storage units can tranform your garage into a man cave or a house party, and these Phoenix self storage units can be found just a few miles or minutes from your house. You don't want your garage cluttered with the things that you don't need – and you don't want old junk or parts that you don't need taking up space. You can solve the problem with our Phoenix self storage units, and you will be able to use your garage the way that it is truly intended.

Moving your kids off to college isn’t always the easiest process. You can get emotional and anxious, worried and excited – and that’s all just in a couple of hours on moving day. It takes months of planning – especially in the Phoenix area – and you must account for every detail along the way. One step that you might never have even thought about early in the process involves your new college student’s belongings, and it is one problem that can be solved with a Phoenix self storage location or Phoenix storage unit.

Your Phoenix self storage location can be found in the heart of the city, and feature Phoenix storage units within a short drive of all of the major campuses in the area. Phoenix storage units for your summer college student are available for the Grand Canyon University College of Education, Northern Arizona University and the Rio Salado College. Even students of the smaller schools around the city – such as Phoenix College and the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – can find Phoenix storage units at the best Phoenix self storage location.

When you are looking for a Phoenix storage unit, it is likely because you are moving your child off into a dorm or apartment for the semester or for the summer. These rooms can be relatively smaller than what your student is used to – and some of them can even be smaller than the Phoenix self storage units themselves. Whether your son or daughter needs the secure storage of a Phoenix storage facility for personal or business use, these Phoenix storage units can prove invaluable for them as they take on the work of the spring or fall. Phoenix self storage locations will then double their usability as they become even more important for keeping your student organized during the quieter summer months.

You want to avoid a hassle for you as parents, and for your likely stressed and over taxed college students at the same time, and Phoenix storage units can be one popular answer that will have you leaping for joy. Phoenix self storage is essential, especially in a city where living space and square feet can come to a pretty hefty price. Your student may have extra furniture, extra appliances, extra pieces of equipment or seasonal items that they do not need around their living space all day, and your Phoenix self storage area is the perfect spot to leave them

Phoenix storage units – found at the best Phoenix storage facility – give you the worry-free assurance that your items are taken care of. Whether your Phoenix self storage room is holding valuables or cluttered junk, you will have the peace of mind to know that your Phoenix storage location is secure and organized. You can use your Phoenix self storage facility for the kind of items that you may never have to think about, or you can store all of the most important stuff that you do now want to have to worry about in your Phoenix self storage facilities.

Phoenix Self Storage

Phoenix, Arizona is located in Maricopa County and is the capital and largest city in the State of Arizona.  It is the 6th most populated city in the United States based on the 2010 U.S. Census data.  The City of Phoenix encompasses 519 square miles of which 0.2 square miles are water.

Phoenix is located in the northeastern part of the Salt River Valley and has a subtropical arid climate with hot summers and mild winters.  Summer temperatures average over 100 degrees. The city is generally flat with mountains in and around the city.

The City of Phoenix has been divided into 15 urban villages: Ahwatukee Foothills, Alhambra, Camelback East, Central City, Deer Valley, Desert View, Encanto, Estrella, Laveen, Maryvale, North Gateway, North Mountain, Paradise Valley, South Mountain and Rio Vista. 

Phoenix streets are laid out in a traditional grid system.  The city is served by I-10, I-70, US 60, SR 51, SR 85, SR 143, Loop 101, and Loop 102.