Two Units Down

...
Today Drew and his cousin, Daniel, helped me move the stuff in my storage unit to a different unit, two down.

And people think government is the bastion of beauracracy!

About a month ago, I started shopping around for other rates on climate controlled storage units in Austin. I found that 10x10 units in my own building, right by Hancock center were being offered at $93 on the internet. I was paying $191, plus $20 a month for additional renter's insurance. (this week I checked around town and many places are still charging $140 and $160--I could've gotten a little cheaper with a different Public Storage facility, on north Lamar, north of 183.)

So yesterday I went to talk to them: You can get the new rate--or close--but you have to be out of the old unit by end of business day the day you sign the papers. $93 is the internet rate, which is only open to new subscribers. I'd have to get someone else to put it in their name, but the new off-the-street rate is $98--still a huge savings. On-line there is a first month for $1 for new customers, so I wasn't expecting that, but I could've gotten it, if I'd moved everything out and held it for 7 days before moving it back in. Huh?

AND, you have to move your stuff from one unit to another for any reduction in rate because until I move out and my lease is cancelled, $191 is the going rate on my old unit, but $98 is the going rate on the one, two units over. I could keep the old unit, but I'd have to move it into another unit, sign a new agreement for said temporary unit, then move it back anytime after 24 hours and sign a new agreement for my original unit and then cancel my interim new agreement. Huh? (When I'd talked to them a month ago, I was going to have to move to a different floor, but some 10x10s had opened up on the same floor, so I was very happy to not have to do that.) I did not renew insurance--my renter's insurance covers a good enough chunk of what it would be worth.

Joy.

But it only took about an hour since the unit's were right by each other and there was 3 of us and no one else was coming in and out of our general vacinity.

Oh yeah, I learned that all 10 x 10s are not the same. The new one was about 10 inches less deep--maybe 3 or 4 inches wider...we got it all to fit, but...

And I learned that my beautiful old dining table got damaged, apparently from the move, by the movers several years ago. A big crack (5 or 6 inches) on its top. Oh well...it's still pretty, just not as valuable, I guess. Actually, probably a whole lot less valuable. And if I had a place, I'd probably consider selling it. Actually, the whole experience makes me want to plan a big sale in the late spring. Then I could probably do away with the $98 per month. And a lot of that shit!

Or my lease is up here at The G in June. Who knows if I'll be able to afford to stay here? Maybe I just deal with it all at that point. But even in a cheaper place of a different layout, I might use the other table instead of this little one. Who knows? I do know this, less is better and it feels good to get rid of things. I have several different friends who purge something--usally by burning ritual--every new year's day, and they swear by it. We'll see.

cheers.
,m