Its that time of year, when all the students in Oxford are cramming for those final exams and dreaming of their summer holiday! Each year at Fort Box Oxford, we enjoy seeing the students turn up with their student storage items. Among other things, we get to hear great stories about where they are traveling to and what exams they just took.

Studying for exams can be exhausting. Here are a few tips we found that can help your study methods.

• Find a comfortable and quiet place to study. Avoid your own bed and a place with distractions.
• Space out your studying, you’ll learn more by studying a little every day than cramming it all in at the last few days.
• Listening to relaxing music on low volume can relieve some of the boredom of studying.
• Try studying when you are most awake during the day. Don’t study later than the time you usually go to sleep.

While you are day dreaming about that summer holiday, don’t forget to give us a call to book your student storage. We are taking reservations for Oxford storage rooms that can hold a few boxes (10 sq ft)  to the contents of your flat (50 sq ft). We also offer a Free Van Collection* service, visit our website or call 01865 230 230 to find out more.

Good luck on those exams!

We had a “ball” down at the Canary Wharf last weekend co-sponsoring London Baseball’s Major League Baseball (MLB) Players Skills Camp. Former MLB baseball players visited from across the pond to teach local kids the fundamentals of playing baseball. Being active in our community is one of the core values at Fort Box Self Storage.

Kids enjoyed building forts out of the hundreds of boxes supplied by Fort Box. There were some very creative forts built throughout the day, including one with a built in hammock (see picture below)! We were honored to be the exclusive storage company supporting the event. Everyone left with lots of baseball knowledge and our team is prepared to strike out our competition this year!

For more information on London sports, please visit their website http://londonsports.com.

The Internet has revolutionized the way we do our shopping. Think about the benefits like convenience, better pricing, variety, and my personal favourite, avoiding of crowds! There is nothing better than making a cup of tea and browsing sites with a click of a button. This online phenomenon has produced some amazing online businesses started right from the entrepreneurs home.

There are so many stories of successful start-ups. One common thread among online start-ups is when their inventory starts to overtake their household storage space. This is a great problem to have and its the perfect time to consider business storage solutions!

Business storage is a useful and flexible solution for online businesses.  You can start with a 20 sq ft storage unit and increase or decrease in size based on your stock requirements. Rentals are weekly so you don’t need to worry about lease requirements or pay for unused space. Storage facilities are built with businesses in mind and provide wide access doors to allow easy access to your items.

At our London and Oxford storage locations we offer a Storage Customisation service and design the storage unit to fit your needs, including shelving, lighting, or electrical outlets. We also offer a free Item Retrieval and Delivery service for business storage and weekly deliver boxes from your business storage unit to your home.

Starting your own online business gives you complete freedom to control your own destiny and online shoppers like me a stress free experience. Speaking of shopping, I must get back to my online shopping cart!

Spring is here! Its time to pack up that winter gear and de-clutter your living space! Why do most people assume spring is the best time for cleaning? It would be lovely to hear your thoughts, email me at louise@fortbox.co.uk.

If you are in the cleaning, organising, and de-cluttering mood; here are a few things to consider.

• Take a box and label it, “Household Storage”. Put everything in that box that doesn’t quite have a place to call home in your house. At the end of the week, go through the box and anything you don’t need discard or donate. Create a storage system with the remaining items.
• If you’re like most town dwellers, your space is limited. Instead of stuffing that winter parka under your bed consider renting a household storage unit. Many of our customers change their storage unit items with each season.
• Invest in storage solutions to contain clutter. You can buy tables, beds, and many other pieces of furniture that keep clutter out of sight.

Look around, you’re on your way to an organised and clutter-free home.

The average cost for a one bedroom flat in London is about £700 a month, according to workgateways.com.  Add together all your other monthly charges and your wallet might be left a little flat. The good news is with careful planning and cost-saving solutions you can be on you way to enjoying everything London has to offer, all while keeping that wallet plump!

Here are a few of the cost-saving storage strategies you should consider:

• Depending on where you are moving from you will quickly realise the lack of storage space available in most the flats throughout the city. Consider renting cheap storage space in London, a Louise tested tip!You can find a cheap storage unit (check out Fort Box storage discounts) and use the space in your flat more effectively.
• Utilise the excellent public transport networks. You can get a monthly zone 1-2 travelcard for a little over £100 per month.
• Store seasonal items like your winter wardrobe, bike, or maybe your collection of shoes (that you just can’t part with!) in a cheap storage unit,  you can then rent a smaller flat and save money. Another great use for a storage unit is to store your items while you are searching for a flat. Since many of them rent out on a weekly basis you can use as long as you need.
• Stop in and stock up at charity shops. Walk down any High Street in London and you are sure to see a few charity shops where you can stock up on cheap household items to get you through those first months.

There are lots of way to be frugal (or should I say sensible!) when you move to London. By renting a smaller flat and considering cheap storage space, you can take advantage of everything the city has to offer. How are you utilising your storage space? Share your story, email me at louise@fortbox.co.uk.

Moving to London? Consider These Cost-saving Ideas!

I really enjoy talking with our customers that are moving abroad. It might be London or Oxford is their temporary location, or they are on their way out of the area to somewhere fabulous for a short time! There are so many interesting stories of what they plan to learn or discover, and I imagine being in their shoes for a moment. Everyone is unique in why they need temporary storage at one of our storage centres. I thought I would share a few stories that highlight the different types of temporary storage solutions available to you.

• Semester abroad student – this customer did not want to lug everything with her, but needed to be out of her dorm. She stopped by and rented one of our small lockers that fit her few boxes perfectly.  Keep in mind we also have larger units that are great for furniture storage.

• The traveling collectors –a few customers had found some great furniture items while traveling but decided against them because they could not fit in their current space. They then discovered our furniture storage and have been able to have items shipped directly to their storage room. This service has certainly increased their travels and collections! Hopefully they find the right house soon so they can showcase them.

•  Temporary job assignment – we had a lovely couple recently relocate to the area and brought with them too many boxes and furniture pieces that just didn’t fit right. They are using temporary storage to keep those items safe and out of the way until you move back to their home country.

There is so much to consider when moving abroad, hopefully these few stories can remind you of the great solution temporary storage can be! Share how you use temporary storage, email me at louise@fortbox.co.uk.

Welcome to another New Year! Each year brings many resolutions, starting a diet, organising the home, deciding to move, the list goes on. One of my resolutions is providing you lots of great self storage and moving house tips to make sure this year you are prepared for whatever comes your way. Whether you’re moving house, moving abroad, organising your space, or just de-cluttering, you will find up-to-date information here. Let’s first focus on moving house!

If you are planning on moving house in 2012, here are some tips to consider:

• Before you move, draw up a floor plan of your new home or flat and where your furniture will go. Remember to note where power points and windows are.
• Be sure doorways are wide enough for furniture or have an alternative plan to move those items.
• Clear out your loft and garage well in advance and dispose of the items that are not making the move to storage or the charity shop.
• Take one room at a time and do the same thing. No need to move unwanted items if moving abroad for a short period of time. Self storage is a great alternative.
• Make sure boxes are clearly marked to they go into the right room to be unpacked. Need assistance packing? Contact our moving specialist at Fort Box for a free quote

The more planning you do before the move, the easier it will become. View more of my moving house tips by clicking on the link Moving House Tips. If you enjoyed this post it would be lovely to hear from you! Don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed!

It’s that time again! The lights are up, and the shops are filled with Christmas colours. My favorite time of year! This week also marks the time when I access my seasonal storage room at Fort Box for my Christmas storage boxes. Opening each box reminds me of previous years and evokes nostalgic memories.

There are several ways you can use your seasonal storage room throughout the year, but here are a few to try this season:

• Want to keep those Christmas gifts away from your children’s prying eyes? Hide them in your storage room at Fort Box! I am always thinking Christmas and collect presents all year round. Don’t forget to wrap them in your storage room before placing them under the tree.

• Find yourself with lots of Christmas wrapping paper left over after gifts are unwrapped? Save it and use it to wrap delicate items and provide cushioning between ornaments. It helps protect them during transport back to storage and next year you will have festively wrapped ornaments!

• Load up on Boxing Day specials! If there is a good deal on your favorite items, stock up! Keep extras in your storage room until you need.

Remember seasonal storage is not limited to just Christmas storage. It can be used for sport and recreational equipment as well as clothes and decorative items that you use at certain times of the year. It would be lovely to hear from you! Share how you use your seasonal Christmas storage. Email me at louise@fortbox.co.uk.

Storing important documents securely and in an organised fashion is a necessity for most businesses. For legal reasons businesses may need to store financial records and important documents for several years. Instead of expanding their already expensive office space, businesses have started using secure business document storage. Renting a storage room offers you the accessibility and security needed for records storage. A few readers have recently asked me for tips to keep their record storage organised. Here are a few you should consider.

• Create a Label System – Organise similar business documents in files or boxes and clearly label the contents. Since handwriting can sometimes be mis-interpreted, make sure and use a printed label and place on the top and front of your box. Keep track of your boxes on a spreadsheet, or better yet, your SmartTrakr™ app and website!

• Organise Your Business Document Storage Room – Being able to access your important documents quickly should be your goal. Make sure to make the most of your storage room and utilise shelving. It also helps to create a walkway down the middle of our storage room so you can get in and out in a snap. Keep boxes that you reference frequently towards the front of your room.

• Use a Retrieval and Delivery Service – Using a removal service saves time making trips between your office and storage room. Fort Box offers one FREE weekly Pick-up or Retrieval of your inventoried record storage boxes. Don’t forget to take advantage of this.  No one needs unnecessary stress added to their work day!

It would be lovely to hear from you! Share how you keep your business document storage space organised. Email me at louise@fortbox.co.uk.

I am very excited this week to tell you about the new mobile app and website Fort Box launched called SmartTrakr™! Ever wonder what you have stored in your self storage space? Maybe you wrote it down on a piece of paper that you can no longer locate? Whatever you have, wherever you have it, SmatTrakr™ can organise your space and tell you where it is! Sounds brilliant, right?

SmartTrakr™ lets you create an inventory of your items stored at your Fort Box storage unit, office, and in your home. By having your belongings organised and available at a touch of a button (or mouse), you’ll no longer find yourself searching through rooms and boxes for that one item you are looking for. Accessible on your iPhone and the smarttrakr.com website, SmartTrakr helps you organise your space and track your belongings by location, box, and item.

Being organised can also save you time. SmartTrakr™ can send a request to your Fort Box manager to prepare a box for pick-up or have it shipped to another destination. I have given the app the “Louise Test” (I am not a tech gal) and found it to be really easy to use. There is even a barcode scanning feature and it downloads all the information for your item. I feel so organised just thinking about it!

Now there are a few things I should mention. SmartTrakr™ is for Fort Box and CubeSmart℠ customers only.  Contact your Fort Box location for more information.

It would be lovely to hear from you! Share how you organise your space with SmartTrakr™. Email me at louise@fortbox.co.uk.