Small Space, Busting at the Seams

Stuff happens. And too much stuff can happen easily, too -- especially to those who live in small spaces.

Things tend to accumulate when you have rooms smaller than the furniture you inherited, closets big enough for only one season's clothes or a romantic interest who moves in.

If you have too many good things, you have a few options: Get a bigger place. Rent a self-storage space. Make more efficient use of the space you have. Or sell or give away excess belongings.

How do those choices stack up financially?

In the Washington area, moving up to a one-bedroom apartment from a studio would cost $345 per month more on average, according to Apartments.com. Expanding to a two-bedroom pad from a one-bedroom would run $689 extra.

Depending on the excess, self storage can be a cheaper option. Of course, it pays to shop.

Eight storage centers in the region recently quoted rents of $69 to $192 a month for the same size space, a container that would hold a full-size bed and box spring, two night stands, two large garment boxes, a double dresser, four boxes about the size of liquor boxes and a bicycle. The rate is based on a one-year lease.

As in an apartment, insuring belongings from fire and theft is your responsibility. If you have insurance, check your policy. Items in storage may be covered. Otherwise, rates for additional coverage can range from $9 a month for $2,000 worth of protection to $35 for $5,000.

In addition to price, look for a convenient location and hours if you plan to load and unload seasonal items.

Another factor is access to a truck. If you don't have it, consider a mobile self-storage container. These businesses will drop a unit at your building, load it up (or have you load it) and take it to a central facility where, as with traditional self-storage, you could take out or put in belongings as need be.

A caveat, no matter which storage you choose: Fees can mount over time and exceed the value of what you're storing.

"Bottom line, if you store something for six months and keep it there, you don't need it to survive," said Tom Johnston, senior vice president of Store to Door in Northern Virginia and a founder of the Mobile Self Storage Association.