A sure way to get your friends to cringe is to ask for help moving your stuff to a new house or a storage unit. What a pain! First you have to rent a truck, round up some willing or not so willing friends, load the truck, drive to the new house or storage unit, unload the truck, return the truck, and then you have to buy everyone dinner. Fortunately with the advent of the storage pod there is an easier way.



A storage pod is a portable storage unit so to speak. The company that owns the storage pod will drop off the pod to you at your home. You then fill up the pod with your belongings and the company will come and pick it up from you whenever you are ready. You have the choice now of having the company store your pod at their facilities or they will take it to your new house where you can unload it before they pick up the emptied pod. Almost takes the hassle out of moving and storage doesn't it? But what is the cost?

The cost of a storage pod will of course vary from company to company, but with each company there are three rules that will apply that will determine how much your storage pod will cost you. The three rules are:

1. Size: Just like with renting a moving truck or storage unit, the bigger the truck or unit, the bigger the cost. Before you rent your storage pod, you need to first determine how much stuff will go into it. You don't want to rent a storage pod that can fit all the belongings of a three-bedroom house if you are moving out of a one-bedroom apartment; that's overkill. If you let the storage pod company know exactly what is to be moved they should be able to give you an idea of how big a storage pod you will need.

2. Duration: The longer you need to utilize your storage pod the more it will cost you. If you only need the pod for a couple of days to complete a cross-town move, then you will of course pay less than if you need to store your pod for several months. Some companies even offer specials such as your first month storage for a dollar or even free when certain conditions are met; so don't be afraid to ask if there are any specials that are going on.

3. Location: Since the storage pod company is footing the bill for the gas to drive your storage pod to and fro, you can bet that the farther they have to drive, the more you will have to pay. If you are moving right around the corner, you won't pay much, but a move from sea to shining sea will ring the bill up in an awful hurry. If you are renting storage space on a monthly basis, then you should use a storage pod company that is in your area as most have the price of delivery and pick up built into the monthly rent.

All the bigger storage pod companies have toll-free numbers that you can call to get a quote of how much you can expect to pay. Knowing first though how big of a storage pod you need, how long you will need it for, and how far the pod will travel is key if you expect to get the most for your money.