Monthly Archives: October 2019

October is time to Organize!

Today is the day!  The weather is great, you cleared the afternoon schedule, took the key out of the junk drawer, and you’re ready to head to the local self storage facility to finally clean out and reorganize your storage unit. You’ve been meaning to do this for months, but are finally getting around to it today.

You hop in the car, drive to the storage facility, throw open the door, and think “OMG –  I can’t believe that I left it like this!” Boxes torn open and half empty, sweat shirts hanging from old lamps, and a pile of something that you don’t even recognize shoved in the corner.

How did our storage unit end up like this? At this point you’re saying to yourself “I’m sure I had everything organized when I moved in, and I’m pretty sure I invested in a storage space to AVOID clutter.” Well, it’s time to get back on track, and get organized with a storage plan!

The Storage Inn of Egg Harbor Township and Ocean City has put together some tried and true planning tips for organizing your storage space.

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Plan your Work – Work your Plan

The Three Categories of Clutter
Before you begin your work, set up three areas – one for items that you will keep, one for items that you will donate, and one for items that you simply need to throw away. If you’re confined to working within your storage unit or the area immediately outside your unit, you’ll have a space limitation. Instead of pulling all of your belongings out at once, you’ll probably be more successful pulling out a packing box or two at a time and making decisions before moving on.

Repack Smart
As you repack, check to make sure that all of your storage boxes are full. Full boxes stack much more easily than half filled boxes, and are less likely to crush under the weight of the moving boxes above them. Converting your storage solution to plastic tubs can make this process even easier.

Label all of the boxes or bins in your storage space clearly, and leave a small area to walk through your unit, if possible, to facilitate access throughout the year. Place the boxes or items that you are most likely to need throughout the year close to the entrance, or at the top of the stack – planning ahead can really pay off.

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Ask the Pros!
Stop in and visit the staff here at The Storage Inn – We’ve probably dealt with the situation you’re dealing with, and would be happy to help you reach an ideal storage solution.

Keep in mind, most storage facilities have moving and packing supplies onsite that are designed to make your job easier. And if you’re in need of a few extra boxes, packing tape, or packing material while you’re doing your repacking at your storage unit, just walk on over to the front office to update your packing supplies.

Jerry Brown, the manager at our Storage Inn self-storage in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, recommends sizing up the items in your unit, and then taking a minute to visit the Storage Inn’s office store. “We carry many items in our store that can help our customers organize, or reorganize their storage space. We carry a wide variety of boxes, bubble wrap, tape, and even have kits specially made for storing dishes and glasses. For the ultimate in organization, we can even provide you with storage unit shelving that will fit against the walls of your storage area, and don’t forget the mattress and furniture covers!”

Hopefully these tips will help you to get your storage unit well organized once again –  remember, a place for everything, and everything in its place. Now go git’er done!

Lederhosen, Beer and Oktoberfest

Lederhosen, Beer and Oktoberfest

Fall is in full swing here at The Storage Inn of Egg Harbor Township New Jersey, and this self storage rental facility is jumping with customers shuttling in and out of their storage units, most of them pulling out their cold weather clothing and fall items such as Halloween decorations.

There’s always something interesting going on here, but yesterday I witnessed a sight that I never expected to see.

I recognized the truck that pulled into our storage unit rental office parking lot. It was one of our good customers, Jason, the wrestling coach of the local high school. What I didn’t expect was to see Jason hop out of his truck and stroll into the office, dressed head-to-toe in German Lederhosen!

“You’re a little early for Halloween, aren’t you?” I said as he walked through the door.

“Not Halloween – Oktoberfest!” he replied.

Jason and his wife were on their way to an Oktoberfest celebration. They even had special beer mugs that they had retrieved from their storage unit for the occasion. Jason grabbed a roll of packing tape and some bubble wrap, and then took off to Oktoberfest.

This got me thinking not only about Oktoberfest, but more importantly, about beer!  Where did beer come from, and why do so many people around the world love it so much?

I decided to do some research and here is what I found…

Drink Like an Egyptian

Beer has a long history, one that’s longer than we’ll ever be able to trace. Residue of the first known beer was found in a jar at an excavation site in modern day Iran, presumably sitting there since someone took his or her last sip around 3400 B.C. But chances are, the first beer had been “cracked” long before that.

So while an exact date or time for the first chug, or keg stand, or even hiccup, is not known, what is known is that beer, like bread, developed best in farm-based societies where there was an enough grain and time for fermentation. One thing we definitely know is that ancient man loved beer as much as—if not more—than we do. The Babylonians had about 20 recipes for beer, Egyptian Pharaohs were buried with vats of the stuff, even the workers who built the pyramids were essentially paid in beer.

One of the first written recipes for beer actually comes from a 3800 year-old poem that celebrates the Sumerian goddess of beer and also conveniently outlines steps for brewing.

However it began, beer rapidly took hold as one of civilization’s favorite, and safest ways to drink. Historically speaking, water wasn’t always safe to drink, and alcoholic drinks like beer, which were sanitized by the application of heat, were actually safer to consume. The appearance of beer also changed as brewing methods evolved. Babylonians drank their beer with a straw because it was thicker and full of grain! 

Germany “Hops” On Board

For centuries, beer cultivation in Europe relied on a mixture of herbs and spices called gruit. Only around the turn of the first millennium A.D. were hops regularly finding their way to beer, with Germany exporting hops for brewing around the 13th century.

By the 16th Century,Germany’s “Reinheitsgebot” beer purity law had essentially removed everything but water, hops, and barley from acceptable brewing ingredients (yeast, a slight oversight, was added back to the list a few centuries later).

Over the centuries, beer’s popularity has remained constant. The Prohibition era introduced our palates to a lighter flavor profile that lingers to this day, especially among mass-marketed beers. On the other hand, craft beer has made serious gains in the market, yielding a historically unprecedented diversity of styles. One company and even brewed a beer using the ancient poem’s recipe, and Dogfish Head’s Ancient Ales line includes beers like the “Ta Henket – a version of Egyptian bread beer. 

So, now that you are armed with some serious beer history knowledge, courtesy of The Storage Inn, you can pull on your Lederhosen, grab your beer stein, and head for your local Oktoberfest celebration. Have fun, but take it easy on the Bratwurst – Auf Wiedersehen!