Self Storage Blog

Top tips for going back to university

September brings the end of the summer holidays, and the looming start of term for all university students. Whether it be year one, two or even five, there’s always new ways you can get prepared. Check out some of our tips below to get you feeling inspired. Remember to keep an eye on our Twitter feed, where you’ll find more useful tricks and hacks. Home comforts To make sure you bring the comforts from home with you to uni, create a recipe scrapbook of all your favourite meals that your mum or dad regularly cook at home. Cooking is also a great way to make new friends in halls or keep your housemates on side. Get organised When you get back to university it’s likely your brain will be frazzled from all that fun you had over the summer. To […]

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Life hacks for your living and work space

September has arrived all too fast, and with the summer holidays over, kids are back to school and you are either going back to work or sorting the house after the last 8 weeks. There is no better time to re-organise you living or work space, ready to take on the challenges ahead. Here are a few creative yet helpful hacks to get you on your way. Remember to check out our Twitter feed where we offer simple solutions to help get the best out of all types of space. Sorted stationary Pens, pencils, scissors and rulers all contribute to the cluttered space on your desk. You can upcycle used tin cans to act as a stationary holder, or even empty toilet rolls. If you’re feeling creative, get a paintbrush to add a dash of colour. Lego helpers Lego doesn’t […]

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Cardboard creation: horse costume

Next up in our series of cardboard creations is a simple yet effective horse costume. This is the perfect activity to keep the kids occupied over the summer holidays. You can help them make it, then watch them gallop round the garden for as many hours as they please. Step 1 – what you will need: • A cardboard box, big enough for the child who will wear it • A cardboard box for the head and tail • Thick ribbon • Decorative ribbon or string for the reins • Craft paint • Scissors • Both a red and a black marker pen • Glue NB: Parental supervision required when using scissors and glue Step 2 Carefully cut out a circle shaped hole in both sides of one box, which need to be large enough to fit the rider through. […]

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Raise the Woof: Big Yellow Swindon helps local SN Dogs charity

Our Big Yellow store in Swindon has recently arranged to act as a drop off point for donations for local charity SN Dogs, helping to care for rescued dogs. The charity had been looking for a central-to-town, local business to become a key location for the public to donate items to support it. With only veterinary clinics outside of town acting as drop of points to date, the Big Yellow store has stepped in to make it as easy as possible for the local community and businesses to donate canned dog food, bedding and toys, to keep the animals content while in their care. SN Dogs is a Swindon, foster-based, dog rescue charity that relies solely on volunteers to run the company and care for dogs that are brought in from the local area. Volunteers at the charity will assess […]

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Top tips: Prepare your home for summer

When the season starts to change, and the sun begins to shine, it’s nice to be able to make your home feel like summer inside and out. There are a few little spruces you can do to your house to help lighten the mood so it fits in with the glorious outside weather. This blog post gives you some ideas, but remember to check out our Twitter feed where we upload useful tips and tricks all the time. Lighter & brighter Curtains can make a huge impact on the feel of a room. Thick, dark curtains are great for winter, as they keep in the heat and make your home feel cosy. However, curtains are so easy to switch around, so think about changing them to something lighter and more colorful for summer to help let the light in. Colour […]

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Big Yellow Norwich protects rare bee orchids

Each year at our Big Yellow Self Storage site in Norwich, a rare flower blossoms and is on show for just a couple of weeks. Rare bee orchids, which look as though they have a bee resting on the flower, were first spotted by Chris Durdin, a local wildlife enthusiast, back in 2009. He requested the area to be left to grow wild so the rare orchids could continue to flourish year on year. Every spring, the team at Norwich nurture the ground and leave it uncultivated to encourage the flowers to bloom. Despite the downturn in weather at the start of this summer, which makes it unusual to bee orchids to be spotted, the team are proud to say that this year the tally of flowers doubled, with 30 spikes appearing. Gavin Thomas, Store Manager at Big Yellow Self […]

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Life hacks to organise your wardrobe

Our Twitter feed is full of helpful tricks to organise all areas of your home. One place that you can easily lose control of is the wardrobe, so we’ve outlined some cheap, simple tips on how you can sort it once and for all. Remember, once you’ve done it once, it will take just minutes to tidy up when it starts to get out of control again. Hook ‘em up Scarves have a tendency to make a space look really untidy. With a few shower curtain hooks on a hanger, you can display them in a practical, space saving way. Summer vs winter The amount of clothes you own can have a big effect on how tidy you can be. We understand that space (especially in your wardrobe!) is somewhat a luxury, so why not think about splitting your summer […]

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Exploring an unusual living space

Did you know that just one in six properties are affordable across Britain*? And with that, 33,000 people in the UK live on a houseboat. It might come as a surprise that sales and renting of house boats is on the up, but with housing costs (especially in central London) becoming further out of reach, and the recent advances in technology such as solar panels, LED lights and internet connections, it might not actually look like a bad idea. Living on water could look like a dream, however along with its charms of being unique and also potentially cheaper, you do have to be prepared for the downsize and start to think how to be creative with the space. Remember these ideas aren’t just for house boats. If you find yourself living in a smaller home, then check out these […]

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Create your own garden games

So the summer holidays have arrived, and this year they bring with them the excitement of the Olympic Games. Whether you’re entertaining children or entertaining guests, there’s always time (and hopefully good weather!) to get outside and play your own garden games. Here’s some easy-to-create ideas that will keep the whole family amused. Giant noughts & crosses With a cardboard box, some scissors and a dash of black paint (or tape), it’s easy to create an oversized garden version of the traditional noughts & crosses. Garden bowling You don’t need to head to the bowling lanes to get in a game of this firm family favourite. If you have some spare cardboard, you can help the children make their very own version. It’s easy to do once you have created a stencil of the pins. A couple of tennis balls […]

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Life moment interview: Preparing your home for a pet

Lucinda is a Social Media Account Director from London, and has recently brought a new furry four-legged friend into her home – a rescue terrier called Crumble. We asked her a few questions about getting her first pet in her flat, and we’ll offer you some tips based on her experience. What made you decide on the breed of dog? We always knew we wanted a small dog because we have a flat, and needed to bring him into work. It would have been more difficult to convince my boss to have an office dog if he wasn’t so little! We also needed to be able carry him on the underground. My boyfriend and I have busy lives, so we also knew we couldn’t have a dog that needed a 2 – 3 hour walk a day. How did you […]

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