For THE MOST SPACE for THE LEAST MONEY

LIFE STORAGE, BROOKLYN 1690 E. New York Ave.; lifestorage.com

WHEN FURNITURE AND LIGHTING designer Ben Kicic was looking for a storage unit in Crown Heights, the cheapest rate he could find for an “appealing” space was $340 a month. By expanding his search area a little further to East New York, he found an “amazing, fully staffed, superclean and secure” unit with Life Storage, a nationwide storage chain that has 12 locations in Brooklyn. After booking online (which Kicic recommends; that’s how he got a discount rate), he was able to schedule his move-in for the same day. Upon arrival, it took only 20 minutes to sign forms and get a key to his new unit. “I’ve been renting a 15-by-15-foot unit for over a year for $200 a month that I could fit 20 mattresses into if I wanted,” he says. “I have a sofa and ten chairs in there, and it’s still only half-full.” Plus, he says, Life Storage’s office sells packing supplies like tape, foam peanuts, plastic wrap, boxes, and locks, sparing you additional errands.