Black Friday lands on 27 November this year, and across the Isle of Dogs, shoppers are already filling their baskets. Discounted televisions, bulk household essentials and early Christmas gifts all sound wonderful until the delivery driver arrives and you realise there is nowhere to put any of it.

In E14, where many of us live in compact flats, a great deal can quickly turn into a great deal of clutter. The trick is to plan your space before you plan your shopping.

Halloween is just around the corner, which means pumpkins are appearing on doorsteps, skeletons are climbing out of cupboards and fake cobwebs are taking over living rooms across the country.

It's all fun and games until November arrives and you realise you've got nowhere to put everything.

From oversized inflatable decorations and boxes of costumes to artificial pumpkins and enough spooky accessories to haunt an entire street, Halloween decorations can take up a surprising amount of space. If your cupboards are already full, finding somewhere to keep them for another year can become a real nightmare.

Fortunately, there's a simple way to keep the spooky spirit alive without letting Halloween clutter take over your home.

Running an event business means being prepared for almost anything. One week, you're setting up a corporate exhibition; the next, you're organising a wedding, catering a private party or preparing for a busy market weekend.

But between bookings, there's one question many event businesses face: where do you keep everything?

From folding tables and display stands to promotional banners, catering equipment and boxes of supplies, event equipment can quickly take over your office, vehicle or workspace. Renting a larger premises isn't always practical, especially when your storage needs change throughout the year.

That's where self-storage can make a real difference.

It's October. Halloween decorations are appearing in shop windows; the weather is getting colder and Christmas is still weeks away. Surely there's no need to think about it yet?

If you've ever struggled to find your Christmas decorations, squeezed presents into an already-full wardrobe or rearranged half your living room to accommodate visiting family, you'll know that the festive season can require more space than expected.

Getting organised early doesn't mean putting your Christmas tree up in October. It means working out where everything will go before your home becomes overcrowded.