Although leaving for summer may seem far away, the end of the year is approaching quickly. When things pick up around finals week, packing and storage are the last things that you’ll want to deal with. Get a head start on moving out and start thinking about your storage choices!
Store it or sell it?
If you use a storage company, check out the prices on their website (usually they’ll break down specifically what it costs to store things). If it’s going to cost you more money to store it than the object itself costs, you’re better off selling it—check out the Northwestern “free and for sale” Facebook page—and buying a new one next year (think things like couches, refrigerators, storage bins, etc.).
What about clothing?
If you have a bunch of clothing you want to either ship home or take with you this summer, I suggest getting a head start on it now. Ship a few boxes of things you won’t need in the next few weeks so you can understand more clearly what your storage needs are going to be. However, if you plan on returning to Northwestern in the fall, and you spend your summers in a relatively warm climate, leave behind all of your thick sweaters, boots, and jackets. You’ll have to lug a lot less back to school with you next year!
Where can I store it?
Keep an eye out over the next couple weeks for advertisements from storage companies. BoxCo and Lazybones are both pretty popular, and each offers a lot of options for storage. However, if you have a car (or know someone who is kind enough to share), there are a bunch of storage units nearby that charge a flat rate for you to store anything you want. Check it out! This choice is great for people with funky furniture or big bulky items, and they are super easy to split with a friend or future roommate!
I’m going abroad. Help!
If you are studying abroad in the fall, don’t panic! Just follow the same storage steps you would as if you were returning in the fall, except extend the length of time you leave your belongings in storage. Don’t want your things sitting around in storage all fall? See if one of your future roommates doesn’t mind picking up some of your stuff in the fall to store in your room while you’re away. That way, you can avoid paying for an additional four months of storage and you know your things will already be in your home by the time you return.
Start researching now, you’ll thank yourself later!