March 8th, 2010
Ben Cower

Has your son or daughter recently graduated from high school and began the journey of adulthood by going off to college? This is a time of serious change for every family. At first, you are likely to be depressed as the reality of the situation sinks in. You return to a house which feels a lot emptier than before, and you might even visit their former room a couple of times in the first few months for nostalgic purposes.

Then, something remarkable happens. You realize that yes, your little boy or girl is all grown up! That means a considerable amount of new freedom for you as parents, and it has ramifications for your house as well. One less person living at home means a lot more room for everyone else. A lot of parents realize that one less person means on extra room, and by Christmas time start thinking about giving that spare room a whole new purpose.

But wait! While it’s true your student is all grown up and off to college, odds are pretty good she will still be staying with you over the summer. Your student completes school for the year and is ready to come home to work and rest a bit. Instead of extra space which you can use however you want to, all of a sudden you are faced with a dual dilemma. Your student needs a place to stay, and all of his or her stuff is on the way back with them. In addition, you will have to keep all the things she has accumulated over the school year (DVD’s, text books, maybe even a boyfriend).

Where on earth are you going to find room for this not-so-new addition to your family and all of the things that come with her?

Well, one option to explore is a self storage unit. While they don’t have windows, a self storage unit can easily fit a bed, and many even have access to electricity and cable. A comfortable bed and a small kitchen unit can make a storage unit the perfect summer home for any college student.

No, we’re just kidding. Well sort of, but what to do with your kid is up to you. If you do want to keep her happy (and coming home for the holidays) you’ll have to make some kind of arrangement for her stuff. And that’s where the self storage unit really can help you.

Renting out some storage space means that you don’t have to worry about a lack of room for all your returning student’s stuff in your home. In fact, it’s more than likely that 90% of all the stuff she needs from school (texts, computer, even recreational equipment) can all be put into storage for the entire summer. Most of that stuff is used only for school anyway. If she’s made additional purchases such as a television, posters, and so on, they can find a summer home in the unit too. That way, all you need to worry about is getting her bed out of the way when you go to watch television (we recommend a futon).

So don’t panic if your student is coming home for summer. Renting self storage units will allow you to keep your new lifestyle intact, without making your student get rid of her own stuff.