Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities in the nation. It’s where the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. It was home to Benjamin Franklin, who had a huge impact on not only the United States, but on the educational system in Philadelphia.
When you go to Philadelphia for school, you’ll get to experience one of the quintessential American cities.
You Can Bring It With You
Philadelphia has several important universities,
University of Pennsylvania,
The University of the Arts,
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia,
Saint Joseph’s University, and
Philadelphia University, for a total of about 40,000 students.
When you head off to school, you will mostly likely live in a dorm, an apartment with a roommate, or a house with several roommates. You will likely have less room than you did before, and getting a self-storage unit may be a necessity.
Getting Your Self-Storage Unit
Philadelphia has 118 self-storage facilities, which means about 64,900 individual storage lockers. In a city of 1.5 million people, that means there will be competition for storage space, especially in the fall when students are returning to their university studies. Still, prices are good. Often 5’x5’ units rent for between $20 and $40, 5’x10’ units for between $35 and $110, and 10’x10’ units for between $75 and $120.
Shortly after you’ve been accepted to a university in Philadelphia, figure out what you’re going to bring with you. Make a complete list, and decide what will go in your new home, and what you’ll keep in storage. The idea is to figure out
how large a storage unit you will need.
Many people overestimate how often they will visit their storage lockers. Really be honest with yourself. Do you think you’ll go once a week, once a month, or once every few months? If you find a deal several miles away and know you’ll only go about once a month, and you have a car, then that may save you money over something closer to home but more expensive.
Get Climate Control
While Philadelphia has mild winters, summers are hot and humid. Due to this, climate control is a necessity. Think of a unit without climate control as your bathroom at home. After a bath or shower, you need to open the door and window to air it out, otherwise the lingering steam affects everything inside. You wouldn’t store your school books or clothes in the bathroom. While storage units aren’t likely to get that humid, during summer, they can get humid enough. Climate control ensures a steady temperature range with low moisture in the air.
Storage When Studying Abroad
As a student at the University of Philadelphia or any of the others in the area, you may get the opportunity to study in another country, something common for those studying literature, a specific language, or art. You might decide to keep your belongings in your Philadelphia home. However, strangers could have access to it, especially if you have any roommates. A safer option is to keep your things in self-storage for the duration.
If you don’t have enough room in your current unit, contact your self-storage facility and ask to move to a larger one. Many facilities are now completely web-enabled and will allow you to manage your account and even rent a new unit completely online.
Though it may be tricky, you can also look into saving money by subletting your apartment room. Make sure this is allowed, and that you trust the person you’re subletting to to move out when you’re ready to return.
Expanding Your Self-Storage Space
College is a time of expanding your knowledge and preparing for a career and the adult world. Though you might not have considered it, that also means expanding your possessions. You’ll get books, school memorabilia, new clothes, and things like toasters, microwaves, coffee makers, and silverware.
Keep in mind that you may need to get a larger self-storage space. When you eventually get a job and leave college, you’ll have your belongings safely tucked away and ready to move with you.
