COLLEGE STUDENT STORAGE TIPS

With summer quickly approaching, college students are preparing to pack up their dorm rooms. The problem: driving a car’s worth of household items to Mom and Dad’s home just isn’t feasible. So what’s a college student to do? Renting a self-storage unit for the summer is a cost-effective way for college students to store all of their belongings. Check out some of our favorite storage tips for summer storage. Best of luck and happy moving!

What Size Unit
The majority of college students can get away with renting a 5×10.  This size unit is capable of holding a sofa or twin bed, clothes, as well as décor and smaller furnishings.

Pack Your Things Efficiently
Be strategic about packing even smaller items. For example, carefully roll or fold your winter clothing for storage. Don’t just toss those clothes in a box and figure you’ll deal with them at the end of the summer. Since you’re likely packing stuff from a dorm room, you don’t have to worry about sorting things by room when packing. Instead, sort them by category. That’ll help you find your stuff easier when you go to unpack in the fall. For instance, pack all your shoes in one box, then carefully label the box as shoes for an easier time identifying and sorting your things.

Consider Sharing a Storage Unit
Save some money. If you have friends from college that you trust, consider splitting a storage unit with them. Not only will save money, you could also help each other out on your moving days. You may simply each choose to have one side of the unit for your belongings or otherwise find a way to divide the space among those who are sharing it.

Clean Your Stuff

It’s a great idea to clean your dorm refrigerator, microwave or dishes before packing it in self-storage. Cleaning your items prevents mold and bacteria growth while they sit in the storage unit.

Pack Smart.

Pack your books in smaller boxes to prevent lifting large boxes and hurting your back. Hang heavy clothing or blankets in wardrobe boxes, and wrap delicate items like plates in paper to prevent chips and cracks during the move. Pack glasses, plates and dishes in bubble wrap or plain newsprint in sturdy cardboard boxes. Do NOT use regular newspapers as protection as it can leave a print residue on the items. Place heavier items at the bottom of the box and lighter objects at the top of the box. Place filler material between the pieces. Once the boxes are packed up to within an inch of the top, add filler material and then completely seal the boxes with packing tape before storing.

Label Everything

Write down the name of the contents on the side of the box with a permanent marker. Don’t use post-it notes; they just fall off and leave you clueless as to which box contains what you need.

Select The Right Lock

If you don’t know which lock to select for your storage unit, we have locks available for purchase and will make sure that you have exactly what you need.

Let Lincoln Self Storage help you by providing various sized units, helpful moving supplies, and guidance throughout the entire process.

Tips for Moving with Pets

It’s often said that moving is one of the most stressful things that will happen to a person in their lifetime. The same can be said for your pet. Animals often have a hard time with the travels to a new location, and then with adjusting upon arrival. Here are some tips for moving with pets before, during, and after the move itself. This will help you and your pet stay stress-free during your move.

Pre-Move

Get a tight new collar and an updated tag with easy-to-read name and number. If you’re moving out of the area, inform your vet so you can take records and any prescription medications with you. See if they can recommend another vet in your new neighborhood.

During Move

During the move itself, the best way to reduce stress on an animal is to keep them in the quietest area possible. If you don’t want to leave them with a friend or a kennel for the day (which is recommended), at least remove them from the action. This could mean emptying a bedroom on another floor and closing the door, or putting them in their carrier or kennel in the garage or car (take proper caution to ensure they’ll be at a safe temperature and that they have water and food if they will be there for some time). Make sure you check in on them regularly, and try to feed or walk them at the time you usually would; having some sense of a routine in the midst of all the changes will help a lot.

Post-Move

Find a new clinic right away so you know where to go for any emergencies.

Start your new routine (such as morning walks, meal time, etc.) right away so pet can feel comfortable in new place quickly. Before unpacking your own stuff, lay out pet essentials so that s/he has some familiar items in the strange new house.

Hidden Hazards

Not all moves can be made in one day. If you must stop for the night, call ahead to hotels that claim to be pet-friendly. Don’t take a hotel chain’s word for it. Call the actual hotel and verify what their pet policies are. Many pet-friendly hotels have a limited number of rooms available for people with pets, or will only allow small dogs and cats. Keep in mind, there are opportunities for your pet to escape easily. In the hotel room, look around for any dangers, such as open windows or holes in the wall, before letting your pet out of the carrier. Remember to keep your pet on his leash when exiting the hotel.

It’s not easy to move with animals, but it’s part of the obligation you have to them. With forethought and planning, there is no reason why moving to a new home cannot be accomplished with a minimum of stress—for both you and your companions.

The words “fun” and “moving” rarely go together because let’s be honest: moving is stressful. While we can’t promise you’ll feel like you just got back from the spa, we do think you’ll at least feel less stressful. Here are our best tips for making your next move dare we say it — fun!

Make a Packing and Unpacking Playlist:
This tip might seem a bit silly, but it works! Create two playlists that you can use for your move: a packing playlist and an unpacking playlist. For my packing playlist, focus on peppy music to keep motivated. And for the unpacking playlist, choosing songs that were a bit more relaxing but still had some pow. There’s something psychological that happens in your brain when you go through this process with playlists that you have designated for these two tasks. It could make you kick into gear way easier than normal when you hear your “packing playlist.”

Focus on Easy Peasy:
When you’re working on packing things up, look for every opportunity to make your life easier. Here are a few of our favorite tips:

If you have furniture like dressers filled up with clothes, leave the clothes in there rather than taking everything out and packing it separately. Your movers can wrap up your dresser and ensure none of the drawers move. When you get to your new place, you’ll know exactly where everything is!
For clothes that are already on hangers in your closet, leave them on the hangers. Rather than giving that stuff to your movers, you can move the items yourself and just transfer them right into your new closet. Make sure when you stack up your items, you leave them in the same order they were in (if you like how they were organized). This will minimize your work even more.
If your flatware, kitchen utensils, and other items are already in drawer organizers, leave them in the organizers and pack them that way. When you get to your new home, you can take them directly out of the box and just pop them right into a drawer. If you’re not using organizers and you’d like to, now is an awesome time to do it. Purchase some organizers that you know will work in your new space and pack your kitchen stuff in them before you put them in the box.

Smaller Boxes Are Your Friend:
Bankers Boxes are great! You don’t need tape to put them together, they’re small and easily manageable, and they stack up perfectly. However, you don’t necessarily need to use Bankers Boxes — just try going with boxes that are a bit on the smaller side. Sometimes you do need larger boxes, but maybe just a few. And even though you may have more boxes in total, you’ll still be happier in the end. You can also pack and unpack smaller boxes much quicker, as well as easily move them around as you’re going through the unpacking process. Unpacking the smaller boxes feels like your experiencing quick little wins, and that really could keep you motivated.

Use an App:
If organizing is not necessarily your favorite thing, then download a moving app like Moving Van. This app will help you track exactly what’s in each box, allowing you to snap pictures as you fill up your boxes. It also has a super handy search function, so when you’re at your new place wondering “where did I pack my design coffee table book collection,” you can search for the items and figure out exactly which box they were packed in.

Eat Some Junk Food:
Yes, we said it! For those that are lucky enough to have a group of friends that help out on your moving day, make sure you plan ahead with a setup that will make them want to put you straight into the BFF category. Our idea? Set up a junk food bar. Stock up on all the snacks that you know you shouldn’t be eating but love to anyway: chips, chocolate bars, gummy candy, cookies, etc. Put it all out during the move and encourage everyone to help themselves. If you want to get fancy and have some time before the move, you can whip up your own junk food buffet.

Create a Super Important Box:
In our opinion, is mission critical? As you’re packing up your space, make sure you have a box (or a piece of luggage) for all of your most important items. Think outfits for a few days, exercise gear, your fave shoes, toiletries, important docs, checkbook, food for your pet, medication, etc. Basically, all of the things that you’ll need as soon as you get to your new home. If you can’t fit everything in one box or one piece of luggage, pack two! Just make sure you clearly mark these super duper important boxes so that you don’t lose track of them on the move.

Set Up a Bribe Reward:
This is another tip that may really for you: Set up a personal bribe goal for yourself. Here’s how it works: Agree that if you could unpack all of the boxes in one week, you could make an appointment for a 90-minute facial or take a night off and see a movie. Working toward this special treat could actually really help keep you motivated. Tell your friends/family about your goal. They can remind you of your goal and make it fun to help meet your deadline. You could even offer a friend to join you.

The biggest thing to remember is:

Do whatever works for you!! Moving can be super stressful, so when you figure out the moving tricks that work best for you, do more of them and ditch the rest. Then you o can do the moving happy dance.

Tips for Moving Your Elderly Loved One

If you have a parent who’s lived happily in a spacious home for years, there will probably come a time when a change in living arrangements is in needed. You might notice your parent has a hard time keeping up with household maintenance. A small fall—even if it doesn’t result in an injury—could be a sign that a new living situation would improve safety.

Moving an aging parent requires more than just packing up boxes. There are both physical and emotional aspects of transitioning to a new home as we age that must be addressed carefully. Aging parents may find it difficult to leave their home, or to go to a situation where some independence could be lost. In addition, you may be having to sell, give away or store items. A storage facility may prove to be a good answer to temporarily store your parents items.

Here are six guidelines to help the transition go smoothly.

1. Communication and Choice

Seniors can be emotionally vested in the home they’re leaving, and it’s expected that there will be sadness and apprehension about the move. It can be a tough conversation to have with your aging parent, but give them time to grieve the change and talk about where they will be living and why they are moving, in order to help make the transition smoother. When seniors are asked to leave their longtime homes, a frequent cause of distress is their perceived loss of control, so give your loved one as much choice as possible as they plan and implement the move.

2. Find the Right Place.

Before making any decisions, you’ll want to look into the assisted living facilities or retirement communities in whichever areas are under consideration. Many assisted living facilities will set an appointment with you for a tour of the facility and to stay for lunch. If possible, encourage your parent to go along for the visit.

Be sure to check out amenities and services that each facility offers.

3. Sort and Organize

Moving your elderly parents will involve downsizing. Go through the house item by item with your support team. You can categorize objects to make the process easier: items to be moved, keepsakes to be left with family, items to be sold or donated, and items to be thrown out. Don’t allow yourself to become a packing robot lacking feelings. Honor the emotional attachment to personal belongings and allow your senior parent to reminisce as you help sort out their possessions. Remember, these are not just things you’re moving; they’re memories. Also, be open to your own emotions, especially if this was your childhood home.

4. Create a Meaningful Space.

For seniors moving to an apartment, try to model it after their home. If your parent has a favorite room or living area, bring the furniture from it and try to arrange it in a similar way. This is also a great time to ask your parent about meaningful things to take along. It could be a special photo, a favorite chair, or a vase that’s been in the family for years.

5. Schedule the Move at the Right Time.

If you’re moving your parent to a place with other residents,  keep in mind that people who already live there could be disturbed by the noisiness of boxes and heavy furniture being carried in. Aim to move your parent into an assisted living or apartment at a quieter time of day. If possible, avoid moving in during meal times.

6. Envision the New Life.

Various programs and activities at the new place might align with your parent’s interests. Encourage them to get a calendar and join in on some activities or see a musical program that they would love.  Also, other services could boost your parent’s independence. For instance, many assisted living facilities to provide transportation to theaters and shopping centers. These services can help your parent more fully enjoy living in his or her new place.

Of course, each family’s circumstances are unique, so we’re hesitant to give blanket advice — but we hope these tips help you better plan and execute your elder loved one’s next move.