For a college town that you can live in on a college budget, Sacramento just might be the finest option in California. While you won’t find a huge selection of public and private schools, you will have access to a couple of four year universities as well as a wide range of community colleges in the area to choose from. Add in affordable apartments, a historic waterfront, and an up and coming culinary scene and you’ll be surprised at how perfect the state capital can be for a student. Another thing that’s perfect in Sacramento is storage on a student budget. Believe us, it can be done. Let’s show you how.
New to Storage?
If you’re a traditional college student, the only storage you’ve probably been using is in your parents’ basement. Thankfully, even though college is kind of sort of (but at the same time not really) about being an adult, storage isn’t that complicated. In Sacramento, you can search
almost 200 storage facilities through us. We make it easy by allowing you to search by which features you want and how far away from campus you’re willing to rent. And then the facility makes it easy for you by offering flexible leasing options so that signing a lease on a storage unit isn’t very much like signing a lease on an apartment. Storage unit leases typically go month-to-month so that if you end up needing your storage unit for longer or you end up deciding that the extra expense is dipping too far into your pizza and cheap beer budget, you can change the situation. Look for discounts for students and summer specials. Many facilities will allow you to pay a low price up front for the whole summer so that you don’t have to think about paying a monthly bill while you’re backpacking through Europe.
What to Store (And What Not to Store)
There’s probably a very slim chance that you have a surplus of extra alcohol hanging around at the end of the semester, but if you do (or if you’re studying wine and you’re starting a collection), it’s important to find out whether or not your facility allows you to store it and what you should do to
store liquor safely. Obviously if you’re under 21, don’t store booze in a storage unit. If you’re of age and your facility allows this, look for a climate controlled unit and stack boxes carefully so that if in the event that something like a mild earthquake occurs, you won’t be returning to a storage unit full of broken glass and tequila. Sacramento isn’t known for being wine country, but it actually does have its share of nearby vineyards, so keep a lookout for facilities that offer
wine storage if this is something you want to store.
Never, ever store perishable items like food and don’t store explosives. We’re not sure why you would have something like fireworks in your dorm room in the first place, but if you’ve been smuggling them under your bed all year, don’t put them in your storage unit as the combination of summer heat and combustible items is a pyrotechnical display you do not want to see. It’s also wise to avoid storing anything that’s extremely valuable (like expensive jewelry) but we know that all of your possessions have value to you, so make sure you choose a facility that offers excellent security.
Make Sure You and Your Stuff Are Safe
That brings us to our next point. Security. Your campus has security measures in place. Shouldn’t your storage facility? This is important not only for the safety of your items in storage but for your own safety, especially if you’ve chosen a facility that offers
24 hour access. Good security features for your stuff include a good lighting, 24 hour cameras, a staff that patrols the property and gated access. Your facility manager should either provide you with a good lock or suggest one for you. Opt for a disc lock if you can, or at least anything other than a padlock as these are pretty easy to cut. If you have to purchase a disc lock on your own, they’re easy to find at stores like Wal-Mart or Target or online through Amazon. It’s amazing how much a $10 investment can do for the security of everything in your storage unit.
As far as your own safety goes, try to store in a part of town you’re comfortable going to, avoid going to your storage unit alone if it’s late at night and ask your facility manager how secure the gate code is. Many facilities offer individualized gate codes so that they can actually track who is going in and out of the property. Other facilities offer one general code but change it on a regular basis. If you get the sense that a facility has been using the same code for everyone for years, this means that all previous tenants still have access to the property. Don’t rent there. Run, don’t walk, to a facility that’s got your back.
