When you're in college and the end of the semester comes, it's normal for your living situation to change. Your lease may end, and you may either sign a new lease on the same apartment or move to a new apartment. But what do you do when the semester ends, your lease is about to end, and you don't have a new place to live lined up yet? Here are some tips to get you through this rough time.

Put your items in a storage unit.

As soon as you realize you won't have a place to move when your lease is up, rent a storage unit. Start putting things into your storage unit, beginning with the things you don't use on a regular basis and progressing towards the items you use more often. If you do this slowly over time, you can probably avoid having to rent a moving truck. Of course, if you own furniture, you might have to find a friend with a pickup truck you can borrow for an afternoon.

Ask around for a couch to stay on.

Once you know you have a place to keep your things 'til you find a new apartment, make sure you tell all of your friends about your situation. Don't beg them to let you stay on their couches. If you just bring it up, a few understanding friends are likely to offer you a couch or futon to stay on. When your lease ends, if you still don't have a place to go, take them up on the offer. Just make sure you are an excellent temporary roommate. Cook breakfast for your hosts, contribute to the food in the fridge, clean up after yourself, etc.

Start looking for other students who need roommates.

You might have to face the fact that none of your friends need a roommate right now, and expand your search to other students who you do not know yet. If your campus has a housing website, see if there are any posts from other students who already have apartments lined up and are looking for roommates to join them. It's usually a lot easier to find an empty bedroom that a few other roommates are looking to fill than to find a whole new apartment on your own.

Once you find an available room, let your couch hosts know, and start moving things back out of the storage unit and into your new room. Visit a site like http://www.securityselfstorageelginil.com/ to get started.