Tiana Berwanger
“Ladies and Gentlemen, in this corner of the rented building, seated behind a rented office desk, and typing away on a rented computer keyboard….the newest Rent It Today blogger, Tiana ‘Wordsmith’ Berwanger.”
I’ve been with the RIT team for a few weeks now, and can honestly say I’ve come to love renting. I’ve held more conversations starting with, “Did you know you could rent…(insert item here)?” in the past month than you can even imagine. In this day and age you can rent anything, anywhere. I was excited when I was given the job to write about any interesting rental news I could find. Before my bosses could even finish explaining the assignment, my obsessive personality had placed me behind the computer, feverishly researching crazy/strange/unique/unbelievable items for rent.
Surprisingly, and quite quickly, I located numerous items that made my jaw drop in either surprise or revulsion. I’ve decided to share a portion of one list I found on WomansDay.com regarding some of the weirdest things available for rent.
- Paparazzi – I don’t know about you, but I enjoy my privacy. I don’t need to pay others to chase me around, crowd my personal space, and not allow me to shower or go the bathroom by myself. I have two young children that do this for free.
- Friends – For a low price of $10 an hour, you can rent someone to act interested in the same activities as you. I wonder, though, what if my “friend” has a fear of heights, and I have planned a day of bungee jumping and roller coasters? Does the price go up? And even more importantly, where was this service during my awkward and lonely teen years?!?
- The next one on the list is under there…under where? Yep, that’s right, number 3 is “underwear”, believe it or not – I can’t even think of a humorous reason to rent underwear. It’s just plain gross.
- Pets –For just under $100 a month, you can get your child to stop begging for a puppy every 3 minutes. Once they realize they are responsible for feeding, walking, and especially cleaning up after the dog, they’ll probably change their mind. You may want to check on the option of a buy-out, though, just in case this plan backfires.
This assignment got me thinking…what would make my top 5 list of items I WISH were for rent?
1. Rainbows…
When someone is in need of cheering up, flowers are old news. They may be beautiful, but soon enough, they wilt away reminding the recipient why she was so sad in the first place. Now imagine if you gave her a rainbow! When she is feeling particularly down, she can just pull out the old band of magnificent colors standby, and be all smiles again. Once she’s overcome her situation, she just returns the rainbow, and goes about her merry way.
2. Tattoos…
Let’s just be real – you are eventually going to get over your Tweety Bird obsession….hopefully. I’m not against tattoos. I just think some people don’t put enough thought into what is actually occurring when they get one. They’re permanent, my friend! No matter which way your body goes, the tattoo is going with it! On the flip side, maybe our fine feathered fowl can pull off the look of a saggy body and crow’s feet. However, I see some exotic and beautiful tattoos out there that would be nice to wear for a day.
3. Head Basketball Coach…
We all need a little pick-me-up every now and then. By renting a coach, you can have someone in your face yelling, “You can do this!” “Get your head in the game!” “Get out there, and show them what you’ve got!” whenever you need a little boost. I guess it would be more of “renting confidence” in a sense.
4. A Grandma…
Be honest, if you could order up some fresh baked cookies, someone to spoil you rotten, and kiss your boo-boos, you’d pay whatever price was asked.
5. Look-Alike
There are certain situations in which I would gladly pay someone to pretend to be me, assuming they could pass as my IDENTICAL twin. For example, during all college exams. I also want to reap the benefits, but want nothing to do with Black Friday shopping. And, of course, there’s no price too high for someone to attend jury duty or a work conference in my place.
These people, services, and items may not be available for rent (just yet), but I can assure you Rent It Today has just about everything else covered. Whether you’re looking for rental properties, baby equipment, exotic cars, or one of over 61,000 items available on the site, check out www.RentItToday.com. In the meantime, I’m going to check out the RentAGrandma.com website I came across while writing this article…I could use a fresh batch of cookies right about now.
Love it!