Moving Hacks To Make The College Student Life Easier

By Kylie Exline on May 16, 2016

As summer strolls in from around the corner, many of us are moving out of apartments, into others, and have the amazing job of packing up our stuff.

I am talking about things that you have been collecting now your entire college career. Things that are old and worn, broken, or just completely unnecessary.

There are ways to make this tragedy a tad easier and to help you in the long-run. Read below to learn the tricks.

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Pack An Essentials Bag

Whenever I go on a trip or a sleepover, I make sure to bring with me an overnight bag. This will include the obvious necessities, such as a toothbrush and deodorant, along with underwear, socks and contact solution.

When you are moving, these are the last things that you would ever want to get lost. Therefore, throw the items in your backpack and you will be on your way. Make sure you leave it in the open so you do not end up placing it in the “being thrown away” pile. That would be totally not awesome.

This essentials bag also allows you a quick time out when you finally move into your new place. Chances are, you will definitely be exhausted. This way, you can easily wash your face and take a nice nap on your new couch. Maybe bring a blanket, too?

Label/Organize Properly

Many of us claim we are organized, and it turns out that it is simply a lie we tell ourselves in order to make us feel better. But here is a perfect opportunity to make said lie true.

By organizing our things, it allows us to better pack and label specific items. For instance, placing all kitchenware in a clearly classified box makes unpacking a million times easier. Plus, when looking for a hair dryer, we will not randomly find it in our bin of white linen.

If you really want to go all out, you can even color coordinate. This means buying various tape colors, assigning them to specific rooms of the apartment, and then sticking them to the distinct box. Just try to remember which color is which if not writing on them.

Wrap Valuables In Soft Clothes

We all know packing is a huge headache and takes up way too much of our precious time. However, it is a must. When packing valuables, we want them to stay secure, as well as making sure the movers or friends helping you know that they are indeed valuable.

Start by writing that the box is fragile in obvious sharpie, and then wrap them selectively. If not wanting to purchase and use bubble wrap, you can always wrap the feeble items in a soft sweater, or surround it with various socks.

This will be killing two birds with one stone since you are packing away two different items all while protecting your valuables. Plus, it will be saving you money which is always a giant plus.

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Plan Accordingly

This is hard, I get it. But it is a major necessity. As soon as you find out your move-in day, you need to start planning for it ASAP. Or else, things will be a disaster and no one wants that.

Knowing when your lease ends is imperative given it gives you an idea of how long you will have before you are allowed to move into your new place. And we all know how time is never on our side.

If you will need movers or storage, better to research that now than wait until the weekend of. No one likes a procrastinator. Plus, they will most likely charge you more given the late notice, so save yourself some money why don’t you?

Force A Donate Pile

This is also difficult and I fully understand the struggle. However, there is no way that you absolutely must have everything moving with you into your new living space. Time to reevaluate your materialistic items.

Go through that bedroom closet, that weird hallway pantry, and that random drawer in the kitchen where everything gets shoved when it does not already have a home. You will create separate “donation,” “keep,” and “throw away” piles. You may hate it in the moment, but you will love it when you are lugging your stuff everywhere and it is about a thousand pounds lighter.

You are also helping out your local community, so bonus points for that. This will easily create less stress for you when you are finally in your new apartment. There will be less boxes, less to put away, and more of a starting point for your new chapter of your life.

Moving is never fun, yet there are various ways to help make it easier on you. We are already busy enough as it is being a full-time student, working and trying to do everything else at once.

This is why sticking to packing tips will help you make it out alive. You will be organized, know where things are located and packed, and be more excited to be moving into your new place. So pack away!

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