As Thanksgiving break approaches, you should start to think about what items in your dorm room you want to pack and leave at home. In the summer, I packed copious amounts of clothing and other items I thought I would need for school that have ended up collecting dust under my bed. These things are taking up space that could be used in a much better way! It is time for a fall cleaning. Below are just a few examples of items you should consider bringing back home. For those who don’t have the option to go home for break, you can always ship a package of what you don’t need at school to your home. If you don’t want your items at all, donate them! There are so many great donation centers around University City that would gladly accept your unwanted things.
Your entire T-shirt collection
In college, you dress down much more for classes just out of laziness. However, you also receive tons of free T-shirts. Personally, I packed every single one of my high school T-shirts expecting to wear all of them. But in all honesty, I’ve worn the same seven shirts since September. Odds are, you have too. Keep the new free T-shirts you actually like and either donate the extras or take/ship home the ones you don’t use.
Every pair of shoes you own
During move in, it was still about 90 degrees every day, so I packed a couple of pairs of sandals. Now that fall is in full swing my sandals have not seen the light of day for some time now. I also packed way too many heels thinking that I would somehow feel the need to wear them when I have a perfectly good pair of flats (which are much more comfortable!). Go through your shoe collection and find the shoes that you have worn less than two times and take/ship them home or give them to someone who would want them more than you.
Extra sheets/bedding
My mom convinced me to bring extra sheets and pillow cases to school so that I could rotate them. Currently, my extra sheets are sitting in their unopened packaging on the top of my closet. I clean my sheets with my laundry because it saves time and I know that if I use my other sheets, the ones currently on my bed will never be washed. The extra bedding just takes up space that I already don’t have. Clean the sheets you have and take/send home or donate the extras.
Binders and other unopened school supplies
When I was in high school, I took school supply shopping very seriously. I would have my binders organized by color and have extra notebooks just in case. In college, you really will only need a couple of notebooks and maybe a pencil and a highlighter. I have three binders that I never touched under my desk that will find their way back to my house during Thanksgiving break. If you have notebooks that still have the tags on them, either bring them back home for next year or donate them to a center that needs school supplies for underprivileged students.
High school mementos
You know that pile of photos you never ended up hanging up on your desk? Have they sat untouched in the far corner of your desk since move-in? That’s a sign that you can get rid of them. I printed all of my favorite photos from my camera roll and maybe ¼ of them actually made it onto the walls of my dorm room. I have little gifts from friends in high school that are now just paperweights and are taking up valuable desk space. Put your mementos in a shoe box and keep it at home to look at years from now. You don’t need a walk down memory lane every day.
Grab the cardboard box and some packing tape and get ready to make some space in your clutterd dorm room. It’s cleaning time! Are there any items taking up space in your dorm that you think should have been included on this list? Let us know in the comments!
Philadelphia Area Donation Centers: