Getting ready to go off to college is usually a blast because you have so much to look forward to, but have you thought about the actual act of moving to college? Yeah, not so exciting anymore, is it?
The idea of packing up all of your belongings and transporting them out of your house, into a car and into your new home-away-from-home sounds incredibly exhausting. Want to make the move-in process as simple as possible? Try these five packing hacks that will make everything so much easier.
1. Be organized AF
Organization is key when it comes to packing up all of your belongings for the big move. Separate everything into appropriately labeled boxes so you know exactly where to unload everything, and the priority in which you should unpack them. For example, make sure your bedding is packed separate from your winter coats–you’ll need one much sooner than the other.
“When I first moved into my dorm, I made sure I color-coded everything,” says Veronica, a junior at Chico State. “It saved me so much time knowing that a certain color was filled with items I needed to unpack right away, while other colors meant I could keep that box packed for as long as I wanted.” Genius.
2. Bag your clothes
Packing and unpacking clothes can be so tedious. To make the process easier, try gathering a group of hanging clothes together and wrap a rubber band around the top of the hangers. Next, pull a large (and sturdy) trash bag around them from the bottom up, and tie the bag strings around the hangers. “I use the bagging-your-clothes trick whenever I make a move, and it’s so easy!” says Ashlee, a senior at Utah State University. “I never waste time taking clothes off of a hanger if I don’t have to.” This way you can grab the bundle of hangers filled with clothes and transport them directly into your new closet!
3. Skip packing unnecessary items
It can be extremely tempting to stockpile every single thing you’ll need for your dorm or apartment before you ever make the trip there, but you definitely shouldn’t do this! Just think of all the extra boxes you’ll have to load and carry upstairs–let a delivery man do it instead. If you know you’re going to want those cute decorative pieces for your dorm, either wait to buy them once you get there, or order it online so it can be delivered right to your door a few days after you arrive.
“When I first went off to college, my parents bought every single item I needed beforehand,” says Kassey, a recent University of Kansas grad. “After making so many trips up and down the stairs to carry it all in, we learned to just wait until we moved everything in before resting and making a Target run for everything else.” With this hack, you’ll be getting all of the same items, but without having to pack it and move it. Talk about a major time saver!
4. Pack your containers in advance
If you already know you’re going to have those small plastic drawers stocked with your makeup, undergarments or school supplies, you might as well pack them all into the drawers before you make the move. Instead of having the hassle of having to unpack the contents to organize them, you’ll already be able to set the pre-packed containers in their place. “At first I was just being lazy and not unpacking my drawers when moving my little plastic containers into my dorm, but my roommate thought it was genius,” says Abby, a junior at University of San Diego. “Then I realized that I had actually saved myself so much time. I’ll always move this way!” Just be sure to secure the containers or drawers shut before you transport them or you’ll risk your personal items being spewed all over the sidewalk. This works for laundry baskets, too!
5. Wrap fragile items in clothes or blankets
Who actually has time for going out and buying bubble wrap? Use your clothes or blankets to wrap up any potentially fragile items, and move your delicate pieces to your dorm without a hitch. “I always just roll everything up in things I’m already taking,” says Haley, a senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. “I even do it for little things like neckaces that I don’t want to get all tangled up.” How convenient!
Packing for your new college life shouldn’t be too difficult as long as your plan ahead and are resourceful. You have enough to worry about with the start of a new year, so don’t let packing or unpacking be one of those stressors.