Out-of-State 101: Packing

By Taylor Snow on August 13, 2018
So, you’ve done all your dorm shopping (or most of it — read my article about dorm shopping as an out-of-state student) and move-in day is fast approaching. This is going to be an extremely stressful day when it arrives, as you’ll be hurrying to get everything out of your car and three floors up to your dorm — at the same time everyone else is attempting to do the same thing. This is the cherry on top of the stress of packing. Here are a few things I learned while packing for my freshman year:

via Pixabay.com

Get rid of unnecessary packaging. That plastic bag with the zipper that your new bedding came in (with that giant piece of cardboard in the middle to keep it looking nice in the package) is just taking up room. The box your desk lamp is in is doing the same, especially if its an LED versus a light bulb that does need the extra padding. If you get rid of all of this you, in turn, have fewer boxes to shove in your car. This one kinda seems like a no-brainer.
Try and fit everything into two or three big boxes. I’m talking about the big Amazon or Walmart boxes. This can really reduce the number of trips you have to make. provided you have access to a cart.
Ask local businesses about saving boxes for you. I lived two blocks away from a busy liquor store. i asked them to save boxes for just a day and I ended up having too many! If you can get your hands on it without buying it, why would you? Additionally, these boxes will be more manageable, as they fit less stuff than the large boxes will and be lighter. There are options.

Really think about how much space you have in your vehicle, and think about who is going with you. Going to orientation, there were five of us and the dog in the car, with barely enough room for our luggage. One of my stresses was fitting all the crap I need to take with me and also fitting the persons and luggage in the second time around. Thank God for luggage racks, but now I have to figure out how to fit my stuff in the space the luggage took up the first time.
If you find yourself in trouble with the last one, Unpack. Repack. Repeat. Go through it everything again and decide whether you really need some of the stuff you originally said “yes” to. This was how I ended up fitting everything in a couple of boxes.
Get creative. You don’t need to put everything in a box, necessarily. I have all of my bedding, towels, bath mat, shower curtain, etc in my hamper. I also have a little storage ottoman, and I’ve already put it to work. Don’t leave negative space — nest it!
That’s it for this article! You can also read this on Tumblr or watch the video version on YouTube. Thanks for reading and I’ll write again soon!

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