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July 7, 2022 by

Tips and Tricks for Packing

Wow! It’s almost time for move-in day – you must be so excited! By now, you have probably purchased a lot of your college essentials, and it is time to start organizing everything so you can start packing. For some people, packing is their least favorite thing in the world! But following these tips and tricks will allow you to have an easy experience when packing for college.  

Tip #1: Organize Items Before Packing 

Once you have purchased all your dorm essentials, I’m sure that you will start to have a large pile building up! So, before you start packing things away, organize them into categories. Categorizing your belongings will help you to know what items are in each box/bag and will allow you to have an easy time unpacking and organizing your room! 

Here are some categories for you to go by: 

  1. Personal Items – clothes, toiletries, shoes, anything that will not be used by your roommate 
  2. Dorm Decorations 
  3. Shared Items – fans, lights, appliances (refrigerators/microwaves), etc. 
  4. School Supplies 
  5. Technology – having your laptops, tablets, chargers, etc., altogether allow you to know where these items are so they are not broken during the move

Tip #2: Use Storage Containers to Help Pack 

Being able to transport your items from your house to your residence hall is very important, yet it can be difficult if your items are not easily packed. Using storage bins to organize and carry all your items not only makes the transport easy, but the unpacking easy, too. You can label your storage bins, so you know which items are in there. 

Personally, I used moving bags, and they worked perfectly! The bags were spacious enough to fit all my items, and you are still able to organize everything within the bags! These moving bags also made transport easy since they’re not big, cumbersome boxes.  

Tip #3: Communicate With Your Roommate Before Packing 

Really, you should’ve communicated with your roommate before purchasing any items, but definitely communicate with them before packing as well. Make sure that you both aren’t packing duplicate items that you only need one of! For example, appliances (microwaves and refrigerators) are items that you will only need one of each, so make sure that you talk to your roommate about splitting costs/purchases. Those are items that you probably have communicated about, so the chances of you both bringing a fridge to campus is unlikely. Items such as lamps, fans, and specific dorm decorations are items that you want to make sure the other is not packing as well. Like most aspects of life, communication is key when it comes to packing! 

Tip #4: Don’t Have Any Expectations for Move-in Day 

Don’t create any expectations for how move-in day is going to go – this will add more stress when stress is not necessary! Move-in day is supposed to be an exciting new experience, so don’t let a minor inconvenience ruin that for you. When I moved into my dorm, it was a beautiful, sunny, and HOT day! And as we were unpacking and setting up our room, we realized that it was extra hot in the dorm … that’s because the AC wasn’t working! Obviously, none of us were expecting that to happen, but we didn’t let it ruin our day.  

Keep that in mind if you forget something at home, under packed on a few items, or if the AC in your room isn’t working. Placing expectations on things that you don’t have full control over will just add negativity to your day and your attitude. So, instead of getting upset over a packing mishap, just laugh it off because it WILL be okay, and everything will be resolved! 

Hopefully these packing tips will allow you to have a smooth move-in day, and that you will be able to use some of them in different life situations! Enjoy every moment of your first day because it’s definitely a day to remember!  

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