10 Tips to Survive College Move Out
When the semester is over you’ll probably feel a huge relief and feel happy about the upcoming break. While the end of the semester is always exciting, it also brings one of the most stressful times during your school year – moving out of college. Yes, moving out is typically easier than moving in. But, it is still challenging enough to require a few tips about the ways to reduce stress during a move. If the end of the semester is approaching and you’re wondering how to survive college move out, check out the following tips. Carry on reading to find simple guidelines for moving out of your dorm smoothly.
Don’t do it alone
The first thing you must keep in mind at all times is that you’re not alone. Make sure you let your parents help you and be open to communicating with them. Open communication is the easiest way to have nobody stressing out and make the process as smooth as possible. The more they’re informed, the better they’ll be able to help you. This is especially important if your college has strict move-out procedures. But it’s also beneficial in any scenario you find yourself in. Besides giving you emotional support, your parents can also help you with the actual moving. The first thing to ask them for help with is picking up your non-necessities. But in order to do so, you’ll first follow the next tip on our list.
Sort out your belongings
Spending the entire semester or a few in your dorm, you’ve probably collected many things. While that hot chocolate maker seemed like a pretty great idea a month ago, now it may be creating extra clutter in your space and you may really need to get rid of it. Here’s what you’ll want to do when preparing to move out. Go through all of your belongings and sort them out into three piles. Necessities, non-necessities, and not-needed. Your non-necessary items should be those you wish to keep but don’t need at least until you move out. Not-needed things are those you definitely don’t want to keep and have no intention of using in the future.
Get rid of extra stuff
Whatever you separate on a not-needed pile can be donated to one of the local charities or sold online. The non-necessities can be picked up by your parents and kept aside until you need them again. Some things can even go to the trash or be recycled. The main point is to declutter before moving and only keep necessary items. That way you wouldn’t have to worry about space when packing for your journey.
Donate non-perishables
While you’re going through the previous tips, you’ll most certainly come across some items you just don’t know what to do with like food. Of course, you can take it home and add it to the pantry but keep in mind you’ll be pretty limited with space in the car so you may want to leave food behind. A great way to save space while helping someone is to donate non-perishables to a local charity, just make sure you check expiration dates before doing that.
Set up a specific time
Moving out will stress you even more in case you don’t have a plan, so figure out a convenient move-out time. You must consult with your parents to see when it’s possible for them and for you to meet, especially if they have to work their schedule around their jobs. Also, make sure you start preparing on time because you don’t want to start packing at 11 am if your parents are picking you up at noon – it will only stress everyone out.
Start packing
This is a common mistake students make when moving out – they wait for the last minute to start packing. In order to survive a college move out, do a smart thing and pack before your finals. It’s better to pack bit by bit and be ready when the time comes than panic on moving day. You probably won’t need too much time but you will certainly feel pressure in case you decide to put everything in boxes on the morning of your move-out day.
Save notes and books you need
While you certainly want to get rid of some of your books (after all, you’re done with your finals), go ahead and save important notes. Those can be really helpful later on, and you can always pass them on to another student. The same goes for books, which can be sold or gifted to students or the college bookstore.
Use a hand cart
When moving out, you’ll want to be as efficient as possible and use any tool you have to make things faster and easier. One of those tools is a hand cart – you can stack up a couple of things and save yourself a few trips to and from your car. Your parents probably have one they can bring but you can also check if it’s possible to borrow a hand cart from your residence hall. Make sure you check this on time because if they have them, the quantities will be limited.
Consider storage options
In case you live out of state and shipping things is too expensive or complicated, perhaps renting a storage unit is what you need to keep your belongings safe until you need them. If you’re coming back for the next semester, it’s probably cheaper to put your things away for a couple of months than to have your parents drive from another state to pick your things up.
Hire professionals
Eventually, you can always go for professional services and hire packers to take care of your belongings while you focus on the finals. Whether you need long-distance moving from NY or you need to move locally, hire a trustworthy Brooklyn moving service with a license and credentials. Rabbit Movers may be just what you need in order to survive college move out. Contact us so we could create a moving plan and provide a free quote for your upcoming relocation.