As students get closer to the end of their school year, they often only have exams on their mind. This can be problematic though, as a week later they will need to pack up their things and move out of student housing. This short amount of time can be stressful, after an already stressful end of the year.
Fortunately, we’ve lived through this and know of ways that to make your move back home a stress-free one.
Tips for moving back home at the end of the school year
Have a moving out plan
Because schools have such a huge population of students that are going to be leaving at the end of the summer, they will usually have dedicated times that buildings or areas are to leave. This way, students aren’t overwhelmed on move day. Know what day your move day is and plan to have all of your items packed and ready to go.
If you can, try to recruit friends or family to help you. It never hurts getting a little extra help on a busy moving day.
Helpful tip – Bring a dolly cart or some kind of device that can assist you with moving those heavy items. You don’t want to be carrying all of your stuff across the quad if you don’t have to.
Pack a moving day bag
Pack a bag of all of the things that you will need as soon as you move out. Often students will be heading home to live with parents for the summer, so plan for a bag with medication, toiletries, and other items that you’ll need immediately. This will save you the time of going through all of your boxes, simply to find items like a toothbrush.
Put similar moving items together
When packing up your items, try to keep similar things together. This will allow for things to be easily found and to be quickly put away.
Start Collecting Boxes
Having enough boxes to hand when you need them will make packing so much easier. Make sure that they’re good quality boxes though. Many boxes from the supermarket are not strong, will have wet marks and may not last the journey from your dorm to your new place. All TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® locations have boxes on hand, so no matter what you need them for we’ll help you find a box for your needs.
Helpful tip – Label your boxes as you begin to pack your items. If you do this you’ll appreciate how easy it is to find and organize all of your items during your move.
Throw out anything you don’t want
Whenever you move, you’ll quickly find that there are many items that aren’t worth bringing with you to your new home. Take anything that you don’t want to bring and either give them to charity or see if a friend would like it instead.
If you’re looking to get rid of your textbooks, try to find a way to sell them. Often students will sell their textbooks at the end of the year, so you’ll be among many who are looking to make some extra cash before the summer break.
Return all library books
Don’t forget about this! We may sound like an old record when we mention this, but every year there are cases of students racking up a lot of library fees simply because they forgot to return some of their schools books at the end of the semester. Don’t be one of those students.
Plan to book your move ahead of time
If you’re using professional movers (we know some great ones!), try to book your move about three to four weeks in advance of your actual move-in date. Scheduling your move ahead of time will allow you to book the time that you want and to assess what needs you have while you begin your packing.
When hiring professional movers, the earlier you plan, the more flexibility the mover will have. That flexibility can save you money, so it pays to plan ahead!