College students all over the country are buzzing with excitement as the upcoming school year is just days away. For many, it may be their first time moving into a dorm or apartment, so it is important to make sure your student is prepared and packed with all the necessary items. More importantly, everything they are planning to bring will need to fit in your car! As professional movers, Fry-Wagner put together a list of helpful tips on how to pack your car for the big college move-in day.
- Consolidate & Purge: As packing begins, take an inventory of the items being brought to college. Do you actually wear those shoes? Do you really need that memento at school? Dorm room spaces are often tight, so bringing only the necessary items will help you avoid a cramped space.
- Coordinate with Roommates: Reach out to future roommates and see who is bringing which larger items. Not only is space tight, but coordinating on pieces such as TVs, dorm refrigerators, and printers can help save money during an expensive time.
- Avoid Bringing Large Furniture: Furniture can be extremely bulky and take up unnecessary space. If you plan to take certain pieces of furniture, make sure it is dismantled and in a box to save space. The best thing to do is to buy your furniture after move-in day. Waiting will give you more room to transport your items, and your student will have a better idea of what will fit and look best in the new space.
- Use Totes: Totes are a great way to transport items, and they double as storage space that can be used throughout the school year. Unlike boxes, totes easily stack on top of one another without falling over during transport, making it easy to load the car and saves space.
- Pack Smart Not Heavy: People often assume that the fewer boxes there are, the easier the unload. Less boxes can mean heavier boxes, and heavier boxes means more tiring work. Students likely have to carry their items up a flight of stairs at some point, so the smarter everything is packed, the easier the unload.
- Save Space: There are tons of space saving solutions that can be used as an alternative to some typical household items. A few of these space savers include, collapsible hampers, stackable crates, fabric cubes, collapsible ottomans, etc. These items can be folded and placed in between boxes and totes to hole them in place or filled with essentials.
- Minimize the Number of Passengers: Although many family members and friends would like to tag along for the big move-in day, it is important to keep the number of passengers traveling to a minimum to save room for your student’s belongings.
- Balance the Car: It is important to make sure that you are not putting too much weight on one side of the car. This can put strain on your vehicle. Try to distribute the weight of your items equally by putting heavy and light items on each side of the vehicle.
- Fold Down Seats: Utilize not only your trunk space, but the space inside your vehicle by folding down as many seats as you can to fit more items.
- Strategize: Plan out your loading and unloading process. Put items that will be needed first toward the front of the packed car to ensure these items are unloaded first. Check the weather, so you can dress and plan accordingly. Designate jobs during the unloading process, so everything can move smoothly.
College move-in day is exciting! Make your move process a lot easier by packing your car perfectly. If you are planning a larger move, feel free to contact your friends at Fry-Wagner to see how we can help! Best of luck this school year!
