Moving from the dorm room to their home is a nightmare for college students, especially because at the end of the year, they have to move all their stuff out of their previous room and store it somewhere. This is something that causes the biggest problems for them, because they don’t know what to do with all the things.
If you’re a mom worried about the summer approaching and about having to take care of your children’s stuff, then you should research some hacks on how to manage everything properly, without anything affecting you.
Make a plan
Whatever you’re doing, don’t start without a plan because you might end up only wasting your time while not having any work done. What should this plan include?
Plan your days
Moving out is a long process, and if you don’t start on time, you will have problems and will only stress because you don’t have enough time to pack everything carefully. That’s why you should make a plan for where and what to start with. It’s better to start on time and pack everything your child won’t need for the rest of their time spent in that room, because this way, you will have enough time to pack everything else.
Know what to pack first
If you start packing days before your kid is supposed to leave the room, you need to know what to pack first and what they won’t need for the rest of their time there. This will make the whole process go much smoother.
Find the right storage
Every parent agrees that moving their children’s stuff back and forth every year isn’t worth it, especially if your home is far away from the dorm, or if you simply don’t have enough space to store everything there.
What to do then? The best option is to look for the right storage room to store your stuff for summer and not to worry about anything, because this way, you will avoid stressing out about how you’ll store everything at home, where you have limited space, and how you’ll transport everything back to the dorm once the new school year starts.
Just find storage space that’s near the dorm, find the right one that offers enough room for your items, and enjoy the rest of the summer without worrying about anything.
Why can this be overwhelming?
Every mother at first thinks that this is going to be an easy task and that with a proper plan, everything will be done in a day; however, there are many things they forget.
Even though at first it might seem that there aren’t many things to be packed, once you start packing, you will see that there are many “hidden” items that you were basically unaware of.
What are some bigger things that you need to be aware of so that they don’t cause you any problems later?
- Mini home appliances like mini fridges, microwaves, and hair appliances can cause you problems.
- Bedding and additional pieces of furniture, in some cases.
- Clothes, and never underestimate the amount of clothes you’ll have to pack, especially if your child hasn’t packed their seasonal clothes before, and everything they have is there.
- Textbooks are also something that can be annoying and something people usually forget about.
The right time to declutter
Make sure to help your child get rid of things they no longer need. This can be a great activity to do with your child, especially because decluttering can have a positive impact on them, especially when the time for the new school year comes, and they have a chance to organize their space much better and easier than before. You might need three boxes to do this.
Keep
In the first box, you should put all the smaller items they want to keep. This is especially practical for clothes because we all know that clothes are something that accumulates the fastest, and this can be the perfect opportunity to get rid of what we don’t need.
Donate
The second box should contain all the items that are in good condition and can be donated because this will make them feel better, and can increase their appreciation for what they have. If this becomes their routine, they will not only declutter their living space much quicker, but it will also be easier to get rid of things they no longer use because they will know that someone who needs them will be able to get them.
Throw away
And the final box should be for things they want to throw away. Here, they will put everything they don’t need and something that won’t be useful to someone else.
After doing this, you will for sure be left with many fewer things to pack and store, and this process will be easier.
Label everything
Divide all the items according to the room they belong to, because it will be easier to unpack. Label all the boxes so that you know where to look for what you need at that moment.
Pack essentials together
Don’t only focus on packing everything as fast as you can so that you can be done with this and go home. You also have to think about how you and your child will find what they need once the new school year starts.
During this period, they will be more likely to experience college stress due to all the new courses and assignments, and small complications can make this even more stressful. That’s why you should pack all their essentials for the first night when they move back to their dorm. This might include some basic things:
- Soap, toothpaste, and a toothbrush.
- Clean pajamas and underwear.
- Outfit for the first day.
- Some basic utensils.
Mothers sometimes don’t look forward to the end of the school year due to all the things they have to take care of when their children leave the dorm rooms. With a proper plan, appropriate storage space, and the willingness of your children to participate in the whole process, this can become a nice family activity.