Suggestions for move in day?

MidwestParent
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:46:46 +0000

In a couple of weeks we will be doing our 6th college move-in and we keep refining our techniques! Here are some of the things we’ve come up with that help us alot! D’s school is about 6 hours away so we drive her there for move in and drive there to load here up at the end of the year.

All hanging clothes are left on hangers. Pants are hung on those hangers that let you hang 4 or so pairs on one hanger - a huge space saver (available at BB&B, etc.). We bought a sturdy car clothing rod (available at Wal-Mart, Target, etc. - sometimes in the automotive section). The rod is put in the back seat and all the clothes are hung on that. When we get to the school, one person crawls into the back seat and unhooks the rod from the far side. The other person is standing outside the car on the other side and they unhook the rod on that side. Carefully the person in the car scoots across the seat with rod in hand. We carry ALL the hanging clothes in one trip on the rod, with one person holding each end. We’ve never had anything fall off in the transport. Carrying a bunch of clothes in on the hangers just kills your hands. We always have people say, “Why didn’t we think of that!” If someone needs to sit in the back seat on the trip to college, the clothes can usually be smashed to just take up 1/2 the area back there.

We use a color coded box system. I went to Staples (any office supply store) and bought those file storage boxes with the lids. D has four red and four blue. Blue boxes are packed with stuff that stays at school and doesn’t need unpacked when we get there. D slides those under her bed. They contain extra toiletries, extra school type supplies, etc. D doesn’t have a car at school and getting something when you run out can be a little tricky. The red boxes contain stuff she will need immediately - school supplies for her desk, toiletries ready to use in the shower tote, etc. When the red boxes are unpacked, we take those home with us.

Also, I found a contraption called a Magna Cart. We had people trying to buy it from us on move in days! You can Google it and find where they are sold. It is basically a fold up hand truck or dolly. Usually by the time you get all their stuff in the car, there is absolutely no room for a full sized hand truck. This one folds up and slides in a 2 inch space. REALLY saves your back. We stack four of the above mentioned boxes on it and away we go!

D is spending half the summer at a language camp at a college half way across the country, which caused us to have to pack everything she was going to need in suitcases. This was the first time I had used Space Bags (also available at Wal-Mart, etc.) and boy were they ever space savers. We are going to use them for her trip back to her regular college here in a couple of weeks. D uses a down comforter with duvet cover at school and wanted to take it to summer school with her. Originally it was going to take up an entire large suitcase (wouldn’t have been possible to take it). In a Space Bag with the air “sucked” out, it was about 2 inches thick and just lined the bottom of the suitcase. We are going to use the smaller bags for her socks and underclothing, medium ones for towels, sheets, etc. and the large ones for the comforter, bed pillows, etc. They will REALLY save space in the car.