College Series Day 9: Different Ways To Pack

I'm officially 2 days away from leaving to go back to college, so I thought that I would do another packing blog post. One thing that I have noticed about move-in day is that there are many different ways to pack your stuff up for college. I thought I'd share them with you in order to give you some choices on what way would be best for you.

1. Use a suitcase. Using a couple of suitcases to pack your stuff works okay, but anything too large (like a full length mirror) or awkward (like a desk lamp) are going to either have to be bought in your college town on move-in day, or packed separately in your car if you are driving vs. flying. Now, by packing things in suitcases, you are able to roll all of your belonging to your room instead of carrying them, but make sure rolling is an option. My college's freshman dorms didn't have elevators since there were only 3 floors to each building, so if you had a second or third floor room, you are going to have to carry those heavy suitcases up two flights of stairs. And any misc. items that didn't fit in your car will have to be carried separately, which can sometimes take more trips. When it comes to moving out at the end of the year, my suitemate was from out of state and was flying home, but she ended up leaving a LOT of items at the dorms or throwing a lot of things out because the either couldn't be shipped or couldn't be packed. Just things to consider. I suggest if nothing else packing your clothes in suitcases. 
2. Use moving boxes. These are easy and cheap to get, and they allow you to fold up the boxes when you are done. What is also helpful is that if your mom and dad drove with you to your college, they can take the folded up boxes back home so that they don't take up space, and then bring them back at the end of the year for you. You could alternatively use boxes to ship all of your stuff to school if you are flying to college instead of driving. I ended up packing some of my clothes in boxes, but anything that had to be hung up was packed in a black bag still on it's hanger with the bottom of the bag punched out like a garment bag. I saw a lot of people doing this. 
3. In clear storage containers. This is a lot like packing in boxes except that you can see what is in each box. This option is a lot more expensive though from packing in boxes, especially if you don't intend to use all of the storage containers in your room. My roommate had 2 storage containers and the rest were boxes. She kept both storage containers for in our room, and sent the boxes back with her parents. It worked out well. If you are intending on bringing one of those clear rolly-drawer things (:P) then I suggest you pack things in them so that they aren't empty in your car and taking up space. Just make sure you tape the drawers closed so nothing falls out in transit.

I tried to cover as much ground as I could. but comment down below if you have any other tips for packing things for college! Let's help each other out!