We Nailed College Move In Day!

Fresh off moving my only child into her dorm to begin her first year of college out-of-state, here's what we did for a smooth, successful and (mostly) tear-free day!

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Moving…and Into Dorms…Is Hard!

This post is not about the emotional aspect that I am going through, or that my daughter is experiencing, as both of our lives have changed 180 degrees overnight. That’s a whole separate post for another day in the future after I’ve had time to reflect.

But I want to address how anxiety-provoking moving is, especially when the move involves going into a space that you’ve never seen before, and often with a stranger who you’ve never met before. And now you’re living a few feet from each other.

Here’s how we navigated things. And while everyone’s situation is different, I am sharing what we did.

About 8 hours into our 10 hour move-in day. Feeling happy and accomplished!

Dorm Room Essentials

Before I get to move-in specifics, here are things that we purchased and are happy with!

Pro tip: If you can time this to coincide with July Amazon Prime Days for an August college move-in, do it! We saved a ton of money that way.

• Pink moving bags and blue moving bags (behind the pink bags on the left) - I cannot tell you HOW much these saved our moving day. I would recommend these for anyone who is moving rather than cardboard boxes for nonfragile items. The pink ones are slightly bigger than the blue ones. Do not hesitate, they are so worth it for any move!

• Dolly, door stopper (don’t overlook a heavy duty door stopper because you simply need to keep the doorway clear and door propped open), tool set (also indispensable for furniture assembly)

• Desk chair cover - Highly recommend this if you want to mask the appearance of ugly black desk chairs not to mention feels more ‘sanitary’ than sitting on a chair that many before you have sat on

• Desk hutch - Maximizes desk space by a landslide! One of those items I wasn’t sold on until I saw it in place

• Towel set - Much higher quality than I was expecting! I’ll buy these for my house when it’s time to replace towels

• Sheets - More than adequate quality for the price

• Throw pillows, bed pillows (very impressed with the bed pillows)

• Bedskirt (hides all the junk underneath the bed that we didn’t put on until after I took the “After” photo), area rug (very soft), foam mattress topper, storage ottoman (also doubles as step stool to climb into the bunk!)

• Dimmable bedside lamp, stick vacuum (Dyson copycat)

• Fan, air purifier (while I personally thought the air fryer was a bit ridiculous at first, after thinking about all that recycled dorm room air, anything to help freshen things and prevent colds/flus is a win)

• Power strip, power strip tower, Command strips,

• Travel-size clothes steamer

• Small Keurig (I’m not paying for Starbucks every day!), fridge & freezer combo, countertop ice maker

• Shower shoes, shower caddy (felt flimsy until I started loading liter sized shampoo bottles into it and I realized it’s great)

• Light up mirror, makeup brush organizer, Qtip/cottonball dispensers, makeup case, drawer organizing bins, utility cart (the cart was a GREAT purchase for storing snacks, putting the Keurig on, and for random items!)

• Laundry sheets (so much easier than traditional detergent!), hamper/laundry duffle

Before and After

Find Your Match (aka Roommate)…If You Can