The week before finals can prove a very frantic time. However, summer break is coming by sooner than you think. For people who live in the dorms, that means moving out for about four months. It is always a challenge packing all of your belongings in brown boxes and transporting them to a public storage unit or even a home. Packing can be an extremely stressful process but, there are ways to ease your pain.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MOVING OUT

First, try asking your friends and family if they can keep some of your belongings. According to an article by USA Today College, the best and cheapest way to move in and out of your residence hall is to recruit your family and friends to help you move your things. If you have friends who live close by, ask them to store big items like your mini fridge, TV or couch.

Second, sophomore cinema and media arts major Justyn Tenandar recommends getting containers or boxes for all of your belongings.

“So I try to get containers for everything and I sort everything in categories of containers, so I put all my shirts, my clothes and everything else, shoes, books, in other containers,” Tenandar said. “If I need to travel, I take my baggage and I put my important clothes and everything else in that one, and I ship everything else that I’m not going to use in other boxes.”

Third, USA Today recommends sorting through all of your belongings and then selling or giving away the things you don’t need. Before you leave for summer break, make sure you throw out and recycle any papers or binders you do not need anymore. Toss any dried up pens, stained rugs or even broken electronic devices. It is better to re-buy items instead of storing or shipping them back home.

UTILIZE YOUR CLOSEST PUBLIC STORAGE UNIT

Fourth, find friends to split a storage unit with. Public storage units come in handy for students who do not live near Biola. These storage units vary in size and price. A helpful tip would be to find a bunch of friends who are in the same boat as you to split the cost. The USA Today article recommends finding potential storage sharers by posting on a school forum. In this case, post on Biola-related Facebook groups. Just make sure you clearly label your boxes to avoid confusion.

For students who live in California but not near Biola, Tenandar suggests contacting family members or close friends to see if they are willing to keep your stuff for a short while. Since Tenandar has relatives who live in the greater Los Angeles area, he does not utilize public storage units.

Above all, try not to stress out when faced with this process. Stay calm and do everything one step at a time.