The end of April is nearing, which can be a very daunting time for students whose apartment leases are coming to an end. Moving can be stressful, especially when you realize that you have much more to move than you originally anticipated. Try to remember that you won’t be moving forever, and wherever you plan on moving to will soon feel like a safe space that you have settled into. In the meantime, here are a few moving tips that can help you prepare for your move:

Book a U-Haul or moving van

U-Hauls tend to book quickly for May 1 because of the high number of people moving during this time. If you are unsuccessful with U-Haul another option that you can investigate is booking a moving van from Home Depot. You can order these vans online when visiting their websites and for further information, I would strongly recommend giving them a call. Alternatively, students can look into small moving companies to help them move.

Make your Amazon order count

Students tend to move quite frequently, and because of that, investing in durable moving bins or bags will be a tremendous help in future moves. Personally, I’ve purchased the ClearSpace Heavy Duty Moving Bags for $49.99 and it has helped my moves in terms of not having to locate cardboard boxes or worse, buy them just to throw them away after a move. If you’re making an Amazon order, don’t forget to add bubble wrap, packing tape, and my personal favourite vacuum storage bags to your cart.

But, what about my mattress?

Don’t worry about your mattress when you buy a vacuum storage bag for your mattress. You heard me right! You can also get this on Amazon (no this is not an Amazon affiliate, it just truly is the most convenient when you are moving). In my experience, the vacuum bag for mattresses usually condenses the amount of room taken up in your moving van or SUV quite a bit. They are intended to help move your mattress and place it in the trunk of your car.

Try to get an early move-in date

This can be a bit tricky to get all the time, but you won’t know if you’ll be able to if you don’t ask. Most leases end on the last day of the month and start on the first day of the month. This means you will need to find a place to stay for that one night and a place for your furniture also. This is probably my least favourite part about moving! If you have friends or family that can help you store your furniture for the night and host you also, this would be a great help. If not, don’t be afraid to scatter your things in multiple friends’ houses. We’ve all been there, and this can be extremely normal for college students! Of course, the best-case scenario is you can move into your apartment early and don’t have to find a place to sleep for the night or for your furniture.

It’s time to pack!

Please don’t leave this to the last minute. All that will do is overwhelm you much more on the day of moving. It’s likely that last minute packing will use a lot of space as opposed to using it effectively due to panic packing. Try to pack piece by piece every day. Start with the things that you aren’t using often and as time goes on, it will become a lot less.

A few tips for if you’re moving on your own

Task rabbit can be great to get someone to help you move. Don’t underestimate the amount of stuff you have to load and unload. Alternatively, find a moving company that will do the work for you. There are lots of companies out there for college students specifically that you can investigate and book. If you haven’t booked this already, make sure to do this as soon as you finish reading this article.

Housekeeping moving tips

Remember to book your elevator if you’re in a high-rise apartment. I promise it will make the experience much better than having long wait times at the elevator. Clean out your fridge. Get rid of any items that no longer serve you and use this move as a detox. Sell items that you can’t move with on Facebook Marketplace. Re-vacuum seal your bags if you need to. Most importantly, breathe through this process and acknowledge that this stressful time will pass. Before you know it, you’ll be all settled in creating memories in your new space.