Back to School - Get your dorm room ready!

Moving into a dorm room, whether it’s for the first time or with a roommate(s), can be a difficult task. There are usually a lot of things that need to be placed into the small space that will be your home for the next year, and there often isn’t a lot of time to organize and keep track of all of your belongings. Below we have some tips on how to set up and organize your dorm room in a way that will make it easy to store and find the items you need on a daily basis, and maintain organization throughout the school year:

-       Labelling: not only is it important to label all of your boxes and bags when you’re moving into your dorm room, but especially if you are living with a roommate or more, it’s important to make sure that you can clearly identify the items that are yours. Consider colour coordinating bins and containers that you use, or simply sticking your name on a label onto your items. It might also be handy to label what items are shared as well, especially communal food items and supplies. This can also be done with labels or tape.

-       Checklists: It’s important to make sure that you have all the essentials with you, as it can be easy to forget or hard to find the time to pick up items especially if it’s an emergency. Aside from the obvious items like clothing, bedding, furniture, and food, it’s also important to consider the essentials like a first aid kit, small tool kit, flashlights and batteries, sewing kit, and school supplies. However, because your space is limited, don’t buy more than what you think you might need – keep these essentials to a minimum and store them altogether so they’re easy to find when you need them. There are many college essential packing checklists that can be downloaded for free online, like this one.

-        Under the bed: The space that is available for storage under your bed should not be overlooked. Containers and racks for shoes that fit under the bed can be stored there, as well as containers for items that aren’t used every day like seasonal jackets and clothing, sports equipment, suitcases, and other bulkier items. To increase the storage you have under the bed, consider purchasing a bed raiser, like this one from Bed Bath and Beyond, which also has an outlet to charge your electronics.

-       Doors and walls: Your wall space in your closet and dorm, as well as behind your main door, closet door, and even cabinet doors can be used to hang storage units or hooks that can hold laundry baskets, clothing, towels, robes, and more. By hanging items on cabinet or vanity doors, your items can be stored out of sight and out of the way, cutting down on clutter in the other areas of your room. This also leaves your surface areas, like desk and dresser tops, drawers, and floor space free for other items that you may use more often.

-       Command centre: This is a great idea especially if you’re living with roommates. Set up a small space or area for a calendar and/or whiteboard to keep track of important dates, as well as anything that needs to be purchased like groceries or other shared items. Time for organization and decluttering of your room can also be scheduled in for everyone to see. Even if you’re living on your own, it’s a good idea to have a place where you can keep track of the important things that are happening or need to be done. 

School is almost in session - make sure your home is too!

The school season is now upon us, which means it’s time to make sure that not only are you and/or your children are ready, but also your home. 

It’s important to make sure you have all the necessary supplies, but buying extra items and storing them in your home isn’t always necessary. These extra supplies often sit unused throughout the year and are eventually forgotten, so only buy what is necessary, and take stock of the items you already have before you do.  

Once you have all of the essential school supplies, you’ll need a place to store it all – backpacks, lunch kits, water bottles, homework, textbooks, etc. To make your home and your family more organized, set up a designated area for school work and prevent these items from creating clutter in other areas of your home. [INSERT TWEET THIS LINK] 

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• Hang backpacks up and add individual white boards and file folders or bins to keep each child organized. The white boards can be used to keep track of homework, tests, and assignment deadlines, as well as any due dates for forms and permission slips. The folders and bins can be used to store textbooks, homework, water bottles, and other school supplies so they are in easy reach each morning before leaving. 

• A portable homework station or caddy can also be useful if there isn’t space for a permanent area. Use a caddy or a portable tray that can hold school supplies, and set up a mini whiteboard or calendar on the fridge or another area that is easily accessible so important dates and tasks can be seen. 

• Over the door shoe organizers or wall/door mounted file folders can also be used to store homework and important papers and supplies. Not only will you maximize on storage space, but you can keep the items out of sight over the weekends and holidays when they aren’t being used. Objects can also be organized based on priority or organized by person. 

• School lunch items can also have a designated bin or area in a pantry. This will help you keep track of what you have available and will also prevent others from using them up outside of school lunch. Food and supplies like Tupperware containers, utensils, and lunch kits themselves can all be kept in one area to save time and increase efficiency when it comes to packing lunches. 

Unpack to Organize after Summer Vacation

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Unpacking from a summer vacation is very similar to unpacking after moving your home. It might not be on as large of a scale, but like moving, unpacking from a trip is often stressful and tiring. The last thing you want to do after being on the road or in the air for multiple hours is have to unpack.  

Do yourself a favour and get the hard work done before the trip home! The way you pack up your belongings has a huge impact on what you will have to do once you get in the door. If you get in later in the day or the evening, unpacking your belongings in an organized way is often far from your mind – but it doesn’t have to be. We’ve got some suggestions to help you get organized before you even depart from your summer vacation. 

1. Get your laundry sorted out 

Don’t make yourself have to go through all of your clothes as soon as you get home. Instead, take a plastic bag with you before you leave on your trip, and throughout your vacation add your used clothing to the bag. This way, your dirty clothes will be separated from your clean clothes, and ready to be taken to the laundry room when you get back. 

2. Pack your essentials last 

They’re your essentials for a reason, so often they’ll be the items you pack last minute and need as soon as you get home. Instead of shoving them in any pocket or area of your suitcase that you can find, place all these items in pockets that are easily accessible, or at the top of your suitcase in the same area. When you open it up, everything you need to access right away will be in reach – no rummaging around necessary! 

3. Prioritize your items 

Items like shoes, sunscreen, books or magazines, and toys should be relegated to the bottom of your suitcase. If you don’t have time to unpack all of your bags when you get home, don’t worry about it. Give priority to your essential items, and then unpack based on how urgently you need to use your items. If you have multiple bags, it might work to categorize the items into different bags based on their level of necessity. However, make sure you know what bags have what items in them beforehand.  

4. Delegate  

Whether there is a group travelling or just yourself, don’t let anyone slack off when it comes to unpacking. Although some items don’t need to be unpacked right away, leaving suitcases half full of items for multiple days can just add unwanted clutter and disorganization. Make sure that you and other travelling companions know what needs to be unpacked and when. Lists, organizers, or even organizing and list apps (like Sortly) can help everyone stay on track of what essentials need to be unpacked and when.  

People go on vacations to relax - but there is no reason why this feeling has to go away when you unpack after vacation. Pack smart before you leave so you can easily unpack to an organized home![INSERT TWEET THIS LINK].