Off To College: Packing Up & Moving Out

It’s that time of year - kids around the area have packed up their belongings and are settling into the dorms for their freshman year of college. Parents begin feeling sentimental that their baby is all grown up while at the same time feeling a renewed sense of freedom at becoming an empty nester.

The kids will take their necessities to the dorms, but what about all of the extra stuff? The furniture, clothes, books, even items from childhood. The parents are ready to convert this new space into an office, guest room, entertainment room, etc., so what exactly happens with all of the extra belongings?

While donating items is always an option, some of those sentimental pieces are just not quite ready to be parted with. They could be placed in the garage or the attic, but there’s only so much space to fill. 

It’s important to have this conversation between parent and child. What stuff can be donated? And what happens to the keepsakes? Parents, take an afternoon to go through these items with your kids, or even hop on a phone call to discuss which items can stay and which items can go. This will save you a lot of heartache in the long run when your child comes home to visit and asks to see their old books or childhood games. It’s important to have these conversations now—there may even be items that you want to save and your child does not.

Once the hard part of organizing what to save is over with, contact us for that little extra space you may need to store all of these items. You definitely don’t want your child to feel like you’re kicking them out of the house, so take these moments to spend with them and you may even encounter some sweet, old memories attached to each item!