College Packing List [Guest Post]

So today I have a guest post for you today, and it's all about moving to college. I briefly talked about it last year, but this year I'll be having more posts about it, hopefully! I have Olivia from Liv Love Laugh talking about tips for packing up for college. Check her out and follow her on Twitter and Instagram as well: @livlivinglife

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Hey there Livin and Lovin readers! I don’t know about you, but moving in to college—especially freshman year, but also every time I move—can be very stressful. To reduce the stress, here are eight tips to make packing a little easier, so you have more time for living and loving.

I hope that helps you as you get ready to move! In August, I’ll be moving in for the last time in my college career, and it really does fly by. Here’s to a relaxing and stress-free summer and move for all of us! 

Start early.

Seriously, if you have the space, it can’t hurt to start a month in advance. As you collect things you’ll need in college—at graduation parties, with gift money, on shopping trips—start organizing it in a corner of your room. If you’re planning to take stuff from your house, like batteries or lightbulbs, begin to gather it as it comes to mind.

List it.

Speaking of which, you should have a master list. This website was very helpful to me and a lot of people I know as we got ready to pack, or you can make your own list. But having one will make packing so much easier, and lessen the chances of forgetting things.

Lay it all out.

A week or so before you leave, take the time to lay everything out on the bed or the floor and evaluate what you have. What are you missing? What’s there? Are there things you need to grab from the laundry or the basement?

I don’t have a ton of clothes, so I usually end up packing things as they get clean and wearing old jeans and t-shirts during the last few weeks of break. That way, packing my clothes is easier and I’m not up the night before doing laundry like a maniac.

This is also a great time to evaluate if you need to run to the store to pick up anything, and then you can do it in one swift trip…rather than trying to do it while you do laundry the night before you leave. (I’ve been there, can you tell?)

Use smart packing tips.

Packing for college is a lot like packing for any other trip, just on a bigger scale. Use your usual packing tips and tricks, like rolling clothes and packing in reverse order of what you’ll need, to make packing—and unpacking—go more smoothly.

Use containers that are easy to carry.

Don’t overload them. I’ve found that duffels are my personal favorite—so easy to carry and they flatten down to store. If you use Rubbermaid totes, they’re easy to pack but make sure you have room in the closet or under the bed to store them! I also love those large reusable bags from stores like TJ Maxx or Ikea to collect odds and ends in. A roommate once packed books in a wingspan box—like you use for shoes—and it was almost impossible to carry due to the weight and awkward size.

Don’t overpack.

As long as you don’t forget something essential—like toothpaste or underwear or a computer charger—you’ll be fine. You can live without almost everything, I promise. Also, it’s usually pretty easy to replace what you forgot, have it sent to you, or get something new. You’ll probably collect a lot of things during the semester, as well, so don’t worry too much about what you bring, and when it doubt, try to leave it behind.

Label everything.

Labels and lists are my favorite, can you tell? Anything to stay more organized!

Label things for you. Know which box goes where and what’s in it. I sometimes even put a list on the very top saying exactly what items I have. Also, knowing where your bedding is makes it easy to make the bed first thing, which is what I always do.

Label things for others, too: if you’re moving into an apartment-style dorm, write what room things go in on the label. That way, your kitchen supplies and your clothes are easily separated and easily unpacked. Also, if you’re moving in with the help of a few people (and keep in mind that a lot of universities have volunteers on hand to help you carry things), label each box with your room number to ensure nothing gets lost.

Don’t pack at the last second.

Seriously. You’re going to want to spend the last few hours you’re at home saying your goodbyes and relaxing, not stressing over what you haven’t packed yet. Get it all done the day before, especially if you’re leaving early, so that on move-in day all you have to do is throw your toothbrush and PJs in your suitcase and head out!

Back to School with Office Depot!

Disclosure: Sponsored by Office Depot, courtesy of Her Campus. All opinions are my own. 

A new semester means back to school shopping!

Whether you buy pens or replenish your collection of school supplies, it's always fun to go back to school shopping! I love shopping for school supplies, and I love going to Office Depot to do the job. It has everything that I need in one place!

One of my goals for the new semester and new year is to become and stay as organized as possible. I want to make sure that I'm prepared for anything this semester!

Darell, my boyfriend, also tagged along to go back to school shopping himself. He's trying to stay on top of his school work this semester too. He really wanted to capture me during our shopping experience, haha.

What's in My Back to School Survival Kit

A couple weeks ago, I received a package in the mail, courtesy of Her Campus. In it was my very own Back to School Survival Kit! I thought it was pretty cool to receive a package full of cool, free stuff just because! I always love getting things in the mail, so if you'd like to show me some love, let me know [;

Anyway, back to the Survival Kit:

My box full of goodies!

When I opened my box, I was surprised to find all of the goodies I found in it--there were things from Her Campus, Neuro, Luna, Poppin', Chipotle, and a box of SK Energy Shots that came in the day after this package!

My collection of Poppin' notebooks before giving them out to some friends!

These really cool purple gel pens, also from Poppin'!

Two of the really awesome things I got in this care package were a surplus of Poppin' gel pens and mini notebooks, both in purple! I really love school supplies so getting these were like having an early Christmas for me. They have all sorts of school and office supplies that are simple but stand out because of all the bright and fun colors they come in! My personal favorite are the orange supplies, of course. You can get $5 off your next order with the code: DORMSTYLE. What are you waiting for? Go check them out and get some Poppin' stuff. (Get it? haha). When you do get your new Poppin' supplies, post them on Instagram with the hashtag #dormstyle for the chance to win a dorm makeover as well! 

I also got some things from Her Campus; they were the ones who sent out these packages, and I am also part of the Her Campus Blogger Network, also through them. 

I received some cool HC stuff, like this HerCampus.com sticker (sorry that it's backwards), the "Have Fun, Stay Young" gym bag, all the Her Campus pens (I have an obsession with pens), and the Her Campus clipboard!

Back of the clipboard

Front of the clipboard

Another great treat--a buy one, get one free coupon from Chipotle! Chipotle is so popular and almost a staple to any college student's diet. They have great-tasting food that fills you up really well. I am so excited to use this! 

Another cool product that I received with my package--Neuro SONIC! This specific wild berry flavor is said to help boost mental performance, something necessary for every college student, especially at this time during midterms and preps for finals. There are other colors depending on your needs, but Neuro SONIC is meant to increase alertness, sustain energy, and support mental performance, everything you need when you're studying! 

Luna bars were another treat that I got from the package that are really good for healthy snacking! They're meant to help get things done and give you the energy you need in a healthy way. Luna is there to help you get from class to class each day.

The last and final gift from my survival kit were the box full of SK Energy Shots! These are another thing you can turn to when you need a boost of energy to get through the day (or night)!

I am so thankful to have gotten all of this cool stuff for free, thanks to all these brands and Her Campus for putting it all together. I've already shared and enjoyed these with my friends, you guys should definitely get some for yourselves! Everyone needs something to help them get through school. 

What's in your school survival kit?

Making Your Dorm Room Pinteresting

The past few days have been spent organizing and decorating my new dorm room as much as I can before school starts. I've been doing a lot of things with my job as a Diversity intern and as a music student, but in my free time, I've been getting creative and crafty on a budget. 

I'm not completely done decorating my room just yet (but then again, when will I ever be), but I've gotten lots of it done through lots of little crafts here and there, all inspired by Pinterest!

A few of my projects that I've done over the past couple of weeks:

1. My homemade letter "k"
I'm actually pretty proud of myself for this one. I thought of this idea spontaneously when I was sitting at my desk on Friday night. I have always wanted to have a letter "K" for my initials to display on my wall or desk but just have never been able to buy a wooden one for myself. One of the girls on my floor just threw out a bunch of cardboard boxes that night so I decided to take a nice piece and make one for myself!

I traced the a letter "k" onto the cardboard before cutting it out, resulting in the picture above! 

Afterward, I took a pack of scrapbooking paper I bought from the 99 Cents store and wrapped it around the "k," thus resulting into the beauty on my wall. 

2. Paper Chains 

I took the same scrapbooking paper that I used for the "k" and cut them into strips. The best part was that it was reversible, so I could change up the pattern a bit and it still looks nice. I'm actually pretty proud of what I did with it. 

3. Cell phone case display

This one is the simplest and easiest to do out of everything I did: all you need are push pins, a cork board, and cell phone cases! In this case, I have the iPhone 4S, and when I was figuring out how to organize them without just throwing them into a drawer, I decided to just stick some push pins onto the board and hang them by the hole where the camera goes. And voilà, you're done! Because the camera isn't centered, the cases naturally tilt to the side, but I think that's what makes them so cool. 

4. Mason jars as pen/pencil holders

These mason jars were from the 99 Cents store, as well as the scrapbooking paper that is covering it. I simply cut the paper to fit the jars and wrapped them into a cylinder shape and stuck it in the jar. Simple as that!

5. Picture Display on the wall

You can probably tell from the pictures hanging by clothespins that this was definitely inspired by Pinterest. I made a couple adjustments, however. 

Instead of using hooks like in most pictures that I've seen (and what I've seen friends do), I used poster putty. I had an overabundance of it and not any of the hooks most people use. Because of that, I molded my poster putty into hearts so it'd look pretty and I attached the yarn to it. 

The yarn, clothespins, and picture frames are all from the 99 Cents store (isn't that so great? so many great things), while the poster putty is from what I had last year and some of the pictures were printed off of YorkPhoto. All other photos came from parties that had photo booths. 

That is basically my dorm room! My roommate and I are still looking for a couch to place in front of our tv, and I'm still looking for a canvas to paint something to put above my desk. Other than that, I'm pretty much golden. I love my room so much, and am pretty proud at what I was able to do with it. I hope y'all enjoyed seeing what I've done, and maybe I can help conjure up some inspiration for you as well. [:

Chau for now! ♥

Going Back to School: Before

It's that time of year, where everything about going back to school is on everyone's minds. From buying school supplies, to buying clothes, and moving out of your parents' homes to moving into your new dorm or apartment--this is a very exciting, but stressful time of the year. It is also very bittersweet because there's usually one of two feelings running through your head at this time: One: you're very excited to see friends again or move into your new dorm or two: you're hating the idea of homework and papers and deadlines once again.

If you're in college and living at school like I am, you have to pack up your stuff, buy (some) new stuff, and say bye to your friends once again before you go move into your new dorm or apartment. I'm currently less than a week away from moving back, and I feel like my life is so unorganized from everything I have yet to do.

This post is here to help prepare for going back to school! At first I was originally going to just write about everything going through my head, but most people feel the way I do when thinking about moving back to school or going back to school. Here are a few back to school tips to prep for before going back:

• Lists, lists, lists! Lists are how I keep my life organized! Right now I have lists of things to do, things to buy for my dorm room, and even things I need for this blog! Whenever I come up with something new or need something new, I just add it to my list and keep it near me so I can always add or cross things off as they happen. 
• Use Pinterest for inspiration! I've been obsessed with looking through Pinterest for design and organization inspiration for my desk and dorm room. There are so many cute and (sometimes) cheap ideas for crafts and other things to decorate your room! I'm making a list of things I need to recreate some of it [: Follow my Pinterest for some inspiration and ideas of your own!
• Go Thrifting: As I have mentioned before, thrift shopping is a great way, not only to buy cheap clothes, but to buy cheap furniture and other items as well! And you don't have to use things in the condition they're in. You can always repaint or reuse it for something else! For tips on thrifting, here's my previous post about it! 
• Keep, Store, Throw out: If you've been in college for more than a year, chances are you've realized that there are some things that you use more than others (and other things you don't use at all). When looking through your things, have three piles: keep, store, and throw out (or donate). Your keep pile will be everything you'll take back, the store pile will be for things to keep at home, and the throw out pile is for everything you don't need. That way, you won't have too many things in your tiny dorm room or apartment. If you'll be a freshman in college, you could always do this for cleaning out your room! This will make your room less cluttered when you come back home from school! (Your mom will also thank you, haha.)
• Take your time. The last thing you want to do is rush packing, only to find out you left all your underwear at home! This tip is especially important if you live a few hours away or out of state from your school. Another tip that goes well with this one is to double-check everything before you leave. This can also help if you're a forgetful person like I am (making a list would help make this part easier too!).

There you have it! These are my tips for a transition back to school that should be as smooth as possible. If you have any tips that I may have missed, please let me know in the comments below! I hope you have fun getting ready for school [: 

Chau for now!  ♥