Tips to Help Recent Graduates with Moving

If you’re a new grad planning to move, here are some tips to help you decide what to bring.

It’s always exciting to move into your first apartment after college, but it can be a fairly stressful task, too. If you’ve only ever lived in your childhood home and/or dorm rooms, chances are you have a lot of furniture and sentimental possessions. But do you really want to bring them all with you? Christie G. from Texas opted not to, and she’s glad she did!

“When I was moving from Boston to Texas, I didn’t have a lot of money to spend and I was trying to figure out how to get all my belongings to my new apartment,” says Christie. “I only had a few pieces of furniture from college … so I decided to just sell everything on Facebook Marketplace. In the end, I ended up moving with just the belongings I could fit in my two suitcases — which was mainly clothing — and I bought all new nice ‘adult’ furnishings once I got to Texas. It was easier and more affordable than trying to move a truckload of cheap furniture halfway across the country.”

It can be hard to part with items that have sentimental value, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of bringing these items with you. As you assess what to bring to your new home, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I have space for this item? Large pieces like wardrobes or drum sets might not fit into your new space.
• Will I still use it? College textbooks may just collect dust in your new home.
• Can I afford to replace it? New furniture is expensive, and you might not want to toss possessions that you can’t afford to replace.

If you’re moving in with roommates, you’ll also need to divide storage space and select whose furniture to keep. Sometimes, the choice will be easy, such as if one person’s couch is much larger or nicer, but you may need to make sacrifices if your new apartment is short on space.

When it comes to the items you have to leave behind, there are several ways to handle them: For items with sentimental value, you can always ask your parents to hold onto them. For other objects, consider selling them to make a little extra cash or simply donating them to help those in need.