Moving in College - Best time to get hand-me-downs!

In college I moved a lot. I think it just comes with the territory. I lived in nine different residences over my six years of college, which sounds like a ton, but when you break it down summer vs. school year, it really wasn’t that many. Then after college I moved a few more times :p

I was lucky enough to live with wonderful roommates (Shoutout Kara and Molly!!) so I never had to move due to a roommate problem. Over the years I just transitioned between dorms, and then out of the dorms and into nearby apartments and housing.

With not much space to spread out in, college students tend to have minimal possessions. This is a positive thing when it comes moving time. With lots of packing and cleaning, people are throwing away all kinds of stuff. They’re getting rid of things they won’t need where they’re going. If you find yourself in any college town during spring graduation, you will see the streets piled high with old or broken furniture and unwanted items. Students are trying to sell or give away anything they don’t want and scavengers can collect some interesting finds.

I’m not a scavenger, but somehow I’ve ended up with a lot of leftovers! I’m usually the last one out of the dorm/apartment/house. I don’t know why. Maybe I’ve got the last final to take, errands to run before taking off, nowhere to rush away to, or maybe I just like making sure everything is clean and taken care of before leaving. Maybe I’m too sentimental and I don’t want to leave until I have to ;p It’s probably a combination of all of the above.

As prized possessions are cleaned and carefully packed away (or “junk” as you call it while you’re tossing it in a box), all the things you’d lost previously, decide to show themselves. “There’s that paper I lost two months ago! I knew it was around here somewhere!” Cleaning the dust pile under the bed is always a strangely satisfying feeling.

The worst cleaning I had to do was in a house that all my previous roommates had moved out of. I was left to lug the unwanted furniture out the tiny doorway, down the tiny steps, to the curb. I was also left to clean out the garage and the basement (both of which I never used) and cancel all the bills (which were still in my boyfriend’s name).

I was anxiously awaiting garbage day so that the truck could come by and pick up the trash that was piling up. I filled up our two trash cans and topped off the neighbor’s trash cans across the street. After the truck had emptied my trash cans, I quickly filled them up again and set them across the street to be emptied as the truck turned around. Then I brought them back to the house and filled them up with the remaining trash. THAT’S A LOT OF TRASH!

Being the last one out of the house can lead to finding some interesting things. When I was cleaning out the living room, I found a blue duffel bag and a black rain jacket that none of my roommates had claimed as theirs. They were both in nice condition, and I happily kept them for myself. Those were hands down the best finds I’ve gotten from moving leftovers. I’m so thankful for them! I’ve used the duffel bag as my traveling home for the past few years, and I’ve worn the black jacket so many times at work.

My boyfriend had a dresser and an AV cabinet in his room when he moved into the house (the room that I took over later). I left the dresser, but I snagged the AV cabinet for myself too : ) There was a tall white book shelf and a few other old pieces of furniture I could’ve had if I wanted, but they weren’t worth it to haul across the country. I also acquired some abandoned kitchen dishes.

Just a few months ago I was able to cheaply buy a nice white table off of my Atlanta roommate, which I’m excited to use in the future!

Being the last one out of the house can be messy, but it can be awesome. Sometimes you find a lot of disgusting things. But sometimes you get unexpected free stuff!