So Much Stuff August 16th
Click here to listen. If you don’t feel like reading, let me read to you.
I blogged last night, but it was kind of a rant, and I don’t particularly like ranting on here. Therefore, I decided to post again, and this is something I planned on talking about anyway.
Each time I’ve traveled to or from college, I wondered how I did it successfully. In order to live somewhere else for an extended period of time, you obviously need to bring a lot of stuff. Even when living in a small dormitory on campus, you have to bring lots of things so that you can live comfortably. One of my biggest concerns during each packing process is this: what am I going to do about all of my clothes?!
I’m not a minimalist when it comes to clothing. I have a fairly extensive wardrobe1 (yet I never feel like I have enough to wear), and I certainly can’t bring all of it with me. First of all, there’s no way it would reasonably fit in the closet and dresser that are provided in one room of campus housing. Second of all, I’d have to find a way to make it fit among all of the other stuff I have to bring! Because there are plenty of other things I need to take with me, I must cut down on the amount of clothing that gets to come, too.
It actually isn’t that difficult to decide what stays home and what comes with me. Knowing Syracuse weather, the majority of the academic year will be at least somewhat cold. Therefore, most of the clothes that I would wear in the summertime stay home, while most of the clothes that I’d wear in the winter get packed up. The problem that poses is this: winter clothing is generally thicker and larger than summer clothing. My sweaters, hoodies, and winter accessories2 obviously take up a lot of space. In order to ensure that the rest of my belongings will fit in the minivan that we’ll use to get me to school, I’ve limited myself to one suitcase. How does this work? Even if I cut down on stuff, I still have a lot!
Pictured above are my mounds and mounds of stuff. This year, I’m living in an on-campus apartment with my friend Nicole. We have more things to bring this year in comparison with last year because we have to stock up our kitchen and bathroom with their respective necessities3. Not pictured are my under-the-bed bin (which you can see on my On Dormitory Life: “Organization” article), printer, other computer stuff, 25-pound bag of rice, and microwave. Obviously, my socks will not be packed so haphazardly as they are in the photo. And somehow, all of this will fit in the car. My university is almost 300 miles away from home. Taking two trips clearly is not an option. (;
…But what’s more challenging than figuring out how to pack all of my clothes and other things? Cutting down on the number of shoes I bring. I really love my shoes, and I wish I could bring almost all of them. Instead, I have to limit myself to about… 12 pairs. I must have about 40 pairs in total4, and it makes me sad to part with lots of my heels, which are just impractical to wear most of the time when it’s icy and gross outside. It’s easy to accumulate shoes when your feet stop growing by age 13. Buy timeless shoes, and some will last you years!
- Compared to my friends at school, I don’t have the biggest wardrobe, but I am probably approaching the higher end when it comes to the amount of clothing I own. [↩]
- Scarves, hats, and mittens [↩]
- Pots, pans, and other cooking essentials for the kitchen; shower curtain, rug, and organizers for the bathroom. [↩]
- Including flip-flops, but most of my shoes are real shoes. [↩]
erin@killerjewels.com
I haven’t gone to college or anything so I don’t know what it’s like to have to keep packing and unpacking, but when I go on holiday I always find it hard once I’m coming home to have to park, everything seems to not fit in XD
I can relate with having to cut down other things though. Like, before I got the memory card for my phone, I could on fit 20 songs on it, I had to get rid on 60 songs and just keep the ones I loved the most :/ O.o
[Reply]
I’m going through the same thing!! News just came to me that we have to take my mom’s Camry. There is absolutely no way I can even fit all the news things I bought in that small trunk, let alone my clothes and the older stuff I have to bring. =’( Ahhhhh. I’m jealous of your minivan, lol.
I am floored with the amount of shoes you have. I was thinking last night if I was even able to bring all the shoes I want… and I only have like 5 pairs and a couple flip-flops. =P Wow.
[Reply]
I know what you mean about bringing a lot of stuff. Since I live 6+ hours away from home, I bring A LOT of stuff. I only go home when there are big breaks where the school kicks me out.
I think I bring my whole room to my dorm. Most of it consists of clothes and necessities like toiletries. They are a must-bring.
I don’t think I have a lot of stuff, but looking at how much room I filled with all my stuff, I think I brought my whole room. Each time I go home, I bring more stuff back and at the end of the school year, it’s such a big hassle to bring my stuff back.
I would leave it in a storage, but I do not have a car to take it there. That is the downside of living so far away from home and not have a car.
[Reply]
Haha that’s lucky that you were invited to come. I wouldn’t mind going to any concert really, just for the experience, but I guess I wouldn’t want to waste money on a band I don’t even know. XD
Yeah, I love cheese as well but there was just way too much. D:
I’m kind of glad I live at home! I don’t need to take things around or worry about packing. Hehe.
You mentioned that you loved shoes! I’m not a shoe person so I’d probably bring one pair of sneakers and one pair of sandals. At least you live with a friend; I think it would really suck living with someone you barely know. It’s always interesting to hear about people living on campus and stuff, because I’ve never had that experience. In a way I feel kind of lucky I don’t have to go through the same process! I don’t live terribly far from university and I know accommodation can be pretty expensive.
[Reply]
Okay since you blogged about packing for college, I’m starting to miss my sister now! Haha(:
My sister just left for college yesterday & My parents and I went with her and we met her roommates. They seemed nice! But I told her some of your tips for college and my parents seemed pleased. Haha (:
Yeah, my sister said she brought too many shirts but not enough socks… Oh well, haha(:
Is Philadelphia colder than Syracuse? Haha, I’ve been to New York but not Pennsylvania… I really want to go there!
[Reply]
Erin's Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
I totally didn’t bring enough socks with me to school last year, either. I got tons at Christmas, so now it’s all good, lol. I hope your sister has a good first year.
Haha, Philadelphia is generally NOT colder than Syracuse. On average, I’d say it’s typically about 10 degrees warmer in the Philadelphia area than it is in Syracuse during the winter. (I check both weather forecasts when I’m at school.) Gosh, I remember last October, I went home for a long weekend, and it was still 75 degrees out, but at school, I was wearing a coat already!
[Reply]
Lauren's Reply:
August 18th, 2009 at 1:05 am
Yeah socks seem to be the most forgettable clothing item!
And thank you, I hope she will too!
I guess it makes sense, since New York is farther north than Pennsylvania, right?
[Reply]
I’m not the greatest fan of PJ either but I know most of their songs. It would be cool to see Led Zeppelin too, but I haven’t actually heard many of their songs haha.
That’s so strange! I am usually thought as being younger than I actually am. Occasionally people have thought I was older. It’s a bit annoying to be considered younger because people immediately assume things… which is annoying!
Haha that’s smart. What I do before I go on the train is open up my tabs of comments and prepare writing the comments in a document (no internet on the train). I open all the pages in a website if I’m going to be doing a review… hahaha.
[Reply]
Wow, Syracuse University is about 265 miles away from me, and that’s about 4 hours and 40 mins, so I can only imagine how long it takes you to get there! So I definitely wouldn’t expect you to takes two trips
That’s pretty cool that you live in an on-campus apartment, I remember visiting colleges a short while back and seeing dorms where two people share a closet sized room! Imagine fitting all your clothes in that :X Your stuff mounds are pretty big but also pretty colors
Love the bins, green is my favorite color!
Just wondering but does Syracuse have the underground tunnels for the snow? I know SUNY Buffalo does! I just think it’s pretty cool. Going to a CUNY, which is not far up, we don’t have that, just underground subways
[Reply]
Julianne's Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Oh and I was almost embarrased to tell Dewey about my online life, so I was really surprised when I mention Dewey Tuesdays to him and he got excited. He loves to check my comments for me too lol, like if I see him he’ll say, “Oh did you see Georgina commented you this morning? And Erin and Gillian commented you last night!” lol!
And if you ever plan a party, I’ll be your fruit girl! I’ll even take the fruits and make molecular structures out of them
[Reply]
That’s a lot of stuff, seriously
I would probably bring all my electronics and a bunch of clothes if I were at college. But you actually bring a bag of rice and a microwave? Shouldn’t the school provide this kind of stuff?
I wouldn’t be able to survive living in college because I can’t even manage taking care of myself during camps. My clothes were just all over the place and when we went swimming, I would just stuff all the wet stuff in the bag and leave it there. Plus we had to share 2 toilets between 6 people, which proved to be hard. Life at home and life in a dorm is pretty different, disregarding the fact that I’m pretty spoilt at home, with my television, iMac, Wii and other sources of entertainment.
[Reply]
Thanks, I really like blue layouts as well. Sometimes I just use too much blue, lol.
Yeah, we had to tell interesting facts about ourselves and I said to her “Oh, Michael Jackson was my cousin” and her mouth fell open. She was like “Oh my god, that’s so cool! I’m so sorry though, you must be really upset about him dying”. Ooops, haha!
Ha, I never have that problem with clothes, luckily. I hardly have any clothes at the minute and certainly never seem to have anything to wear.
Good times!
I have loads of shoes though. Even if I go away just for a couple of days i insist on taking at least 5 pairs of shoes with me. I have to be prepared, lol.
I reckon I’m going to have a shoe mound in my room at university, haha! I’ll just leave a corner free to have shoes in.
[Reply]
First of all, good luck on your travel!
You know, I’ve sometimes felt quiet the same – not having enough clothes to wear and all. I’ve always had a thought that all of my clothes in my closet would fit in my suitcase but obviously it wont. ]=. Gaahh, I love my shoes. But I don’t bring high-heeled kind of ones. Just sandals or snickers. IDK why but my doctor said if I keep wearing high-heels, my heel on the right foot side is going to be a real pain. Ouch.
But my solutions to your problem would be : 1) Pack the most clothes you think you’d wear and need to use regularly.
2) Your Shoes. Well you mentioned you had about 40 pairs of them right? And most of them are high-heeled, so choose the ones you think are easier for running, etc. Shoes without heels would be more preferred in your case.
Oh, and just another reminder, make sure you bring at least a novel/book along with you! I’d be totally miserable without books.
Oh yeah, it sucks that my parents are being strict during my tests week. It’s horrid. But I’m glad it’s over. Yippeee. I really hope I get good scores for history as I’m looking forward to the Summer Festival. I think my summer days this year is going to fill with tons of fun. Haha. I hope your travel will too. [=
[Reply]
Funny thing is – I just posted a rant too. I’m the same as you, I’ll probably end up replacing it as soon as my anger resides. =]
Ugh, packing and moving is the second most stressful process in the world, right next to actually finding and signing a lease for a new apartment to move into. T_T Well, that is, if you’re living off campus anyway. XD You know, when I went to college, I decided I’d only bring half of my wardrobe. It just happens that somehow I had decided to bring the half that didn’t have anything I ever wanted to wear? Haha, and I eventually ended up bringing my whole wardrobe and articulately finding new places to stash everything. =P Even though I’m living near the ocean and its cold, I still have all my dresses and shorts with me…haha. “Just in case”, that’s what I keep telling myself.
What car do you guys have? We have a big Tundra truck so I was able to fit…a lot of stuff. =P And don’t worry, shoe will eventually be stashed everywhere possible around the apartment. It’s good you’re only sharing with one other girl…I used to live with three other girls and it was HELL. I’m still living with two of them and we still all have a bunch of stuff! Although I’m the girliest out of all of them…most of their stuff is like books and gaming stuff.
[Reply]
thank you SO much for your screenshots! i guess there’s alot i need to work out.
i think i can try to fix the header image’s alignment but i really don’t know why the comment textarea is wonky like that.
you attend Syracuse? (sorry if you don’t – i normally respond with comments pertaining to the blog itself but i’m swamped with trying to fix the layout before i get stoned) i was contemplating attending Syracuse but decided on Buffalo beeeeefore changing my mind completely.
[Reply]
it’s pretty much an unspoken thing here to attend a SUNY or upstate school. i chose to be different, haha. that & i don’t think i can handle the winters of upstate new york considering the fact that i can’t really handle the winters of new york city well either.
[Reply]
I NEED CLOTHES. I AM IN DESPERATE NEED OF CLOTHES.
I’M JEALOUS, ERIN.
Well, everyone agreed that the math was hard. Fortunately for me, I was ~smart enough~ to pick the campus that wasn’t really being targeted as the number one campus to be accepted into, so I think I’d stand a chance
[Reply]
Wow, you have a lot of stuff to try and fit into one suitcase.
I think you should pack the most important things first and if there is any space left, you can pack extra things.
Your bringing a microwave? A whole microwave? Don’t they provide microwaves for the kitchens?
I’m afraid I can’t do much, I’m not the organised type of person. I’m going to look at your organisation tips article
I know people who always put themselves down because they did bad compared to others but it may have been their own personal best record. It’s really upsetting. Instead of being happy, they be sad. =[
[Reply]
I don’t really have that many clothes to be honest but my friend has loads, when we went away she took two suitcases just STUFFED. XD
I live in abut 6 pairs of shoes, excluding the school ones.
Wow, you have lots of stuff. :O I would have thought the microwave, shower curtain, etc would have been provided to be honest.
Wow you used to sleep badly all the time? I guess I am getting used to it but it’s just a pain.
I find music helps me sleep because thinking helps me sleep and music means I have time to think.
It is total suckage something wakes me up. It’s seriously annoying. When the car went by with all that music, I swear the whole village must have been woken up. Stupid, inconsiderate douchebag.
Total silence creeps me out.
I used to hate the dark when I slept and always liked the door open a bit so the landing light would light up my room a bit but now I like sleeping in the dark. I find the ticking of my alarm clock helps me sleep too.
I can’t nap on planes at all. D: It’s just a total fail. When we had an overnight flight I fell asleep for what, 20 minutes? Then some jerk nearby started cheering at something on his Gameboy. *sigh*
[Reply]
Hey
Hehe, yeah I am the same way. Most of the time I am also to lazy to zoom it to make it easiaer for me to read the blog – I just don’t care if the owner doesn’t care about me.
Yeah.. if the colors would at least look decent – it wouldn’t be that bad. Maybe. But if there are tons of colors on one blog posts.. oh boy.
And through all this commenting you also get to know other site owners better and stuff
I enjoy that the most about all this commenting. I met some really awesome people 
I really think some people need lessons on how to be nice to the visitors.
And those damn one-liners! I hate them.. that’s one reason why I just put up a cbox on my site. People like it and I don’t get annoying one-liners..
You are going to move to Campus this year? That sounds great! Like with all those parties and stuff – or is it only on movies that students have tons of crazy parties?? I bet it will still be a nice time
Even if you have to cut down on the things you take with you.
I am sooo lucky that I don’t have any problems with shoes. I only own max. 5 pairs, including heels and flip-flops xD But I think every other girl would be really pissed if she had to leave some shoes at home. I hope you manage to get everything to college and stuff
[Reply]
I can barely imagine how much stuff you have to leave behind. I always find living in a campus a hassle. I can’t sort out the things I need to bring most of the time. And when I do, usually I tend to forget a lot of things and I smack myself for it.
But living in a campus has its positivity. Things like waking up late for classes, parties at night, etc.
I sure hope that you are able to sort out your problem with your clothes and your shoes. Hopefully you won’t be a second me and forget important things.
[Reply]