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!

1. 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. [↩]
2. Scarves, hats, and mittens [↩]
3. Pots, pans, and other cooking essentials for the kitchen; shower curtain, rug, and organizers for the bathroom. [↩]
4. Including flip-flops, but most of my shoes are real shoes. [↩]