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Moving into a new place can be both exciting and stressful! If you’re moving into our new student apartments in Austin, we have some tips that can help make your transition as smooth as possible, from packing and unpacking to minimizing costs. We also work with our residents every step of the way If you’re preparing to move, or you have a friend who is, then this is the post for you.

Ask For Free Boxes

First off, while buying boxes from a store like Home Depot or Staples can be handy in some cases, it may be worth your effort to hunt down some free cardboard boxes from friends, family, or local businesses.

Often, grocery stores and other retailers are willing to hand over empty cardboard boxes from previous shipments—just head to your local store and ask their customer service desk, or try to track down a manager who can help you. Or better yet, call ahead of time and ask when they usually receive their shipments so you can swing by and pick up the empty boxes that same day.

Craigslist is also a great place to look for free boxes and other packing supplies from folks who just moved and are looking to get rid of excess supplies.

Color-Code Boxes As You Pack

Speaking of boxes, do yourself a favor and organize your packing! If you’re moving directly into a new apartment, pack items into boxes according to where they’ll go in your new place and label each box as soon as you start putting items into it. You can always write the room/category names on the sides of the box, but we prefer buying a number of brightly colored stickers so you can color-code your boxes instead. This way, it’s even easier to tell at a glance which boxes go where, plus, it’s faster than writing labels onto every box (and on multiple sides of the box).

Don’t Forget to Change Your Address

In advance of your move-in date, make a list of places you’ll need to change your address on file with, including UT Austin, insurance companies, banks, the post office, any employers, and so on. Make a checklist and then go through it as soon as possible. It’s an annoying part of moving, but it’s important to make sure that you have all your records up-to-date so you don’t miss payments and important mail or go without access to the resources you need.

Plan Meals to Avoid Packing Perishables

If you’re moving directly from another apartment or dorm room, don’t forget that you may need to pack up what’s in your fridge too, and that can be a major pain. A few weeks out from your move-out date, start strategizing about what groceries you’re going to buy from there on out and how you’re going to feed yourself while reducing the amount of food in your fridge. You want to minimize what’s in your fridge on move-out day as much as possible so that you don’t have to throw stuff away or keep things temperature-controlled during transit (which isn’t always possible).

Pack Essentials Last

Have you ever packed something away too early, only to realize you still need to get to the stuff you packed? We sure have! When you’re packing up, save the essentials for last, including toiletries, medications, a change of clothes, and a towel or two. If moving out of an apartment, this also includes cleaning supplies you’ll need to clean up the old place so you don’t get charged for additional cleaning on move-out. For best results, we recommend using a suitcase or two to pack up your essentials, just as if you were packing for a big trip.

Make Arrangements for Pets

If you have pets, move-in days can be that much more of a hassle. Consider arranging care or boarding for your pets ahead of time so that they can be out of your hair while you’re getting work done. This way, you also don’t have to worry about keeping the front door open while you move boxes in and out.

That’s all our tips for moving into our new student apartments in Austin! If you appreciated this post and would like to see more of our tips, recommendations, and features, be sure to bookmark our blog page for easy access to future posts! And make sure you’re following us on Instagram so you stay in the know about special offers and community updates for future residents of our new student apartments in Austin.

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