Maybe you finished the semester a few weeks ago, or perhaps you still have a few more weeks left until finals week. Regardless, it’s that time of year where your car is filled to the brim with your belongings once again: it’s time for move out!

The day you hand in your room key and mailbox key will come before you know it and it certainly can be stressful. After all, how can you possibly pack up everything in your dorm while balancing the stress of finals week at the same time? And as a freshman in college, this task can be even more daunting.

Yet no matter what year you are here’s a few tips to make this task a little easier.

1. Gradually pack up your items throughout the second semester and bring them home with you on a trip home!

No one wants to start packing up their belongings early in the second semester, but this first tip certainly relieved my stress and saved room in my car when it came to moving out.

Even if it’s just your winter clothes, big heavy jackets that you don’t need anymore, or a few knick-knacks in your room, start to assemble a box of it to bring home. This works even better closer to Easter since you’ll already be going home anyway, so why not bring a box or two back with you!

It’ll be one less thing you have to put into your car when its time to move out.

2. Try to pack a few items a day during finals week.

If you’re like me and you put off packing until the last minute, then this tip will certainly help you!

Between spending hours at the library and reading through endless pages of notes, the last thing you’ll want to do when you get back to your dorm is pack up your belongings. While it is tempting to lay in bed after a long study session, packing at least one box full of items will make moving out less stressful.

3. Ask for help from your family and friends!

During the week leading up to move out, my mom, grandfather, and older sister suggested coming up to see me and taking a few of the larger boxes back home with them. And it truly helped a lot!

If you have bigger items like a mirror, side-table, a storage unit in the bathroom, anything large, it’s truly beneficial to ask one of your family members to come up and help you out!

After all, you could take them out to lunch or dinner somewhere near campus and make a nice visit out of it! Plus, I’m sure they’ll be glad to help you. (Especially since I’m sure they’re ready for you to be back home!)

I was also extremely fortunate to have my boyfriend help me push carts of my belongings out to my car on move out day and without him, I wouldn’t have had a clue how to fit everything into the trunk of my car. So, enlist the help of your family, friends, significant other—don’t feel like you have to handle moving out all on your own!

4. When it comes to unpacking, clean out your closet before you put your belongings back in.

It’s finally the time of year when you’re home and no longer have to live out of a suitcase on the floor! Yet that means you’ll have to fill your closet back up with your clothes and I’m sure there are items you don’t wear that were left behind.

Instead of just putting all of your clothes back into it (since you probably bought new clothes while at school!), go through the items in your closet that you no longer wear anymore and donate them.

I spent my first day back at home, sitting in my closet and going through old clothes, shoes, and all my drawers and completely organized them! Yes, it is a lot of work, but I promise it’s totally worth it in the end!

5. Keep your storage units, mattress pad, and dorm decorations in one box after unpacking.

It may be tempting to just disregard all of the storage units or decorations you bought (or were given) for your dorm, but store them somewhere! A basement, a storage unit, a garage, somewhere you can easily retrieve them!

Chances are, you’ll be using those items again whether or not you’re living on campus or off campus next semester. Keeping them in one or two boxes that you can easily grab when it’s time to move in either over the summer or in August will save you the hassle of packing them up again!

As I said before, the end of the semester will come faster than you realize (even if it seems like it’s dragging during the January/February months!). Soon, it’ll be time to say goodbye to your dorm, to your roommate, to the friends in your classes, and head back home for the summer. The last thing anyone wants to do during their last few weeks at college is pack, but I promise following these tips will make the process less stressful in the long run!

So, grab some boxes and start packing!