College Preparation #3 : Don't over pack, but bring enough storage

Ok, so here's a few quick tips (it's late, so I can't type long) Do not over pack for school. I see so many people (myself included) get there for their Freshman year and they have WAY too much stuff, mostly clothes. Here's a hint: you can do laundry every week. On the other hand, you can never have enough storage, mainly, vertical storage.

Dorm rooms are notoriously small, but they have some height. In a 12x14x12 room, there is 2016 cubic feet of storage. If you use storage only 3 feet tall (which is a rare height, usually it's closer to 1 to 2 feet) you are utilizing 504 cubic feet, that's only 25% of your storage. I suggest getting some tall shelving units, and where you can (wherever you do not have walking/living area) put SOMETHING tall. I suggest taking care of small things, they add up. One thing that took up lots of space in my room was photo frames, so I began making these:

I can hang them on the wall, and then I simply place the photos in there, and voila, instant vertical storage, that takes up MUCH less horizontal space (100% less actually) You can buy these pre-made at my webstore: dorm-gear.com I think they are really nice to use.

As for packing, pack everything you KNOW you need, then get rid of half of it. This rule is very true for those who are going to school within driving distance of school. If it is a hassle to get stuff to school, it is easier to bring to school then take away. I took too much stuff, so I brought some home when I went home for Christmas. Just remember, if you bring it to school, you have to do something with it in the summer, and no one (besides family) stores stuff for free. If you live near home, take very little, and if you need more, tell your parents, they will be happy to have a reason to come visit you (make sure they buy you some fresh groceries while they are there) It is much easier to add if you are within driving distance. Just remember, very very few people will bring just enough stuff. You will have more flexibility if you have enough storage space.

Store Updated

All of my inventory is now available on my store (dorm-gear.com) I finally got it all updated, and I'm very excited, I think I can finally start some advertising. I know I'm going to put up signs around campus; I feel that will be the best advertising. If you have any ideas, I would LOVE to hear them.

I have also begun work on an access database to manage my orders, products, and inventory. As it turns out, this is a bigger project than I had expected; I guess I know less about access than I had previously thought. I finally figured out how to do some things, like automatically add one to my highest invoice number, so they are sequential, but I will not have gaps in the data. I want to build it using mostly forms, so I can have a very simple method of adding data to the database.

I think what I'll do is just take my time trying to get this system up and running, I don't think it has to be rushed, but it's also a great learning experience. It doesn't help that I'm really sick right now, so I'm not doing much of anything right now. I thought since I slept through all my classes, I would go ahead and do something a little beneficial.

Anyway, again, check the store at dorm-gear.com, I'd appreciate it.

Stay Safe!

Quick Update

After a very long time of waiting, I finally put all my new products up on the store.

dorm-gear.com

Go to see all the new fun products I have up there.

Also working on an order and inventory/customer management database. Fun huh?

I'll update more later, just wanted to throw out a quick update before I go to bed.

If you're reading this on Facebook, you can see the full blog at dormroombiz.com

Store is Launched!!! View www.dorm-gear.com

I've just launched my store! It's got a few products up, nothing too much, but it's a start.

Visit www.dorm-gear.com

That's all I had to say, I'm very excited!