My freshman year of college was rough, so after finals I was extremely excited to pack up and leave…until I realized just how much I had to pack. You never know how many clothes and shoes you own until you’re packing and folding each item into tiny boxes and suitcases. Add that to living on the eighth floor and you’ve got a real problem.

This year, I thought I’d research some moving and packing tips for those of you heading back home. To help save you some precious summer time, I scoured the internet to find the top ten ultimate moving day life hacks.

1. Instead of taking all your clothes off hangers and folding them individually, keep them on the hangers and carefully pull a garbage bag around them starting from the bottom of the clothes. This way they’ll be ready to hang in your closet as soon as you get home. It’s essentially a garment bag with a cheap price tag.

2. Get creative when packing jewlery. Empty egg cartons will keep earrings separate and straws will keep necklaces from tangling.

3. If you have plates and dishes, buy a stack of styrofoam plates and interchange them with your ceramic or glass plates to keep from scratching.

4. For liquids, whether it be makeup, lotion, shampoo, body wash, or anything that could (and will) spill, take off the lid and cover the top with plastic wrap. After this, you can replace the cap. This extra protection layer will keep your spillage to a minimum.

5. If you live in an apartment, chances are that moving everything will take more than one trip. To save yourself the hassle of having to turn the door handle, use a rubber band so you just have to push to open or close the door.

6. If you find yourself with a ton of bags, use a climbing hook to save your fingers some rope burn and get the most out of your trip to and from the car.

7. Keep papers, pictures, posters, and any other kind of important document in a sealed plastic bag. This will limit the wrinkles and the chances of you spilling anything on them.

8. If you’re lucky enough to have acquired actual cardboard boxes for moving, make sure you cut hand holes to make carrying easier.

9. Only use your wheeled suitcase for your heaviest items — the wheels are there for a reason. For example, use your suitcase for books instead of clothes.

10. Ask for help. You’ve read this article, so you’ve already taken a pretty solid step in the right direction. Moving isn’t an easy task and chances are you’re not going to be able to do all of it by yourself. Ask friends, parents, roommates, and maybe even a moving company if you need it. If you don’t have any of those, don’t worry: You live in Happy Valley. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a helping hand.