I thought moving all the way across the country into my freshman dorm was bad but I was so wrong. Moving into your first apartment comes with a whole set of struggles that I was never quite prepared for, and here are just a few.

1. Packing, packing and more packing.

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How did I come to accumulate so much stuff? How am I supposed to fit it all into suitcases and boxes? Why do I have so many things? I’m not going to get rid of any of it but I really do have too many things.

2. Transporting everything to the new apartment.

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No really, boxes full of all of your possessions happen to be incredibly heavy. Fitting everything into a car is like playing some sort of ridiculous life-size Tetris game, then trying to lift the heavy boxes into the apartment is even worse. It’s summer, it’s hot, I didn’t think I’d be sweating so much when moving.

3. Unpacking, unpacking and more unpacking.

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Not only do you have to put all of your stuff in boxes and suitcases, you have take all of your stuff out of the boxes and suitcases, too. As if packing it wasn’t enough! Then trying to find places for everything in the apartment is so hard because once again why do I have so much stuff?

4. Apparently you need a lot of stuff to go about as a normal human being.

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I truly never thought I’d be purchasing a toilet paper roll holder or pots and pans and so many other dishes, but here I am. I had no idea I needed so much stuff to go about my days.

5. Everything you need to go about as a normal human being is really expensive.

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I’ve never felt so sad spending money before, mostly because I had no idea such basic things could be so expensive. I saw a knife holder/set for $150 dollars... for a knife set? That sounds like a whole lot of money I’d rather spend on other things.

6. But once everything’s moved in and finished, the feeling of the relief and accomplishment almost makes every struggle worth it.

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When my room’s finally finished and there’s no more stuff to move or unpack or buy, this whole moving thing might almost be worth it. Almost.