I realized it a couple days ago: By the time 2019 rolls to an end, I would’ve lived 10 months out of my trusty suitcase and duffel bag.

As a person who regularly overstuffs a van when moving in and out of college, transitioning to the suitcase lifestyle was honestly easier than expected. At the end of the day, there were only a handful of things I missed from having a more permanent home (namely: my Keurig, my books, and Dingo Pup) and catching my 1-2 week breaks back in the house made me appreciate all the small luxuries even more (a full bathroom! large bed! 10x more clothes!)

I wish this post has some deeper message than “hey I’ve mastered the suitcase lifestyle”, but there really isn’t. What this post is about, though, is a handful of tips + tricks I’ve gathered for making sure every packed piece earns its spot in that suitcase.

-Pack about 2-3 weeks worth of clothes, max; trust me, you’ll probably be doing laundry every 1-2 weeks, so there’s no need to pack much more than that.

-Don’t pack something that you wouldn’t wear at least once every 2 weeks. That fancy sundress you might wear 1-2 times a summer does not belong, but those comfy jeans that goes good with any shirt do.

-That said, DO bring at least one set of nicer/formal clothes; you never know when you might need to dress up a little

-I debated whether or not I should pack a fleece blanket because it took up a good amount of space. In the end, I did, and I am so glad. As a person who gets cold easily, the bedding offered in some living arrangements aren’t nearly warm enough, but the blanket made it okay.

-Limit shoes!! They’re awkward to pack and can be heavy.

-You can probably wear your jeans 2-3 times before needing to wash them

-1 casual jacket, 1 statement jacket, 1 workout/outdoorsy-stuff jacket

-Bring a portable iron (I love the handheld steam ones which you can get for $20); rolling clothes when packing them = wrinkles galore

At the end of the day, having limited packing space really made me think about what I’m taking along with me . . . and because I lied and am totally going to throw in a last-minute cheesy/inspirational closing statement: Life is a suitcase. Pack carefully.