Moving into a residence hall room and learning to share your space with a roommate is one challenge itself, but getting your stuff organized in an accessible manner is another. For students living in the residence halls on campus at UW-Stevens Point, it is important to find every way to save space and maximize it.
I lived in the residence halls for two years and now reside in off-campus housing. Each year I have run into new challenges with making the most of the space in my room. Whether it be clothes, shoes, toiletries, food or school supplies, you can organize items creatively to maximize and improve your living space.
In my first year of college at UWSP, my roommate and I decided to loft our beds in order to save floor space for our dressers. This allowed us to put a futon under one bed and the dressers under the other lofted bed, which opened up closet space. I quickly learned that storage bins would become my best friend. I went out and bought multiple bins for food, extra blankets and sheets that I easily stacked and stored in my closet.
I found myself bringing less clothes in my second year at UWSP because I knew I never wore all of them the previous year. That alone saved me a lot of closet and drawer space.
However, I still found drawer space to be in high demand. I used stackable plastic tubs and bins that fit in my closet, so I was able to put shampoo, laundry detergent and tissues all in one space. It is convenient to use stackable storage containers because they are skinny, but tall, to limit the amount of space they take up.
I also found bed risers to be very helpful and you may, too – especially if you are not looking to loft your bed. You can find these at Walmart or a similar store, and they are basically little blocks that sit under the legs of your bed to raise it a few inches. This allows more space under the bed to store larger bins and suitcases.
In my third year, living off campus, I found myself in a 9-by-9 bedroom. Luckily, my first two years of college completely prepared me for the amount of space saving I was going to need to do. Bed risers, bins, boxes and drawers now fill my closet and bedroom to create the ultimate space-maximizing environment. The investment I have made in space-saving tools has allowed me to keep my rooms organized and clean over the past three years, resulting in an overall easier lifestyle.
For more information about living on campus at UW-Stevens Point, visit Residential Living or take a virtual tour of a residence hall.
