Though there are three months left until the beginning of finals, students should start thinking about something else that inevitably comes every May: moving out of your C-U residence.

In order to jumpstart the moving-out process, consider bringing home those unneeded items – like your winter coats and boots or that stereo you’ve used once – during Spring Break.

Amanda Reader, freshman in Engineering, said she plans on bringing most of her unworn clothes and accessories home that week in order to make her final trip to Maplewood, Minn. easier.

“I’m nervous because I have twice as many clothes now as I had in August,” she said. “I am trying not to buy any more shampoo, conditioner or body wash. I will use travel size ones if they don’t last until May.”

Reader said she knows she will have to be careful about what she packs because her family only plans on making one 10-hour trip to Champaign.

For students like Reader who have accumulated more free orange T-shirts than they care to bring home, the Goodwill Industries, 1102 N. Prospect Ave., and the Salvation Army, 2212 N. Market St., will accept donations during normal business hours.

However, the Goodwill in Champaign does not accept furniture, computers or light fixtures, so arrangements for these items should be made in advance.

Students should also pay attention to the wording in their leases regarding the condition their apartments must be in when they leave. The University Group renter lease, for example, requires students to make sure their apartments are clean and undamaged if they hope to keep their security deposit.

“The deposit will also be applied against actual costs for cleaning such as vacuuming and shampooing of carpeting, cleaning bathrooms and bedrooms, cleaning of stove, closets, and cabinets, and defrosting and cleaning the refrigerator,” the lease states.

Apartment lessees should arrange to have the carpets cleaned ahead of time in case local cleaners are booked.

Local moving companies such as CU Moving offer to do all of the heavy lifting; according to the company’s Web site, they also help package and crate pictures, glass and mirrors.

Reader’s parents rented a minivan in her hometown when they helped move her into her room in Hendrick House, but Reader does not know if it will be big enough for the trip back.

“It was completely full,” she said. “There was barely enough space for me.”

Reader said that she would not hire a moving company because she likes having control over how she packs her belongings. She added that she plans on starting her packing early to avoid the extra stress that cramming for finals brings.

“It’ll be hard to get to anything easily once it’s all packed,” she said. “We moved in last time in about eight hours, so hopefully it takes less time moving out.”