I'm moving from Los Angeles to Philadelphia at the end of the month. I'm a lover of a good car ride, so flying cross country isn't an option. The only option that makes sense to me? ROAD TRIP.

But there's a slight problem, I drive a VW buggy. My entire life is being moved from LA to Philly and packing will for sure be quite the daunting situation.  Shipping everything is unthinkable due to high shipping prices, so perfect packing is a must!

I've learned some fabulous ways to pack like a pro, and here they are. Drumroll please.

These bags may look cheesy in their infomercials, but by golly do they work wonders!  I was skeptical when first I bought them.  Take a look at that picture to the right!  There's no way that all of those pillows can be squished so small, right?!  On the contrary, my friends, the suction bags WORK! 

You can put so many items into these bags: pillows, blankets, clothes, stuffed animals, purses, yarn (okay so not everybody knits), etc., etc., etc.  Even though you have the suctions bags, proper folding is a must!  The tighter you fold the clothes, the more clothes that'll fit into the bags.  What works best?  Rolling.  After you've folded all of your t-shirts and pants, roll them tight. 

Rolling works wonders.

Shipping all furniture isn't worth the hassle of preparing the shipment and the price of shipping it. Some pieces of furniture are unbearable to part from, but when it comes to the TV stands, side tables and corner desks, sell baby, sell!  Craigslist and Ebay are easy options for selling furniture.  An even better website for furniture is Furniture Trader.  Furniture Trader is a website where you can buy and sell used and new furniture online. 

From the Furniture Trader website: "Compared to Ebay, you will save enourmous amounts of money to list even high dollar amount items for much longer than 7-10 days, and there are NO final value or reserve price fees!"

I'm a pack rat through and through.  I save everything from old magazines to ticket stubs to broken cameras.  I have a camera on my shelf right now that is broken in more ways than one.  The lens is cracked, the battery dies quickly, and the screen doesn't work.  I haven't used the camera in over six months, but still it sits on my shelf because I simply can't bring myself to toss it out.  Packing is much easier when you relieve yourself of all of the space invading items.  Haven't worn that sweater in two years?  Give it to a clothing drive.  Camera broken?  THROW IT OUT.

Note to self: must heed own advice :)

You can play it out a thousand times in your head, but there's no way to know if everything will fit into your car until you pack it all into your car.  Practice packing runs are a big help.  A few days before the big move, take everything out to the car and see how everything fits best.  The number one rule to space saving packing is to find the perfect place for everything.  A whole bunch of luggage might not fit when haphazardly tossed into the car, but if you take the time to fit items where they belong, you'll find a whole lot more can fit where you thought nothing could go!