Budget buster -- COLLEGE! What items can we pick up NOW to make it easier?

[3boymthr]

Thank you all! This is a great thread. For sure I will save this to my favorites!
Hmm... I'm thinking the "Cars" pop up hamper that my mom bought us years ago for traveling would be a bit embarrassing.
Better put a more masculine-looking one on my list.

I'm also guessing an electric blanket would be a big fat no? He will miss that for sure.

Maybe, maybe not. DS's room is very hot. He doesn't use anything other than a sheet for sleeping. That said electric blankets were on the list of forbidden items for us. I didn't think about that one because we've never had them at home.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Do you have a college near you? I'm asking because I've heard the move-out time at colleges called "redneck Christmas" because the students often just put all of their dorm stuff out on the curb for the taking. My friend and I are going to drive around the local college area on move-out weekend this year Sounds funny, but it could be a good, free way to pick up necessary dorm stuff

 

[mommymeg]

My oldest DD is also heading 4hrs away in the fall. I have vowed to start a stockpile now because the thought of all the expense at once is overwhelming! I have been saving Bed Bath and Beyond coupons and will use them for the pricier items. When I do our household shopping for personal care items I plan to pick up a second set of each item. She is already accepted to her first choice school and they have provided room specs and allowable items. Any items that will be shared such as bathroom accessories will wait until she hooks up with a roomie. I am so excited to start this process but need to do just a little at a time so as to not break the bank.

 

[3boymthr]

Oh, I do have one more recommendation of something to pick up when you find them on sale. Tide Pods have been a lifesaver for DS. I picked up one package and he has found them to be great. He loves the no measuring. Plus he only has to take one pod down to the laundry room when he heads out of his room no need to drag the whole jug with him. I think Gain also makes something similar. I bought the package with 64 and he says he has enough left to go the rest of the school year.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

This was my boys' favourite thing when they were in university:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/73882?feat=203-GN1&page=personal-organizer-toiletry-bag-medium

They could easily keep all their bathroom stuff in it and just carry it back and forth.

TP

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I too have a son heading to college in the Fall. He is most concerned about his guitars! All his equipment (3 guitars, pedals, amp, cords, etc) is very expensive and he's worried about other folks messing with it or stealing it.

I told him to leave it all at home until he scopes out the dorm situation, but I'm not sure that will work because he'll be taking music lessons while in college. What do your musician students do with all their instrument stuff?

 

[a1tinkfans]

I too have a son heading to college in the Fall. He is most concerned about his guitars! All his equipment (3 guitars, pedals, amp, cords, etc) is very expensive and he's worried about other folks messing with it or stealing it. I told him to leave it all at home until he scopes out the dorm situation, but I'm not sure that will work because he'll be taking music lessons while in college. What do your musician students do with all their instrument stuff?

It's really gonna be how ur son feels after getting acquainted with his roomies. But he also needs to realize that it's not just his room mate it's their friends and acquaintances that have access. Will your son be sharing a Dbl, a suite? Do you have off premise theft on your HO coverage, if not you may want to consider it. I have that coverage, mine chose to take several guitars, amps, pedals and misc items. He originally kept it within his room( shared with one other). Then it went in the common room, and others had the same quality items. It worked out. This past semester was a Huge difference, new roommate NIGHTMARE... He moved to an apartment for last few weeks ( thank the stars above!) and has locked his items in his own room while on holiday. Not something I would have done...but I'm a mom lol. So, hopefully All will be OK when he gets back. As an aside, I'd still bring the hard cases if he has them...not just stands
So, I'd have to say.... It all just depends on his rooming situation. Best of luck to the grad!

 

[MOpGrad2013]

I too have a son heading to college in the Fall. He is most concerned about his guitars! All his equipment (3 guitars, pedals, amp, cords, etc) is very expensive and he's worried about other folks messing with it or stealing it.

I told him to leave it all at home until he scopes out the dorm situation, but I'm not sure that will work because he'll be taking music lessons while in college. What do your musician students do with all their instrument stuff?

DS took his acoustic and electric along with his amp. He was super when he found out his roommate also played. They had many days (nights) of jamming. Taught other dorm folks how to play.

With your son taking music courses, he will definitely need a minimal supply. Perhaps phone the music department and find out if they have locked storage for the extra equipment. What are the hours of access? Who has access?

Meanwhile, look into guitar cases with locks in them. A bike cable lock can be placed through the handle and then secured to the heavy piece of furniture. When it's all said and done, remind your son to keep his eyes on his equipment better than at the airport. Also, always lock the dorm room. And remind the roommate to do the same.

 

[grarsh]

Howdy!

Just wanted to chime in. I am a college administrator that works in a housing office, so I thought I'd share a few points I always try to give new students and parents.

1. As mentioned in other posts, look at the college's website to see what items are restricted/prohibited. This can usually be found on the college's Residence Life page, or in the student handbook. Stores like Target, Walmart, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond love to put out displays about "what to take to college," and often times there a lots of restricted items being marketed.

2. It's awesome to start buying things that you definitely know will be needed - toiletries, shower caddy, bedding, towels, etc. I would hold off on investing in more substantial items until the school year gets closer and the student has a housing assignment. You never know if shelves, extra chairs, or large decorative items will fit in the room once all the roommates have arrived.

3. Talk to the Roommates - one common mistake people make is bringing all of their own stuff (fridge, microwave, tv, etc). Typical residence hall rooms won't have enough space for one of everything, so talk to roommates about what each one will bring and if sharing will be ok.

4. Fight overbuying - The transition to college can be tough on students and parents. People usually over buy to feel better, thinking that if they buy and bring everything imaginable, the student will be all set and won't lack any important item. I always recommend erring on the side of bringing the basics and then expand from there once the room is set up. In the event that something is forgotten, there is always the school bookstore. And anything can be ordered and delivered from online in a mater of days.

Hope this helps!

 

[3boymthr]

I too have a son heading to college in the Fall. He is most concerned about his guitars! All his equipment (3 guitars, pedals, amp, cords, etc) is very expensive and he's worried about other folks messing with it or stealing it.

I told him to leave it all at home until he scopes out the dorm situation, but I'm not sure that will work because he'll be taking music lessons while in college. What do your musician students do with all their instrument stuff?

Is he taking lessons from the school? Just asking because DS' school doesn't allow electric instruments in the dorm. DS wanted to take his with him and take lessons near the school but the no electric instruments put the kaibosh on that. He did take his acoustic and he stores that in his closet.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

It's really gonna be how ur son feels after getting acquainted with his roomies. But he also needs to realize that it's not just his room mate it's their friends and acquaintances that have access. Will your son be sharing a Dbl, a suite? Do you have off premise theft on your HO coverage, if not you may want to consider it. I have that coverage, mine chose to take several guitars, amps, pedals and misc items. He originally kept it within his room( shared with one other). Then it went in the common room, and others had the same quality items. It worked out. This past semester was a Huge difference, new roommate NIGHTMARE... He moved to an apartment for last few weeks ( thank the stars above!) and has locked his items in his own room while on holiday. Not something I would have done...but I'm a mom lol. So, hopefully All will be OK when he gets back. As an aside, I'd still bring the hard cases if he has them...not just stands
So, I'd have to say.... It all just depends on his rooming situation. Best of luck to the grad!

I had been thinking about extra insurance. I will look into it for sure.

DS took his acoustic and electric along with his amp. He was super when he found out his roommate also played. They had many days (nights) of jamming. Taught other dorm folks how to play.

With your son taking music courses, he will definitely need a minimal supply. Perhaps phone the music department and find out if they have locked storage for the extra equipment. What are the hours of access? Who has access?

Meanwhile, look into guitar cases with locks in them. A bike cable lock can be placed through the handle and then secured to the heavy piece of furniture. When it's all said and done, remind your son to keep his eyes on his equipment better than at the airport. Also, always lock the dorm room. And remind the roommate to do the same.

Good idea about the bike locks. He has one hard case, one soft case and an acoustic guitar case. Not sure if any of them lock. Once he's made his final decision we'll call the college of his choice and ask about musical equipment storage.

Is he taking lessons from the school? Just asking because DS' school doesn't allow electric instruments in the dorm. DS wanted to take his with him and take lessons near the school but the no electric instruments put the kaibosh on that. He did take his acoustic and he stores that in his closet.

Yes, he plans to take lessons through the music department. His first choice school's website doesn't list electrical instruments in their prohibited list but we will check for sure. All this info is great! Now I know what questions we need to ask!!!

 

[msupulski]

Senior at college, here!

My freshman year I lived in a small dorm on campus with a friend I'd known since elementary school (such a mistake). The room was tiny. Most dorm beds are Twin XL, so go for that type of bedding. I would also recommend a mattress pad. I never got one and the bed was super hard...I got used to it after a while, but had my parents bought me a nice one I would've been very thankful (my roommate had one and her bed was MUCH softer because of it).

Our dorm didn't come with a fridge, so we got one of those (we did have a communal fridge for our whole hall, but I didn't use it because I didn't want anyone taking my stuff). We also had a microwave + microwavable bowls, plates, etc. We just had plastic silverware to throw away when we were done in order to keep the amount of stuff to wash down (especially since my roommate refused to wash her dishes she made ). I think my roommate also had a coffee pot, but since I lived on campus I would just use my food dollars (most universities have something similar--parents can upload cash to the students account and they have money for food on campus) for Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks (however, when I moved off campus my sophomore year, I got a Kuerig and have used it soooo much ever since).

Our room came with ethernet cords plus a desk for each of us, so really just a bit of organization accessories for the desk are helpful. Something to keep pens and pencils in, some sort of paper/file organizer. Just the basics.

My roommate brought a small tv that she got before college. It was basically one of those cheap $100 tv's from Best Buy that are like 19". It worked for the room since it was so small, though if you are looking for a gift that you want them to keep for a while, I'd recommend investing in something a bit larger (to put it into perspective, I got a $100 tv for my apartment my sophomore year, but later upgraded to a $300 tv my junior year...it would've just been more cost effective to start off with the $300 tv, because the small one is just sitting in storage...) Granted, this depends on the size of the dorm room.

Personally, I also took the majority of my books and movies from home because I like to have them. For those I needed a bookshelf. It was small and just three shelves worth, but it fit the books and movies that I really wanted at school. We just put the tv on top of the shelf (again, depends on the shelf and size of the tv...) so we didn't buy any sort of stand for the tv.

My dorm room was on a hall, so bathroom supplies were there for us (well, usually) so we didn't have to buy toilet paper or cleaning supplies. We did, however, use shower shoes because well...common sense, and we needed a small shower tote to take our shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc. I just used a super small one because that's basically all I took and I just changed once I got to my room (some people would change in the shower and thus brought more bags to carry their clothes, kind of depends on the person and how comfortable they are with their roommate).

I think that's about all I used! I didn't buy any storage containers, nor did my roommate. She had one but it didn't move for the whole year and was just filled with clothes she didn't wear.

Obviously things like hangers, maybe some extra underwear and socks, and toiletries were the best gifts. Candles aren't permitted unfortunately, but I used one of the wallflower plug ins and no one ever complained, but you might want to check with the university.

Sorry that's a novel, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[ecgsmama]

Thank you for everyone's great insight! Just subscribing....

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

I too am just subscribing!!!

 

[alice99]

Thanks to all for the great info.

My son will only be 1.5 hour from home, so he doesn't have to bring tons of stuff.
The school he is attending is very strict on what they can have in their rooms, so I'm not worried about TV and gaming...... just the necessities for him.