? for parents who has or will send kids to college far away from home (packing)

[gm]

Okay, ds will be going from TX to New York for college(Columbia U). We will have 4 people flying so will pack as much as we can. Do the college provide tables,chairs?. Also How would I send or bring Comforters and blankets?.

Here in Houston all that stuff is cheap so I would rather buy comforters,etc here and not New York.

Any suggestions on how you did this when sending your kids of to college.

Also what kinds of care packages did you send on a regular basis? ideas please

Food,dorm,work study,and tuition is covered under in his grant so I am not worried about the food part. I am still learning but I think the main cafeteria may be covered and he may get flex spending on cafes,etc in around college.

Also do you think $200 a month is too much to give him even though food is covered and work study will pay him to work 8/10 hours in the college campus for toiletries,etc.

Help

 

[lila]

In New York? I definitely think $200 is not too much to give him if you can. It sounds as if your son is living in the dorms, and he should have that housing information from the school, including what furniture is provided. You could also check the website of the school to read about their student housing.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

I'm heading off to college in the fall and my college provides me with all of my furniture. I can't imagine the college not supplying the essential furniture. I'd contact the college and see what they provide in the dorms (or wherever your son is living). As far as lamps go, they may not provide any. If you feel the need to have one, I don't see why you can't just run out to a store (like Target) and pick up a cheap one. If you don't want to buy a comforter up in NY you could possibly try putting it in a space bag - the same goes with clothes. It will surely save room in the luggage.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well my dd is going about 2hrs away. They gave us a packing list, we did a summer welcome which went over everything from A-Z and then some. It was a 2 day thing.

Will he have a roommate? First you have to get the rules, then get with the roommate and find out what they are bringing.

For example that is where we are. I want to get dd a carpet remnant however she needs to talk with the rommmate to find out what she is bringing. They allow 1 fridge and microwave per room.

We are not bringing tables, chairs, lamps right away. She might want her computer chair however we will wait until the next go round.

Obviously easier to transport her stuff up there than you. If you want to bring alot of stuff, I would drive it in personally. Otherwise keep it to a minimum and buy there.

Are we having fun yet?

 

[kellyg403]

No, I don't think 200.00 a month is too much. In NY and depending on what he will be doing, it may not be enough at first!

Once he gets started, he may want to eat out with friends, sight see in his spare time (if there is any) etc. Also, my dd always takes a bunch of snacks etc...her view is that the food is bad and she would rather microwave mac/n/cheese when she is busy. Her dorm room is her 'apartment' she is there a lot doing school work and chatting with friends watching movies. There is a micro in the mail floor in the student lounge, so they all have full frdiges!

I second checking with the roommate. DD's roommate had already inherited a frdige from her sister in college so that lessened one of our expenses since they are allowed one fridge per room!

Kelly

 

[Christine]

My daughter will be in a dorm and, for the most part, all furniture is provided. We were not told that we would need a chair or lamp, etc. The school rents out a micro/fridge combination that the two will share costs on.

We have been told just to bring linens, storage containers that go under the bed for excess clothing that won't fit in the closet, and that's about it.

I believe the move gets a little bit more difficult when they move out of the dorm into off-campus housing.

 

[RitaE]

Pack the absolute necessities in a suitcase. A sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries etc. Everything else order from Overstock.com, Walmart.com, Amazon.com etc. and have it shipped directly to his dorm - it will be cheaper than airline baggage charges. You might be able to time it so it arrives before you and they hold it, check. My son's school did that but they aren't a huge school.

My son was provided with a chair, refrigerator, dresser and bed -- overhead light in his bedroom. Everything else had to be bought. I'm so glad not to have to do all that again. The microwave was in the kitchen area. One thing they never told us was that he needed to supply his own toilet paper and cleaning supplies for the bathroom (shared bathroom with one other kid.) It never occurred to me for some reason.

Oh during the year I just let him have my log-ins to a few places like drugstore.com and amazon.com to replenish his shampoo and toothpaste and soap etc.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Definetly check with the college. My DD will be going to a SUNY school and most of furniture is in the room already.

Has anyone bought the linen package from the college?

 

[aprilgail2]

As far as the money goes it depends WHERE in NY he is going. My god daughter goes upstate and 200 a month would be fine there, but in the city or on long island it would be no where near enough.
She brought lamp, microwave, fridge (each kid had their own fridge in her dorm, find out the rules before you buy one). Before moving they were in touch with her room mate to find out what she was bringing- they needed curtains, rug, and some other small things. In her college in NY they gave them a bed, desk, chair and dresser in the closet, not much room for anything else. They did have to bring their own cinder blocks though (which they got locally near the college) to put the beds up on so that there was room to store things under the bed or they would not have been able to fit their things. She ended up with a really bad room mate and had to switch 2 months into college but she is fine now with the one she has.
At the end of each year she rents a storage unit with some other kids from the college and packs up her stuff and leaves it ther for the next year so they dont have to move it back and forth every year.

 

[Nie0214]

You don't need to provide furniture for any dorm I've ever seen. He might want a desk lamp, but that's something he can buy there (or ship ahead of time). I did have a mini-fridge & a microwave (some schools might have a common room with a microwave in it), you can order one online and have it shipped to school. I definitely would make sure with his roommates if any of them are bringing a microwave, no need for 2 in one room.

I had a friend from Oregon go to school in Massachusetts. He would ship his computer and other stuff to the school before he flew in. During the summers, I let him keep some of his bigger items at my house (I lived within 60 miles of the school).

I find it best to get settled in and then figure out what you need and take a trip to a local Target.

 

[Christine]

Has anyone bought the linen package from the college?

My co-worker did. She said "Don't Do IT!" The quality was terrible. Looked good in the brochures but did not live up to the advertisement.

Since so many stores (especially Target) sell all that dorm stuff, that's where I"ll be going.

 

[jsmith]

My oldest went from Colorado to South Carolina for college and we opted to drive him out-too much stuff to fly-even when he moved home we had to ship it all home-couldnt get it in luggage-and that was before all the restrictions and charges that have come into play in the last couple of years.
We didnt have to buy any furniture other than some plastic storage bins-his roommate had a micro and fridge and they werent real snack heavy-the food in the cafeterias at clemson is excellent. He took a lamp-linens-his stereo-clothing and some reference books he thought would be useful, his computer and a few personal things.
Number two son went to the university of colorado-and at the time we lived a 30 minute drive from campus-furniture was there and he left most things at home and came to get them as he needed them.
Neither of them took a TV-the older sons roommate had one and the younger felt it would be too much distraction-he has one now but he lives in an appartment not in the dorms.

 

[DisneyBlonde]

We also used target.com and had it sent directly to DS's dorm.

 

[bumbershoot]

Pack the absolute necessities in a suitcase. A sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries etc. Everything else order from Overstock.com, Walmart.com, Amazon.com etc. and have it shipped directly to his dorm - it will be cheaper than airline baggage charges.

Good idea.



I know I brought my comforter and sheets (well, I think those were shipped), but I didn't need furniture until I moved out of campus housing entirely.

 

[rbuzzotta]

DD is going to school in Hawaii and we plan to fly out there with her. We will only pack her clothing in all of our suitcases and we plan to head to Target and buy all her essentials once we arrive in Hawaii (we plan to arrive 3 days before she can move into the dorm). Comforter, sheets, towels, toiletries, snacks etc. I am hoping to leave her pretty much stocked up for the semester so she won't need to get more. Her dorm supplies the refrigerator and small kitchette and she will have the off campus meal plan. She is hoping to find a part time job for some spending cash but I told her to save this summer as she will need to draw from it during the semester!!

 

[gm]

The idea ordering from Amazon.com is great since they have specials all the time on comforters,etc. The only problem is we have not yet received his dorm info(room,roomate,etc). I think we will receive it middle of July and hopefully a dorm checklist).

I am trying early to see what to buy and what not so as to save as much money as possible. I really do not want to purchase there since we do not know our way around Columbia U and it may be expensive in that area.

I like the idea of a spacebag to hold the comforter in the bag.

I told him do not expect to go see a broadway show every week lol.

I will try $200 the 1st few months and than see how it goes.

All your ideas are great. Keep em coming

 

[disneygirlinnj]

NYC in general is more expensive then a day at Disney. I actually look forward to paying $15 for a burger and fries when I go down there..lol. Considering his main food will be paid for for the most part, $200 might be possible. Just realize that's $50 a week. An unlimited subway monthly pass is $80 or $100 if he has to pay for his own transportation around the island. There are also a few Targets, etc in the city and the cost of shipping things from your home will probably be more expensive than paying a little extra if you go to Target in Manhattan.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

There is a Target not too far from Columbia. Take the 1 train up to 225th Street and it's right there. (Go as close to 8am as you can, right when it opens. It will get fill up around 10am almost like clockwork, particularly on the weekends. If you will have a car, this store has free parking on the roof.) The prices are comparable to other Targets across the country. There is also a Bed Bath and Beyond, but it's on 6th Ave a few blocks south of 23rd Street (IIRC). Again, they are basically priced the same nationally.

You may pay a few dollars more in NYC on those things, but you save a lot of hassle packing them and dragging them around from the airport over to Columbia. You'll either have to schlep all that stuff on the train/bus or take multiple cabs and that will cost you a lot.

 

[golfgal]

I would not buy anything at home and carry it on the airplane with all the additional baggage charges. The bag for his bedding alone is going to be at least $15, which will pay for a twin sheet set, almost, from Target. I would buy as little as possible now, get sheets, bedding and essentials (soap, shampoo, etc.) when you get there. Wait to see what he actually needs and send him some money to buy that there. I would also wait to see what the college suggests because they may provide somethings. Also, check to see if they have a storage space in the summer for out of state students. I know the college I attended had that so the kids wouldn't have to keep lugging their stuff back and forth.

 

[mamacatnv]

I bought all of DS's bedding from JC Penney and it could be shipped to the dorm.

The one thing we bought that DS really liked and used was a locking trunk, we got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $60 - fill it up and ship via UPS

Check the schools website, ours had a packing list as well as a complete list of what was provided.

Just a word of warning - the belongings will multiply and they will come home with twice what they took!

Congrats!