ideas for college care packages?

[Grumpy's Gal]

CVS has revlon nail polish on sale this week -- 3.99 but you get 3.00 extra care bucks back so 99 cents. New nail polish is always good.

 

[gasman61]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I spoke to our local postal company, and if I can keep the weight to under a pound then the shipping is $5. I should have in the $10-$15 range to fill the boxes.

I am definitely going to do some of the office supply items, and I also like the Tylenol/cough drops idea. Any suggestions on where to get the tylenol cheap?

I am also thinking about the exam week ideas from the other link.. stress balls, which are probably cheapest on orientaltrading. Discount halloween candy is another definite. Oh, and having the church ladies bake cookies.. great idea!

I am considering getting the ear warmer/head bands to include.. figure college kids could always use those. Any suggestions where to get those for like $3 each at the most?

Keep up the suggestions! You guys are wonderful!

Karen

 

[disney1990]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I spoke to our local postal company, and if I can keep the weight to under a pound then the shipping is $5. I should have in the $10-$15 range to fill the boxes.

I am definitely going to do some of the office supply items, and I also like the Tylenol/cough drops idea. Any suggestions on where to get the tylenol cheap?

I am also thinking about the exam week ideas from the other link.. stress balls, which are probably cheapest on orientaltrading. Discount halloween candy is another definite. Oh, and having the church ladies bake cookies.. great idea!

I am considering getting the ear warmer/head bands to include.. figure college kids could always use those. Any suggestions where to get those for like $3 each at the most?

Keep up the suggestions! You guys are wonderful!

Karen

Try the $1.00 section of Target or Walmart for cheap Tylenol, band aids, etc.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Bumping up these great care package threads for some ideas for those of us sending our kids off to college this week.

 

[MrsPete]

Her requests were always baked goods and chocolate. I can't tell you how much of the "crap" from the care packages I hauled home at the end of the school year! This year she's only getting edibles.

I believe it. I don't remember using (or wanting) a whole lot of office supplies during college, and space in dorms is limited.

The one office supply I always needed: Ribbons for my electric typewriter. Of course, the today-equivalent is printer ink. Here at home I always keep one unopened ink package, and it'd certainly be a good idea for a college student to do the same.

I still remember waking up with a sore throat and remembering that I had those Halls cough drops and Tylenol.

When I was in college we had a thing called the "Self Care Cold Clinic", where we could walk in and get over-the-counter medicines for free. We always had a good supply in the room.

 

[i*heart*minniemouse]

coloring book and crayons...because you just need to give your brain a break!

 

[MrsPete]

coloring book and crayons...because you just need to give your brain a break!

Teenaged girls are very into coloring lately -- just something to do with their hands while they're sitting around talking. Several of my daughter's friends have torn pages out of coloring books, signed their name to their artwork, and given it to her as a small gift -- she has them up on her bulletin board. It's just a silly little thing.

 

[bpesch]

$10-$15 which includes shipping is not going to get you much. The cost of postage right now is seriously high!

 

[sharonmickey]

I adapted this

http://www.budget101.com/recipes/sk18.htm

to send to DD and her BFF

 

[Sandy61]

Instead of stress balls my son was given a small tub of play doh in a care package. Some of those tubs are tiny and lightweight. The kids can use it as a stress ball kind of thing or make something with it. My son and his roommate made trolls. And then let them dry out to keep them.

 

[MrsPete]

$10-$15 which includes shipping is not going to get you much. The cost of postage right now is seriously high!

Two ways to save:

1. Solicit donations from the Sunday School classes. Ask for home baked (or just purchased) goodies. If you don't have to pay for them, you'll have cash left for other things. With this many college students, I assume you'd have a fairly large church, so hopefully you'd get lots of donations.

2. Instead of mailing the boxes, prepare them the week of Thanksgiving. Dorms usually close for the Thanksgiving holidays, so students have to come home. Ask the kids to pick their care package at church before they head back to school. The weeks between Thanksgiving and exams are short and stressful, so this is a good time to remind the students that people at home are thinking of them.

And a non-financial idea: Since this is to be from your church, why not ask the kids' Sunday School classes to write out inspirational Bible verses for them / decorate them? It'd be a nice thing for the kids to receive just before exams.

 

[cruisnfamily]

bumping for clh2

 

[clh2]

bumping for clh2

thanks