<p>So I’ve been purging all of my personal possessions in preparation for college. I’m limiting myself to one box of things I can keep-but-not-bring, which has things like my HS yearbooks and one or two keepsakes. It’ll go in the attic while I go off to college. I have very little left–only clothes (which I’ve already sorted through and brought down to the bare minimums), one or two books I’ll be getting rid of once I finish, and a few things to bring along (like my computer, hangers, and other small things). I’m going to have to buy sheets, a backpack, towels, maybe a printer and a shower caddie. I keep thinking I’m bringing too much, but when I compare what I think I need to what some to-bring lists say, I keep worrying about “what if I get caught without something?” I won’t have much spending money (whatever money I make that’s leftover after savings–I have to pay my own way through), so my ability to buy stuff while there will be limited. Am I getting rid of too much? What do I need?</p>
<p>Don’t buy a printer without checking. I’d be shocked if your university didn’t have a printer. That’ll save a lot of money.</p>
<p>I got a $30 printer from Target because of convenience and not wanting to pay for printing at school. I personally would have the hardest time sorting my stuff to one box! I hate throwing stuff away and it’d be so sad getting rid of stuffed animals I’ve had since I was a baby or my books or my rinky dink $9 flute I got from Goodwill that wont tune properly at all or any of my other junk. </p>
<p>The upside though to not having a crapton of stuff is you’ll probably have more space in your room and an easier time packing.</p>
<p>They’re that cheap?! Maybe I’ll buy one too…</p>
<p>I also have a $30 printer. Very basic hp, but it does everything I need it to.</p>
<p>People rarely need as much as they bring. You’d be surprised on how little you can make it on. You need your books, computer, school supplies, pillows/sheets/blanket, clothes, toiletries/towels, and some money. Other things could be considered ‘optional’, but suggested :)</p>
<p>
Wait…you’re keeping only ONE box of your stuff at home, and throwing the rest out? Why? What’s wrong with just keeping stuff at home, in your room for whatever you don’t bring with you? No one said going to college meant that you bring what you need and throw out the rest. You just leave the rest at home. As simple as that.</p>
<p>Some people might want to start life over by getting rid of old things.</p>
<p>I have a $40 printer, and it even scans and makes copies. Works just fine and dandy. I believe I got it at Target. It’s ridiculously convenient, though ink is expensive.</p>
<p>I was forced to throw most of my stuff out before I went to college, but I moved right after high school due to some family disputes and I no longer have a home bedroom anywhere or anywhere to keep my stuff.</p>
<p>Printers are very cheap. Ink and toner are NOT.</p>
<p>Many printer companies price printers below cost because they expect revenues from ink sales to make up for it. That’s why there are hundreds of different ink cartridges. They continually change the cartridges to fit different (newer) printers so people are forced to buy new cartridges.</p>
<p>Also, those “what to bring to school” lists are largely designed by stores (like Target, etc) to get you to buy too much stuff.</p>
<p>^That’s exactly right about printers. The free printer that I got with my Mac for college is a cheap quality printer, but the ink is expensive and difficult to replace. By contrast, the other printer I have (that I got before getting the free one with my Mac) is quite a bit more expensive for the printer, but cheaper for ink. I think it was around $100 or more at Target, but the ink is only $10 for black ink and $20 for color at Target, but they last long, so it gets to be really cheap per page. My old printer (and probably similar for this new one that I got free with my Mac) are cheap printers, but expensive ink, and expensive per page to print. My old one cost something like 7 cents per page, whereas this new one (that was more expensive to begin with) is only 3 cents per page. Out of a $10 black cartridge, I get about 300 pages. I kept track for a while how many pages I got out of it.</p>
<p>@iluvpiano
College is…like a redefinition of me. I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time so I can figure out who I am beyond my parents’ daughter. I don’t want to have too many ties at home so that there won’t be reasons to hold myself back. I want to start over. I don’t want to be defined by my years of pleasing my parents.</p>
<p>
A $100 printer isn’t cheap quality.</p>
<p>I understand what you mean. I have a ton of old possessions in my room that I would love to, and probably will get rid of in the near future. It really doesn’t define who I am very well anymore. I would say to get rid of whatever you want. If you don’t want/need/use it anymore and can afford to replace whatever you do need, why keep it?</p>
<p>^The good printer I have we paid about $100 for it. I guess the free printer I got with my Mac also sells for $100, but that does happen to be bad quality (and expensive ink). Plus, the ink cartridges are difficult to replace…the one I have that’s good has ink that’s easy to replace in there. I had this one old one too where it made such a mess when you’d replace the ink. With the good one I have now, you can hold the old ink cartridge over carpet in the room and not worry about it dripping, whereas one old one I had you’d get ink all over your hands (my dad did the replacing on that one, not me!).</p>
<p>I have the same printer and have had no such problems. Sucks for you.</p>
<p>bumping up
Need advice outside of printers :)</p>
<p>You have to tell us what exactly you got rid of.</p>
<p>I think it’d be easier to say what I have left…
Here’s what I’ve got:
abt 20 T-shirts
8 long sleeved shirts
4 pairs of jeans
2-3 sweatshirts
1 set of dressy clothes
laptop
graphics tablet
Bible
hangers
book light
toiletry bag
backpack and purse
glasses
small jewelry box
a few books I’m planning on getting rid of once I finish them
…and that’s about it. Really. I don’t have much left.</p>
<p>I don’t see pajamas?</p>
<p>OP- what you are doing about your things at home does seem radical.<br>
Printers: YES, cheap printer, expensive ink. You can look up how many pages any particular printer cartridge is expected to cover. But, that can be a hassle. You can print in "draft"mode, which uses less ink. You can rely on the college printers for final versions of longer papers. You can basically reserve the cheapo for late nights when you can’t get to wherever the college printers are. </p>
<p>You can also look into cartridge refill kits- don’t now if the current versions block from this, but it’s super easy and cheap. You can also ensure friends don’t blow your ink supply. You can rely on b/w and skip color cartridges. WalMart also sells for $30. My dau, who lived in the furthest dorm fom the college printers never even unpacked hers.</p>
<p>ps. desk lamp, photos, plastic cup and/or maybe mug. Tissues. List sounds good. You’ll need detergent.</p>
<p>Also- buying a more expensive printer does not entirely resolve the expensive ink issue.</p>
<p>Hauteclere- sorry, forgot to put that on the list. Didn’t get rid of those. :)</p>