I’m trying to decide what to put in D’s last care package for this year and I’m looking for ideas. I picked up her favorite powdered donuts (she is always watching her weight so that’s a big treat for her), a cute pair of PJs, and an adult coloring book. She called last night and was so excited to tell me that they have five days off to study before the finals begin and so she’ll have some down-time. What, if anything, are you sending?
I took the easy way out and sent a box of nuts and a snack pack from Amazon. I was going to pack my own, but just didn’t want to pay the $20 for postage, plus I was a little late as her last day of classes was yesterday and her finals start Monday. She has her last game tomorrow so if the package gets there today she’ll have snacks for the bus.
My daughter’s mail takes forever to get there if I send it to the school, so I’ve been sending everything to her boyfriend’s address all year. That cuts off 2-3 days from the school delivery.
I usually do tea, hot chocolate, his favorite power bars and some chocolate.
I sent one to my son that included power bars, pop-tarts, beef jerky, nuts, chocolate chip cookies, microwave mac&cheese, goldfish and swedish fish.
Parmesan cheese goldfish, some cherry dark chocolate granola bars, sweet potato chips, Reese’s snack mix. I can send a regional priority medium box for under $10 and she gets it the next day. She was really surprised and delighted with her package the other day.
Every semester I send homemade cookies before finals.
I didn’t send one for 1st semester, but since we’re going down the weekend before finals to move his stuff back home (leaving him for finals week with whatever he can take on a plane) I’ll probably take some homemade treats, soda, snacks for his suite. We’ll be moving the fridge & microwave out, so nothing that needs heating or refrigeration. I always wanted to be one of those moms who comes up with great care packages, but frankly, I’m really bad at it. 
Oh I always ship care packages in flate rate boxes and they get from PA to LA in 2 days.
I just sent the last one a few days ago. A big birthday cake to share with the roomates.
Birthday, finals, and graduation all within a few weeks. No more undergraduates to shower with goodies 
Is it OK to send care packages to grad students? - lol.
@dolphinlvr6 Last time I sent a flat rate box from New England to the Rockies it took 6 days!! X(
I always do homemade, homebaked stuff.
Yes to grad students, @LVKris! They’re still our babies.
You’ve got me nostalgic. Always sent a generous box of home-made baked goods to share, travel size shower gel or body lotion, nuts and an upbeat note to DD. Very much appreciated.
Yep, that’s what is supposed to happen, but it doesn’t. She’s in a smaller town so that adds 1 day to the priority mail package. Once I sent a priority mail package and it took 5 day. No explanation, just delivered on the 5th day. Anything that goes to the school goes into some ‘mail hell’ and it takes them 1-2 days to send her a notice that she needs to pick up a package. All in it can add 2-3 days onto anything I send. Last year I had popcorn tins shipped to 4 kids at different colleges. Monday was a holiday but the kids in Wyoming (dorm) and California (apartment) got them on Monday, kid in Colorado (dorm) on Tuesday, and my little Florida kid got hers on Friday and had to walk across campus to the central mail room to get it and haul it about a mile to her dorm. All packages were mailed from Illinois. I’ve learned just to send stuff to her boyfriend’s apartment, and that only takes 1 extra day (except when it takes 5). I sent some documents to a FA officer at her school and it came back to me about a month later as ‘undeliverable.’ Person’s name, department, right address on it. Mail hell.
But she got one package today and called. “Did you send me peanuts? Why? I couldn’t figure out who they were from? Why did you send them?” (the second package they wouldn’t leave so she has to pick it up at Fed Ex) There is no easy way to get stuff to them, and for $13-20 for a priority mail box, I’ll let Amazon do the shipping.
@twoinanddone For me, it took USPS the whole 6 days (and of course they don’t guarantee!). Kid’s college mailroom is actually on top of things and gets them to the child by the afternoon of the day they sign for it. $18 and 6 days. No wonder USPS has issues. Homebaked things are stale by then.
I also can’t get homebaked items there in an edible manner. Last year during finals I sent some baskets from Popcorn Factory to D’s suitemates - she had surgery and the girls helped her out a lot, so I wanted to give them something enjoyable during finals. I save the homebaked items for when I’m going in person or when she will be home.
I just sent a care package to my daughter from iHerb.com containing a bag of almonds, a bag of macadamia nuts, a gourmet chocolate bar, a box of Kind bars and a box of Yogi stress relief tea. IHerb has free shipping for orders of $20 or more. I placed the order on Tuesday and it will arrive across the country via UPS tomorrow, Friday.
I have never sent a care package. My kids have asked me every once in a while for a massage to unwind.
My kids also never felt they had enough time during their study period. They were usually very stressed during that period. D2 is in her final semester, but I could still feel the intensity building up.
Nothing like spending $35-$40 to overnight homemade cookies that probably cost $10 bucks to make. But less face it, those cookies are priceless sometimes. 
@oldfort My experience has been that the stress ramps up as the classes get more demanding. Mine thinks back wistfully upon those more carefree days of freshman year.
S’s school Parent’s Association puts different care packages together and parents can purchase one of the packages. they sent us blank cards with envelopes. We wrote a note, sealed it, sent it in the envelope with the check. School will deliver the package with our sealed note to student in their dorm. It was great, and so easy! They also include silly toys with the snacks and goodies.
@bordertexan that’s what I was looking for but no luck. And most of the care packages online are filled with nuts and chips which D cannot eat (braces). I so wish I could bake lol, the cookies sound delicious. Ok, so I think I’ll add some goldfish and hit a bakery for a whoopie pie (huh, just came to me, must have needed coffee, whoopie pies are her favorite). Thanks for idea about the flat rate box too! Every time I send something, it seems to cost more than the contents.