College shopping, Year Two

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#1

<p>Seems that with D1 who graduated college in May, each year we were still purchasing a good bit of stuff.</p>

<p>S will be going back for sophomore year next week. Seems his shopping needs are very light. Pack up his room, grab the furniture/appliances he took last year, take the bag full of replenish school supplies I've picked up the last few weeks (notebooks, folders, index cards, etc.) and make one trip to the local Meijer to go up and down the health and beauty aisles to pick up daily supplies like shaving cream and the like. Done.</p>

<p>Seems too easy! </p>

<p>How much shopping do you end up doing for your "repeat" college students - sophomore, juniors, seniors?????</p>

#2

<p>abasket, DS is doing the same here for his sophomore year. No big shopping, just packing up his clothes and whatever he brought last year plus school supplies and toiletries. He'll probably be moving himself in, too, since he's bringing his car time.</p>

#3

<p>My kids both took LESS and LESS with them each year. We did NO shopping with them after the freshman move in. NONE. By the time they were rising sophomores in college, they knew how to do their shopping, didn't want to schlep a lot of "stuff" with them on the trip back to school (including the one traveling in a car), and also knew WHERE they could get everything they needed in their college town.</p>

#4

<p>Doing more shopping here. DS1 will be sharing a furnished apt with 2 friends. We've purchased a lot of kitchenware. DS1 is a very good cook, but not sure he's going to have the time/inclination to use all the new purchases. I enjoy the shopping and he doesn't seem to mind. This year it all seems easier. Last year I was bursting into tears whenever I passed little kids, but this year it seems ok somehow.</p>

#5

<p>I'm with thumper...NO shopping for this year (soph). He knows where to shop at school so anything he needs will be purchased there. He hated packing up all the 'stuff' at the end of the year. We ended up bringing home some large quantities of industrial size packages of snacks/food, threw out the GROSS area rug, so traveling VERY light this time....some clothes, guitar, longboard and school supplies from last year and we're off!</p>

#6

<p>I need to shop for S this week. I was sorely disappointed in last year's sheets and towels. They didn't hold up well. He also needs a rug, as I doubt his roomate will be schleping one all the way from Idaho. </p>

<p>He also needs non-perishable food. The kid chose a meal plan that's the equivalent of just one meal per day. He bought some food dollars, too. But I don't see them lasting long since the Subway is in Son's dorm. :rolleyes:</p>

#7

<p>I loved having S1 2500 miles away and in a rented house by sophomore year. Like Thumper we did no shopping after the first year.</p>

<p>With S2 I am replacing just about everything as if it's freshman year all over again. At the end of last year, S2 had to fly directly to his brother's graduation and he threw a lot of stuff away when he couldn't parcel it out to friends to bring back by car (yes, we screwed up and missed the deadlines for shipping services, etc). It was always the plan to toss the cheap sheets and towels, but I'm buying pillows and out-fitting an on-campus apartment. Luckily boys do travel light and he also has no interest in participating. So I can get in and out of stores pretty quickly, just buying whatever is on sale and available.</p>

#8

<p>Ended up doing LOTS of shopping for D for sophomore year...she moved into an unfurnished apt with 2 others and had no furniture. The good news was that she stayed put in that same place for the next 3 years. No more storing stuff or dorm move-out deadlines. She was also able to sublet for her study abroad and part of a summer.</p>

<p>With S, virtually NO shopping year 2 or 3 since he opted to stay in dorm housing on campus. Year 4, he moved into a house with 3 other guys and we brought him some furniture and had to buy "stuff" for the place. </p>

<p>Two very different experiences with two very different kids!</p>