My daughter brought 40 pairs of shoes to school. My husband was aghast and told her over and over and over they wouldn’t fit and that we’d have to haul most of them home ( never mind being aghast that she OWNS 40 pairs but that’s another discussion)
When we got to her dorm it turned out their were these weird drawers in her closet that were too shallow for anything but guess what? Yep. Shoes. All 40 pair fit perfectly. Hubby was abashed
@EllieMom, Halloween?
@maya54 but did she wear all 40 pairs of shoes? Hope so!!
I didn’t have 40 pairs of shoes…that makes me feel better. My kids who were far far away put their stuff in a store and lock over the summer between freshman and sophomore year. Small college, small town…storage lockers were at a premium, so if your kids need a storage locker for summers make sure they get signed up to rent one EARLY…don’t wait until the last minute. If they are moving off campus after freshman year it’s not a big deal as the leases in many places are year long so the “stuff” can stay in the apartment.
And yes, fridges, TVs, futons and all sorts of useful stuff that is many times hardly worn or used and lots of time “new” for a freshman can be grabbed at the spring move-out and commencement so for kids moving from the dorm to an apartment the small change for a small storage locker might be worth it to stash “things” for the sophomore apartment so they aren’t purchasing “new” or close to a goodwill or thrift shop.
D1 everything but the sink, D2 exact opposite. D1 filled a big tub with shoes and boots, 2nd tub with winter coats, jackets, hats , gloves, mittens, scarves, bed and desk were stacked high with stuff. And this was after she laid it all out in the living room and only took half. Roomie’s parents brought a love seat, 2 wire shelving units, tv, fridge, microwave. Roomie’s engineer dad measured the room, built-ins, and designed an arrangement to get everything in their room. Actually looked pretty good!
D2 is a minimalist. She has no interest in shopping for dorm stuff because she already went and purchased towels and a comforter. Actually her sister and I purchased the comforter because the one on her bed needs to stay home. But in her mind, she’s done. She will take what she owns and some of D2’s stuff. Leggings, tshirts, sweatshirts are enough. She asked quizzically: why should I buy new stuff when I already have the same stuff? Cheap child: gotta love her.
My D was absolutely embarrassing with her stuff. As a freshman, she was in a suite that needed living room furniture. Because I had leftover stuff in the family room that I donated to the cause, we had to fill the entire back seat of a Toyota Tundra with all the shoes, etc then the entire bed of the Tundra truck up above the back window AND then rent a U Haul 10’ trailer for the couches, rugs, wall hangings, art and large stuff. We looked ridiculous pulling up to a college dorm parking lot. In fact, I didn’t even bother to try to pull into the parking lot because I wasn’t an expert on driving a big trailer behind the truck.
Lots of rearranging to get all this stuff into their suite, but it all fit! Needless to say their suite won ‘best decorated’. It was a total disaster at the end of the year when I told her she was on her own to try to get the stuff to a local storage unit for the summer.
But, the worst was going overseas to study abroad. This girl took SIX pieces of luggage. This includes camera cases over the shoulder, backpack and a stupid jewelry case which she insisted on ‘carrying’ onto the plane. I traveled with her (for fun, took a 10 day trip with her) and we arrived a couple of days early and got a chance to go into the university dorms and ‘pick her room’ with the staff. One look at the sorry state of clothes storage and we knew she was in trouble. The hanging closet was literally less than 2 ft wide. So… Mom and D had to schlep to the closest thing we could find to a Target in southern France and buy a hanging rod thing on wheels and lots of plastic tubs to fit under her bed. Whoever got that room after D moved out inherited a lot of organizer stuff.
I thought my D brought a lot of stuff and then we met her roommate. We had to stack the beds into bunkbeds to make room for all of the boxes this girl brought. The next year, my daughter became an RA so she only had her own stuff to walk around. When our son went off, he took a half dozen pairs each of socks, underwear and black t-shirts, 2 pairs of black EMT pants, a jacket, a pair of sneakers, a pair of boots, a suit, dress shirt and a bow tie and some toiletries. His first semester and my daughter’s last one overlapped, so when she moved home to student teach, she left everything she had in his room and there was still room left in his closet.
We were in a German airport once and saw an extra wide door labeled “Spurgpakken” (sp?) if I pack too much, DH accuses me of spurgepacking. It sounds like some kids need to learn this word.
I had one of each, one minimalist, one who needed a moving truck. Year two the minimalist had even less stuff (all fit in a 3 rubbermaid tubs over the summer for storage), and the hoarder was down to just a few duffels (and she is in a cold climate so does need coats and boots and sweaters that the other doesn’t).
The move out first year for the hoarder was awful because she packed herself. Like a 5 year old packing. She not only has a million things, she has no concept of folding and tossing stuff that she didn’t need in the first place. We barely had room but we squeezed and pushed and shoved it all into an SUV. Second year? Just a honda accord trunk and half the back seat as Nana rode along too.
D1 went to a University with VERY large suites. This was a very bad thing since it meant accumulating endless amounts of stuff in addition to the usual stuff students need for a dorm - bakeware, cast iron cooking pans, a mountain of board games, an electronic cupcake maker, a SEWING MACHINE…Need I go on…
@maya54 omg, someone with even more shoes than D! She originally planned on bringing 30 pair, though most are some form of sandals. She did decide not to bring her heavy boots since Nashville is going to remain at the high 80’s and 90’s for quite some time still. But the idea of living in warm weather with no constant rain is too appealing to leave that many shoes behind. They fit nicely in a “Tote a Ton” bag as seen here on CC with plenty of room leftover, and at last check, weighed only 25 lbs total. Where they will go in her room is another story.
I’m rather glad that we are flying DS across the country to drop him off. If it doesn’t fit in a suitcase, it doesn’t go. We have space bags so he can vacuum pack some clothing but we will each only have one suitcase (so really, he gets three suitcases to use since we will use carry-ons for our clothing.)
He’s having some larger items - like the bed topper and pillows - held at the local bed bath and beyond store. We aren’t bringing any storage totes or cleaning supplies. He can get those at the local target store. He’s pretty much a minimalist.
I think we’re going to rent the mini fridge and microwave for the first year. His roommate seems reluctant to lay out the cash and our kid has a full ride so I figure it can be our contribution. They do have summer storage - there are apparently a couple of companies that come in campus and pick stuff up for summer storage. No way is he shlepping bedding home for the summer.
We are flying out for parents weekend the following month and will bring the winter gear with us (boots, heavy coats.)
@Ynotgo, I think you mean “Sperrgepäck”, which means “bulky or oversize luggage”.
D took a lot more than I thought she should, but it fit in the wagon so I let her do what she wanted. Gradually she brought things home over breaks and such, and she says she’ll definitely bring less this year.
She was totally packed when I arrived to pick her up, it was awesome. All I did was send her 3 Ikea zipper bags to use.
I told my son everything he brings to college has to fit in the trunk of his Nissan Sentra with the exception of his TV. He thought I would be using my Suburban to move him in but I told him and his mother that would be a no go. This year he will be in a furnished apartment and I told him he can now use his trunk and back seat. I have seen too many kids bring everything they own. My brother had to rent a U-Haul to move in his daughter. I told him she would not have enough room for all the crap she wanted to take but he did not listen. He ended up bringing half of that crap back home. Some folks have to learn the hard way.
I know I said this recently in another thread about college packing - and I’ll say it again here…
What is the harm in bringing “a lot”?? Their college residence is their home for 8 or 9 months with some side trips home. Do you “need” 40 pairs of shoes? Probably not. But I will trust that D2 uses all the 15 pair she brings. Decorations for the walls, cute pillow, a futon for lounging on or doing some light homework - sure! I mean, don’t send me off someplace and tell me I need to live out of a suitcase or two for months!
I may be in the minority. But I’m all for the comforts of home within reason. And that to me, means more than necessary clothing items, toothbrush, sheets and computer.
My daughter flew out to NJ so that she and boyfriend can drive down to college together. Daughter has two duffels with her, the rest (not much) is in the house she’s living in this year as she’s been paying rent on it all summer.
BF’s parents are also driving down with their other son who will be a freshman, with a TRUCK full of stuff. I can’t imagine what he needs as he’ll be living in a dorm that is furnished. Clothes? He’s an athlete and they’ll give him almost everything he needs. Bed? Desk? Nope, all included. I really can’t think of what they are going to take.
After sophomore year, I had the same rule someone else mentioned. It has to fit in YOUR car. It worked for my son, and he still brought home some things he never used. After junior year, he brought 2 friends with him. They were basically covered in bags of his clothes, but they all had seat belts and he could see out the back window.
When he left college for good, he could fit everything but the office chair he purchased along the way. He also lost his small fridge along the way, which I was unhappy about.
Again, I understand different opinions, methods and rules. What I’m trying to understand is why it is such a sticking point as to how much stuff kids bring. If it’s their stuff and they want it near them for everyday living (and their roommate/s agree) - what’s the harm in bringing a little more? Is it just because you don’t want to make the extra trips up the dorm stairs? I really am trying to understand. $$$ costs I understand if you don’t have or want to spend $$ on frills.
I think bringing a lot is fine. It is only a problem if one roommate brings so much that it overflows into the other person’s space. It’s also a little more difficult to keep your side of the room clean if you have so much stuff that it doesn’t all have a place it belongs or can be put away. Every kid is different. My Ss like less. My D likes more.