<p>I started making a list of what DD will need for her dorm. Haven’t started buying stuff yet but just trying to think ahead and plan. Dd and DH think it’s too early and That I’m crazy. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Free advice…if your DD (the college student) thinks its too early…then wait. Let her enjoy the rest of her senior year in high school.</p>
<p>Plus, maybe your daughter would like to make this list. Let her do that. SHE is going to college, not you. </p>
<p>Here is the advice my son gave to others. put EVERYTHING you think you NEED in one room. Then take half of it. You still won’t use most of what you take.</p>
<p>And lastly (I’ve posted this on every thread about this topic since I joined this forum). When it WAS time for things to be purchased, the first shopping place was the linen closet in our house. Kids took old towels (if anyone was going to get new ones, it was going to be ME), the comforters from their beds (so what if they were 6 inches too short), lamps, computers, pictures from their rooms, etc. we bought VERY little that was new.</p>
<p>Plus, when graduation time came, the kids both got money, gift cards to BBB and Target, and dorm things as gifts. </p>
<p>And in the case of DD, she and her roommate coordinated common use items (fridge, microwave, area rug, etc).</p>
<p>I agree with Thumper on all counts. But it is so exciting to plan for all of this, isn’t it?
One suggestion I have is to find out what dorm already provides. Many already have a micro- fridge combo in them and prohibit extra appliances as this appliance runs “green.”</p>
<p>I completely agree with Thumper. Let her wait until SHE is ready and then let her do it herself. At the end of the day, dorm supplies are not that important and it is a good opportunity as your child transitions to independence. Don’t make her senior year more stressful than it needs to be because you are (naturally) starting to feel separation anxiety.</p>
<p>It is too early. Think about this during the summer.
But for now, You can find various check lists if you search.
It is so exciting to look for stuff!
College Dorm stuff is usually in stores (Bed Bath and Beyond) in the summer.
But you can also tell your daughter to keep and eye out for a sheet set or a few cute accessories during the year.
Like someone said, often HS grads get gift cards for graduation presents…would be good to use those toward her school stuff.</p>
<p>Make this time about her Senior year… Prom? spring break? stuff like that.
Do your plotting in the back ground. Or maybe look for ideas for dorm rooms now and have them at the ready.</p>
<p>She hasn’t even seen the list, I just mentioned I started one. She will be in a suite style dorm so there is quite a bit to purchase. This is actually a slower time for us. Spring will be hectic with water polo season, prom and graduation. She has several trips this summer as well so we won’t have days and days to think about this stuff. I detest crowds when shopping g and do t want to be fighting all the other parents at check in time to go to Target because we forget to egg trash cans. That was my rational I. Thinking ahead. Trust me ages very particular about she likes and will be picking out all her own bedding etc. But she’s 17 and not going to think about how many trash cans do I need.</p>
<p>Thank you for advice and I will try to keep my list making on the down low and let her focus on being a senior as much as possible!</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s too early… I’ve had my spreadsheet done for a good while now. Luckily I have a boy, and he would be happy to go with a toothbrush and a change of underwear, lol, but there are at least a few additional things he’ll need. </p>
<p>My main reason for starting so early isn’t about separation anxiety or anything else like that – it is purely financial. I’m a single mom, budget is stretched paper-thin as it is, and I will need every bit of the 7 months before he heads to college to spread out purchasing the things he will need. I’ve picked up a few things as they’ve gone on major sale – towels, a locking trunk, sheets – and that’s my plan between now and August. </p>
<p>He’s a typical almost-18yr old guy and really couldn’t care less… I asked him what color he’d like his sheets to be, and you’d have thought I asked him what color he wanted his nails painted, lol. So he’s happy to not be bothered with details. I’m just trying to afford the necessities and not all at once. :-)</p>
<p>Crazy…my son would have been like yours…fine with ANYTHING. My daughter…nope. She had definite opinions about what she wanted…and expressed them when she felt like it.</p>
<p>To the OP…the supplies of “dorm things” really is very minimal in most stores now…and because of that there is no competition and you won’t be able to shop for the best prices. Come May or June, and really throughout the summer, you will see SCADS (and I mean this) of college supplies and sales for such. To be honest, I think you will save money by waiting.</p>
<p>Here is a suggestion…get a jar, piggy bank or open a dedicated bank account. Every week put a little bit of money in that account for college “stuff”. That will spread out your financial output. Then when the sales begin on this stuff, you will have a little nest egg to take with you when shopping with your kiddo.</p>
<p>It doesn’t take a LONG time to,shop for dorm stuff. My daughter and I did it in less than an hour…start to finish. I don’t recall shopping at all with my son.</p>
<p>Of course this was after they shopped in the linen closet…for free.</p>
<p>My D got almost all the stuff for her dorm with gift cards and checks she got for graduation. I didn’t buy most of it. I might have picked up a few essentials (like the flashlight she didn’t want to take), but she picked up the rest or got stuff as gifts.</p>
<p>I happened to win a basket raffle last summer which was actually a college dorm room starter kit- in a crate instead of a basket. I was surprised how much was in there- command hooks, towels, a desk lamp- my S actually won’t need much.</p>
<p>For us it wasn’t too early at all - D started Christmas of Senior year. She made a wish list at Target of certain items she KNEW she would need - sheets, blanket, comforter, towels, desk lamp and a few other things. Anyone who asked what she wanted for Christmas - we sent them the wish list. Relatives had easy presents and were pleased to be able to help her out with her dorm, and the whole burden didn’t fall on us. It was a win-win for us. Other items that we wouldn’t be sure if she would need until we knew more - we held off on. D was excited to do it this way - but we also knew spring would be busy (senior class trip, accepted student days, prom et al), she had bought her prom gown on clearance in the fall, so that shopping was done, and she lives/works at camp most of the summer giving limited time to shop then. If your D isn’t ready, start your lists but keep them private.</p>
<p>We waited until after graduation.
But important item was
- rolling duffels (29" on ebags, $35 each) for the flight</p>
<p>“put EVERYTHING you think you NEED in one room. Then take half of it. You still won’t use most of what you take.”
We totally did not believe this…but it ended up being true (even for a girl) for year 2</p>
<p>OP - You really do need to find out what will be in the dorm room. For example, you mention trash cans but in both of my daughters’ dorms (two different colleges), trash cans are provided. </p>
<p>As others have said, your kids are going to want to take way more than they need or have space for. Even my oldest daughter, a senior, still takes too much with her. She brought some of it home during winter break but it looked like she took even more back with her :(.</p>
<p>YoHo. I’ll let my son know he was right! </p>
<p>The first move we did was with a fully crammed loaded van FULL of stuff. Of course we had to schlep it all back home on the spring. </p>
<p>Sophomore year, we moved the kid back in a Volvo sedan. Almost everything fit in the trunk.</p>
<p>Less is more when you live in a dorm room.</p>
<p>The one thing most kids don’t bring that they really should is a decent first aid kid including a thermometer and frequently used medications (not just the prescription ones they know they need). They also need a solid lesson in what illnesses are serious and warrant a trip to the health center (or even an ER) vs. the common cold. I got a 5:30 am call from my son this week because he wasn’t feeling well. It did warrant a trip to the health center that day, though perhaps an 8 am call would have been ok. I really don’t mind still being needed by my sophomore (but not every day at 5 am).</p>
<p>One thing to think about. My kid went to college 400 miles away from our house. Our local Target had a huge Dorm section (starting in the summer I think), but the Target near his school had the same Dorm section but EVERYTHING was in his school colors (trash cans, notebooks, note cards, bins, etc…). It was the same at Costco. Because he is my third, and I knew I didn’t want to go to Target on move-in day, we built in 2 days on our way to a family vacation, a few weeks before school started, and did our shopping then. Luckily my aunt lived nearby and we were able to store our stuff in her garage. One thing that works for us for move-in, move-out and storage over the summer is a supply of plastic totes.</p>
<p>Actually I think a good thing to do when you get to the college is to take them to the health center so they are familiar with it.</p>
<p>I suggest buying ahead, a little at a time, first aid stuff, over the counter medications, thermometer, personal hygiene supplies, etc. When you only add one or two extras to your shopping list, it seems less painful than buying it all at once.</p>
<p>We bought extra packs of undies (even though my D didn’t think it necessary) and now she thanks me for them since it gives an extra cushion when laundry doesn’t get done in a timely manner.</p>
<p>Bopper–great suggestion about pointing out the health center.</p>
<p>Like others said, buy less. When I helped D1 move out of her dorm sophomore year, it was sobering how much stuff she was donating because she didn’t really need it and didn’t want to be bothered with storing it prior to going abroad. </p>
<p>Save receipts for whatever you buy, and don’t unwrap anything until it’s going to be used. That way, when you arrive at the dorm and realize there’s no room for the extra set of storage drawers or the bedside light, you can take it back for a refund. </p>
<p>Yes to first aid kit. D2 put together an incredibly comprehensive one for D1. Helped her, helped her dormmates who weren’t as well prepared.</p>
<p>Ask on the forum for your child’s school what folks found helpful for move-in. D1 goes to school in the northeast. The dorms aren’t air-conditioned, but move-in day can be broiling hot. Every parent suggested bringing a window fan, and setting that up first. That sort of specific hint can be a lifesaver.</p>
<p>Fresh packs of underwear make a very welcome care package right before midterms and finals. :)</p>