Well I’m a planner and also like to get things on sale so when I see things for a good price I get them ahead of time. I got my D one of those mini blenders to make smoothies for her grad gift around Xmas time because they were on sale. Then she mentioned a few months ago that she might want to get one for college and was surprised when I handed it to her (a bit before graduation).
I have bought mattress pad, plain white comforter and towels and she picked out the sheet sets and matching duvet. She is picking the clothes and shoes she is bringing. She got a desk lamp and duffle bag she wanted.
She is really organized and makes lists when she packs for a trip so she will do the same for moving in I’m sure.
My job is to remember things that might not be obvious. If we forget something we can mail it or bring it on a visit or buy it there.
I’ve also been picking up useful items here and there like small bottle of dish soap, handsoap, dish cloth and towel, some plastic plates and bowls, small food storage containers, laundry bag, delicates bag, laundry pods, color catching cloths, hangers, garbage can liners.
She will of course pick the beauty accessories and toiletries she wants to bring.
some of the room items that will be used by both girls that we are buying or providing the futon, the large rug, surge protectors, food and snacks, floor lamp, fans, full length mirror, wall clock, and small things for the room that aren’t necessary but help with storage and organization.
My D has spent so much time planning and buying and preparing for her dorm room that she could run her own service in the future.
But when my S goes to college, I can already predict that I will have to do 100% of the planning or otherwise he will literally leave for college with a suitcase containing two hoodies and one extra pair of shoes…and he would have to borrow sheets from his roommate.
My kids shared things (and tried to coordinate who brought what) with roommates such as rugs, floor lamps, fans, mini-fridge, tv, one kid shared a printer with roommates. When my S was in a suite with a kitchen and bathroom his suitemates coordinated things like cooking supplies/plates/silverware/microwave/bathmat/cleaning supplies as well. My D and her freshman roommate even coordinated the color of their bedspreads!
I found it best to shop with my kids as they both have opinions. But if your D is happy with what you get and you are saving money by hitting the sales that is fine. Do whatever works for your situation and don’t think twice about it.
I asked DS what color Keurig he wanted (he has a gift card and certain colors are on sale). He said, “seeing as how I don’t even care what color comforter I have do you suppose I care what color my coffee maker is?” (he does actually want the Keurig, though) I messaged him two options and he came back where I was and flipped a coin. Emerald it is - he liked them equally well.
I did try telling my daughter that we needed to get the stuff bought so we didn’t have so… much in the last few weeks. Girls need a lot more stuff than boys. Also storage and organization for all the personal products/hygine some medical supplies etc. had to be bought with the consideration of how small the rooms are. Not just everything is going to fit. Since, my daughter wanted a futon I did not pay for it but dd found one on clearance at Shopko. when she was not cooperating and all her free time was doing something else, I actually took the stuff I had bpught her and put in in my room and told her If she couldn’t give me time to do some of this, buying and payig for everything was up to her. As you can see I am a planner and organizer. My daughter is the opposite. Then she had to have her tonsils out, unplanned, so was recovering for about 10 days, so when she was feeling I little better she did some of the stuff.
In addition to the buying and packing stuff there is a lot of papers and forms that can be filled out in advance. Like the health care form and the form that her dr. has to fill out to transfer her prescriptions to the student health center. I also need her to fill out and sign the release of authorization for medical info. Copies of Dr.s) dentist, insurances and perscriptions, I would like done sooner than later.
Not only prescriptions and forms, but it’s a good idea to bag up a few over the counter medications and a thermometer for the eventual cold or flu. You are going to get a classic teen eye roll when you include this stuff and they will not appreciate it until they are lying in bed far away from home with the malady dujour.
^^^^ definitely!!!
ibuprofen
excedrine migraine
benedryl
non-drowsy allergy like Claritin etc
immodium (MUST HAVE - cause when you need it you can’t go get it)
chewable Pepto
Dayquil or equivalent
etc . . .
losenges
I guess I need to add a thermometer to my list. Kid #1 never ran a temp so it would have been useless but kid #2 will spike a temp if you look at him wrong. It’s a good way for him to tell migraine vs actually sick
They Keurig, mattress pad and the last smattering of school supplies have been ordered! Target has the mini on sale and I also found a mattress pad with an organic cotton breathable top on sale. Only $8 out of pocket after the kid’s gift card.
Ikea started shipping since kid #1 went away. Luckily the Ikea was across the street from the airport but there isn’t one at kid #2’s destination. Ours is pretty close as the crow flies but impossible with traffic so I did a shipment to my house from there. They have 100% cotton twin XL sheets and they had navy on sale for $9.99 a set with the “family discount”. I really don’t like micro-fiber sheets and it has gotten hard to find anything else that isn’t upwards of $40 a set. I also got a great clip lamp for the kid who doesn’t work at a desk and those closet hanging shelves that I liked with kid #1 (also on special).
If I hadn’t done the planning/shopping/packing for my then 17-year old freshman, he would have arrived on campus with nothing more than his laptop and phone.
And he’d probably have been OK with that.
Which is why moms exist.
BTW, when my daughter went off to college, she planned/shopped/packed for two. So I guess it all evens out.
My d does not want anything new for college other than a bike. She’s happy taking old sheets and towels, yeah, no, just no. I love to shop D hates to shop. We have a year before she leaves for college so I plan to give her B’day and Christmas presents that are geared for college use. I’m seeing first aid kit, flash light and small umbrella as stocking stuffers, an electric tea pot, new bath robe and mattress topper and pillow as Christmas presents and a weather alert/alarm clock, a new bike and bike rack and for her car as b-day presents. Solves the problem of the kid that never wants anything for Birthday or Christmas gifts;-)
S just rendered a considered opinion that he does not want to start out with a bike right out of the gate. He wants to wait to see if he will really want it. I guess that’s one less thing to think about.
As soon as graduation was over I started filling our “staging area " ( aka the old playroom) with bins for college stuff. There’s a bin for all the university logo-ed stuff( sweatshirts t shirts etc…) , a " bed” bin ( sheets comforter decorative pillows) a bath bin ( shower-shoes towels shower caddy) a dress up bin ( all the stuff for theme parties…hula skirt, cowboy hat, etc…). There are many more. The first aid kit is there and when I buy something on sale it goes right in. The closet in that room was emptied and we hang clothes on the bought- for- college hangers as she thinks of something she definitely will bring
Just a heads up- I thought the bigger “lesson” ( and cost) on life management was moving off campus. The kids were surprised at the amount of stuff needed to run a kitchen- even just the basics- what to eat with/on ( plates, silverware, glassware) what to clean with, a dish drying rack, toilet plunger, basic furniture. One apartment didn’t even come with something to cover the window with.
However, doing this together was a great learning experience about the cost and need for certain things. In no way did we go over the top, but even getting basics added up. I keep in mind that we send kids off to college to learn academically, but we also need to teach them to live independently as a certain level of cleanliness. Although my kids can do cleaning, cooking, laundry, they did not buy all the sponges, detergent, pots, pans, dishes, curtains…etc when they lived at home.
So the dorm stuff was a start, and if they move off campus, there is more. In many cases, these were shared with room mates. If one bought pots and pans, the other brought a vacuum. They don’t need duplicates of much of it.
If you are driving and have a girl with an active social life or who will rush or at least attend theme parties, a dress up bin might not be a bad idea. I ended up assembling and shipping a Halloween costume to DD her freshman year. I can see a few items for theme parties if you already have them and have a kid with that kind of temperament who will be attending that kind of school
@Pennylane2011, yes I kind of dread the moving off campus coming up in a few years. So many odds and ends to get, and possibly beds, mattress, sofa as well. Major undertaking. And expense. And we will possibly moving in a freshman the same summer as well.