<p>My friend asked me to post this for her. Her child is going away in the fall. Since she doesn’t want her child to waste money by over-paying for personal products, she would like to send her with a year’s supply (or one semester, and then resupply over Xmas) of soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. Her question is (and this seems simple enough): How many bars of soap, bottles of shampoo, tubes of toothpaste, etc does one person go thru in a year (or one semester, if space is an issue)? I know that there isn’t a “perfect answer” since people can overuse or underuse a product, so what my friend wants is “averages” and then she’ll add an extra for “good measure”.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any experience with this? (It’s sometimes hard for families to figure out how long an item, such as soap, lasts for one person because at home, two or more people may be using the same item.)</p>
<p>Is your friend’s child going away to school in a big city or small town.</p>
<p>You need to let your friend know that first of all the kid is only going to have so much space in the dorm. Many colleges are located near shopping centers, major grocery chains and walmart, so they will not get extorted purchasing personal items.</p>
<p>I know that there were times when I went to the CVS here and they had a good deal on shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. I used to stock up and send care packages to my daughter my thinking was after all she is in rural Hanover, NH without a big store, until she told me “mom, there is a CVS in town and I have a CVS card so that I can get cash discounts on my purchases”. You will be suprised at how self sufficient they will become. D shops the circulars and clips coupons for the products she uses the most. She is in hog heaven when there is a buy one, get on free offer on stuff that she uses as sometimes she makes multiple trips in a week.</p>
<p>She then said if I just really wanted to send something, cash will do :)</p>
<p>See, I’m a fan of bringing a semester worth of soap at a time. I have space to store it under the sink in my room so that isn’t an issue, and when I’m stressed and have a ton of work the last thing I want to discover is that I need to make a CVS trip as well as finish my papers and projects. </p>
<p>1 tube of toothpaste lasts at least a semester
2 bottles each of shampoo and conditioner per semester
1 deordorant per semester
2 bottles of shower gel per semester
1 large refill size bottle of hand soap per semester
lots of lotion if the kid in question is going somewhere with cold dry winters</p>
<p>It would help to know where the kid is going, the type of environment, at least. Unless it is Siberia, I would not send a semester or year’s worth of stuff in terms of consumable items. When my kids went to camp for the summer, sure, we did that, but that was for six weeks. Sending enough for a semester or year is, for one thing, a lot (for certain items) and their space is quite limited. You don’t say if the kid will be traveling by plane or car either. If by plane, it would take up so much packing space, another consideration. Also, most kids come home at least once during a semester…Thanksgiving for one semester, perhaps spring break for the other (OK, my kids are not doing the latter, I admit, this year, though I will see them a different time but not at home). So, a kid could stock up and regroup on home visits if he/she would like. </p>
<p>Most colleges have nearby conveniences. Some have access to bigger discount places and some do not. I can’t see that the kid is going to save all that much by getting it all at home. My kids stocked up before leaving for college with the “first round” of stuff. Certain things like toothpaste, last a long time. But for things like shampoo, etc., they buy it at school nearby. Frankly, this works for another reason…they are in college now…time to manage their “affairs” and also to budget and deal with “expenses”. They have spending money and this is one thing that comes under that umbrella. When they were home for winter break, they didn’t do a full stock up but I did get them shampoo and conditioner or if they were truly out of something but otherwise, that’s what the allowance is for. </p>
<p>For a girl, I would expect a container of shampoo or conditioner to last about two weeks or so, if they use it daily. That would mean many bottles if buying for the year or semester…and the storage WILL be an issue. Another option is to get really big containers of stuff…like at Costco…though we do not do that for the things you are talking about. We do get toothpaste there and this parent could too and then the kid could bring back a new tube when home on break, something like that, if wanting to take advantage of discounts. Otherwise, stores that kids need for things like this are near most colleges.
Susan</p>
<p>Well, it depends on what you mean by near. </p>
<p>I can get to CVS by walking for 20-30 minutes each way, which isn’t bad if the weather is ok. Of course, the prices there aren’t good. Getting to a Walmart or Target requires the use of a car, and since I don’t have a car at school this means coordinating free time and getting someone else to drive. I don’t like asking people to drive me places because even though they’re very likely to say yes, they are also very likely to be very busy and it’s possible that our trip to target is going to cost them an hour of already too brief sleep that night.</p>
<p>Since a bottle of shampoo used daily lasts me 8 weeks, not two, and since I have storage space under my sink in cabinets and since I don’t wear makeup so I don’t need to store that, storage really isn’t an issue for me. I’m a light packer so transporting a couple bottles of shampoo has never really been a problem either.</p>
<p>It seems that whether or not this idea is feasible is going to vary a lot between schools and situations.</p>
<p>The local warehouse superstore (whether it be Sams, BJ’s, or Costco…one of the likes) sells large packages of everything you would possibly need for a student going away for college. </p>
<p>One large bottle of shampoo and conditioner should last the majority of the year (supposing they aren’t wasteful with it). </p>
<p>Deodorant comes in two-packs at these warehouses, so one of those should be sufficient.</p>
<p>Soap comes in two packs as well, that on top of a refill will last for quite some time.</p>
<p>Toothpaste comes in two packs too, I don’t see needing more than that for a whole school year (my and my fiance go through about that much every 6 mths or so…).</p>
<p>Toothbrushes come in large packs, usually 6 to a package, you can send off a bunch with him/her and keep the rest for storage for the rest of the family.</p>
<p>If the person in question is a female, you can buy large packages of feminine hygeine products (usually come in packs of approximately 100) that lasts for around a semester. (you know nobody likes going to the store to buy them often…)</p>
<p>It’s also helpful to get snacks for the dorm room at these stores as well. A large package of granola bars, apple sauce, or whatever the child likes can go a long way…</p>
<p>ophiolite: Wow, I would have been “way off”. I told my friend that I thought she’d need to send at least one bar of soap, one tube toothpaste per month (12 each) and 6 deodorants and 6 bottles of shampoo. I was way off.</p>
<p>sybbie, yes, when in doubt, send money. Maybe it’s a girl vs boy thing. My friend is concerned that her son will just pick up these essentials “wherever” and not where the better prices are. (My own husband confessed that he used to buy his essentials at the “7/11” when he got gas for his car — certainly paying double or triple the cost :(</p>
<p>beck: Since it’s not easy for you to “get into town” to buy stuff, I think you are a candidate for “stocking up” during your home visits </p>
<p>I agree that boys probably have more room to store these staples since they don’t have all the 'girl things" that take room. Since many dorm beds are “raised” a bit for storage, my friend was thinking of putting the “extras” in a plastic storage box and sliding it under his bed.</p>
<p>Then, if he was my son, he would forget he had it, and go out and buy some more - I don’t know how many cans of Tag we have!</p>
<p>I’d never stock up for a girl, they just need too much stuff and have too little storage space.
Another thing for you friend to consider - at DD’s school, the same as Sybbie’s D’s, freshman are assigned a meal plan for first term (this is pretty standard). At the end of the term any unspent meal money is lost (this is not as common, many places will rollover the money). She was about to lose almost $300 - she ate the most expensive food she could those last 2 weeks, and went to the campus store and bought 2 years worth of shampoo, deodorant, etc. She and I both cringed at what she paid for that stuff, but otherwise the money was lost. Your friend should look at what they are asking you to pay for up front before committing to buying anything.</p>
<p>how bizarre
why not just have the student tell parents when they are getting low and they can send a care package?
it will be a nice treat and they can stick other things in as well
Most college bookstores- also double as a place to get dorm items- as well as you can shop drugstore.com
I like to change the types of soap etc that I use- I don’t like stuff to get old- I would never buy enough for a year- I like my products to be fresher than that :)</p>
<p>I sent both my boys off with 2 of each toiletry item-one to start out with and one spare. After that they purchased their own. When I send care packages I do call and ask if they need anything and include their requests. They always seem to be clean when they arrive home so I think they have it figured out.:)</p>
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<li><p>What do you mean you ran out of toothpaste?? I sent you to school with 12 tubes!!! </p></li>
<li><p>My suitemates ran out and I had all these extra tubes and I would have looked like a selfish hoarder if I didn’t share with them. :)</p></li>
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<p>NJres writes: <<< - What do you mean you ran out of toothpaste?? I sent you to school with 12 tubes!!!</p>
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<li>My suitemates ran out and I had all these extra tubes and I would have looked like a selfish hoarder if I didn’t share with them. >>></li>
</ul>
<p>Good point. I’ll have to tell my friend about that. I completely forgot that a “stash” would disappear into the hands of the suitemates. I can certainly see that happening once friends know that a kid has a “stash”. I remember my own college days, I once had a roommate who TOTALLY took advantage of the fact that my mom always provided “care packages” with such supplies. This roommate’s “borrowing” was totally one sided and things were NEVER returned. After awhile, I stopped letting her know that I had “extras”. Future roommate was great - we always “bailed each other out” – it was a “two-way street.” (My friend will probably just tell her son not to “let on” that he has “a stash” so people won’t be asking him.)</p>
<p>Emerald: Never thought about “shelf life” for these products. Do they “go old” quickly??? Wouldn’t they last at least 6 months if she gave him a new “stash” at Christmas? </p>
<p>I think my friend doesn’t want to send replacements by mail because the shipping costs of such a heavy box would “cancel” the reason that she didn’t want him buying stuff at higher prices at the campus store.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody for inputs, I’m sure my friend will appreciate all your thoughtful inputs. I’ll bet she’ll probably go with the “6-month” plan and put the stuff in a solid color (not clear) plastic box so the suitemates don’t see his stash and “clean him out.” No pun intended!! :)</p>
<p>your skin is your largest organ and I like to buy stuff that isn’t too full of chemicals.
I also use different stuff depending on the season- but maybe that is cause I am a * girl*</p>
<p>I fyou are just using stuff like herbal essence shampoo and lever 500 soap, that stuff is probably going to be stable for years.</p>
<p>however- I also buy stuff on line- lots of places will ship for free after a certain dollar amount is purchases
But for a guy- I would recommend LUSH- really nice stuff and they have bar shampoo that are great for dorm bathrooms- no spilling!</p>
<p>Figure out how much of each item he would use in a month and multiply it by ten, for ten months of school. That should be plenty, even if he shares occasionally. Your friend has to guesstimate on the monthly amounts that he uses at home. </p>
<p>If he goes through a bar of soap every month and shares with a sibling, then he’ll use a half of a bar of soap each month. Say a bottle of shampoo shared with a sib gets replaced every two months. That means that they go through a half bottle of shampoo every month. Divided by two means that the son uses a quarter of a bottle of shampoo each month, times 10 equals 2-1/2 bottles of shampoo. So, she sends three. If in doubt, send one extra. Same thing with toothpaste. If he shares with a sib, and they go through a tube of toothpaste every month, then figure on 1/2 tube each month for him, times 10 = 5 tubes of toothpaste, plus an extra for good measure. </p>
<p>If I recall, each quarter is ten weeks and each semester is sixteen or seventeen weeks, so if she wants to figure out something by weeks, she’s looking at 30 weeks on the quarter system and 32 on semesters. He can stock up during the holiday visits, if he starts to run out of something.</p>
<p>emerald: I like the idea of ordering online and having it shipped for free (over a certain amount). That is one more thing that has changed from when I went to college in the stone ages. I will tell my friend about that!!! </p>
<p>Plus, suitemates could “go in together” for an order if they need to reach a certain amount - that may also help with the problem of suitemates who don’t ever have their own stuff and “borrow” consumable items all the time.</p>
<p>BTW: Is roommate “mooching” still a problem? Or are kids more “out-spoken” these days??? (Mooching is when one roomie is constantly using the consumables of the other roomie and there rarely is reciprocation. AND the mooching roomie never/rarely replaces the “borrowed” consumables.) </p>
<p>Are male roommates more likey to mooch? My mooching roomie was a female but she never had any “supplies”. She preferred to spend her money on entertainment and relied on me (and my family) to keep her clean! I was too intimidated to say anything; I just changed roommates when the time came.</p>
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