<p>I tried bouquetoffruits last year, but they didn’t deliver to my daughter’s area. Neither did they let me know…which was a little irresponsible. I now use diamondorganics…which has been wonderful.</p>
<p>cgarrett, thank you very much. That site looks great. I don’t have time to check it out now, but I plan on looking at it tonight. Have you just ordered by the pound, or baskets? I am glad that you are pleased with them. I never heard of them, so thanks.</p>
<p>I order baskets because it is a nice variety. My D loves it and usually shares with her friends. She’s in a boarding school in a little town near Cape Cod…which wasn’t any problem for them. In fact, I may send some today because she’s sick with a cold! :)</p>
<p>The other thing I’ve done is send customized M&Ms…it’s very cute; they can put any (short) message you choose on the M&Ms!</p>
<p>I am actually in the same situation, living in NY. So we do not have local oranges either. But if you are in upstate NY, you can check out “Lexington Food Co-op” and “Feel Rite” for example. While stores such as Wegmans and Whole Foods will have the same things, they are not as likely to assemble and deliver a nice care package.</p>
<p>Also, if my own child ends up at Binghamton or New Paltz or some other SUNY that is at least 6 hours away, I will probably USPS overnight a package. Not every week, but maybe once a month.</p>
<p>whatapain, No I am not in upstate NY, but will keep this in mind if S #2 ends up in that area. Cgarrett, thanks. I do know about the M&Ms, but I don’t want to send that junk. It would be a “sweet” idea for his friends though. I am going to look at Diamond’s baskets.</p>
<p>NEM - I found that many of the food items in the ‘baskets’ are ok - but more costly than hitting up some good local spots and making up my own ‘basket’ along with UPS services 
- tho I also throw in home’made GORP - great for snacking - and healthy to boot LOL. I was/am able to send alot more - for the same $$ that way.</p>
<p>Trader Joes is a favored place - along with a few specialty stores around here - or at the malls. I just find that mail orders ones expensive and have less choices than I like - JMHO tho :)</p>
<p>OK, not 100% health food, but better than most, and nice gifts/reliability.</p>
<p>popcornzone.com. I just sent Hanukkah baskets to my kids. and by all accounts, they were delicious and plentiful enough to share.</p>
<p>Jeepmom, Hi, hope all is well. I agree with you. I just looked at pricing. If I don’t get the baskets at that diamond website, they seem to send via FEDEX and they estimate charges to be $25 + some amount that i forgot / lb. What is wrong with the baskets is that they have things in them that my kid does not eat. He has friends that I am sure would enjoy those things, but I’d rather buy what my son definitely likes eating. My son is not a trail mix, dried fruit fan, so that makes it a bit more difficult. Have you tried sending fresh fruit this way, or only packaged and dried items? We do have Trader Joes near us.</p>
<p>barbara, just crossed posted with you. Thanks. I will look there too.</p>
<p>NEM - I make GORP from peanuts/cashews/M&M’s/type of stuff - no dried fruits for fun GORP 
- and Yes I have sent fresh fruit - with NO problem at all. (I also hit up the Xmas Tree Shop and Ocean State Job Lot for goodies as well :)) - I like to include boxed drink - hot chocolate (with marshmellos) flavored coffee-mate too I have even sent home-made stuff - only takes a couple of days ground UPS to get there - and it all gets there in great shape.</p>
<p>Jeepmom, thanks. I think that is what I will do. My son likes hot chocolate as well, and I might include things like that, but he can just buy that at Walmart, but in the winter it might nice to just have it sent on campus to him. Also, it makes it nice for sharing with friends. I am going to try this. It is definitely much less expensive, and I can control the fresh fruit that I put into the box. I could send a box of fresh fruit, and a box of boxed/bagged items. As far as popcorn, he just buys the popcorn that pops in the microwave, so he really doesn’t need that. I bought a massive box last Sept. and it lasted for several months. He would never buy fresh fruit though, but if I send it, he’ll eat it ;)</p>
<p>GORP - peanuts - nuts of choice - cashews - M&M’s - LIFE cereal (Or Cheerios) - actually ANY good dry cereal LOL - and whatever else I just find out of the blue - more fun that way LOL.</p>
<p>I also send different flavors of micro-wave popcorn - or the shakers of flavoring when I find them. I have also sent s’more makings - just put all the stuff together and stick on a plate - pop in the micro for a few seconds. I have sent instant hot cereal as well - and fruit bars.</p>
<p>I just tend to send ‘fun’ food items along with some really ‘good’ stuff as well - that I know that the kiddo’s like If it is around a holiday - I may send some fun stuff for the dorm/roomies too. During exam times tho - I send more food items - and have included cups/stirrers/coffee/tea/chai etc…</p>
<p>My son does enjoy Smores, so I had thought about sending the ingredients, and let him assemble.</p>
<p>paying3 won’t tell us about those shirts because her DH doesn’t want the competition?</p>
<p>LOL, ebeeeee. Maybe</p>
<p>My parent, who live in Florida, send us Honeybell oranges from Chushman’s for Christmas each year. They are only available for a short time, they usually arrive about mid January. I know my parents make sure they have their orders in by a certain time before the Honeybells are all sold out. They are the best oranges I have ever had - very juicy - Cushman’s even sends a plastic bib with the order. My parents used to send navel oranges and grapefruits as well but those are not much different from what’s in the grocery stores in the northeast in the middle of the winter. But the Honeybells are a thing apart - so they send just those now.</p>
<p>[Cushman</a> HoneyBells, Florida Citrus, Fruit Gifts, Fresh Florida Citrus](<a href=“http://www.honeybell.com/store/retail/product.aspx?PID=4286&CID=8]Cushman”>http://www.honeybell.com/store/retail/product.aspx?PID=4286&CID=8)</p>
<p>I try to send healthy snacks that keep–trail mix or any nuts & dried fruits. The bags of Clementines we get this time of year are always great and keep well. Even juice boxes are good if they contain vitamin C.</p>
<p>I have to confess in this latest exam week care package, besides the healthy stuff I also sent 2 fun items–snowman “peeps” and M & Ms packaged in a cylinder with a little pullback train engine on top. They do like their toys! :D</p>
<p>zip100, thank you very much! I have a question about Honeybells. They are a cross between a tangerine a grapefruit, so do they have the orange color of an orange (skin and flesh)? Also, do they taste similar to sweet juicy oranges?
Do they truly have very few seeds? Thanks. I am only asking these silly questions because my son might not try it if it doesn’t look or smell like an orange. Thanks. I think this my solution. They are reasonably priced, though I did not get to the shipping charges at the checkout (don’t know how much that is yet). I am thinking about going with the 18lb. box so he can share it. He will be home on Friday, so I might just run it past him before placing the order for a mid to end of January delivery. They sound like they taste like special oranges, and that is what I really wanted. </p>
<p>mommusic we are on our 4th box of clementines in our home this season. Everyone likes them.</p>
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<p>Just now caught this! :)</p>
<p>Go to ebay, Clothing, Men’s clothing, then type of dress clothing (shirts, blazers, etc). Then put in relevant sizes, especially neck size. Use search words with designer names, such as Bugatchi, Hilfiger, if you have that focus; or just see what pops up in your size without the designer label. In fact, that’s how he discovered he liked Bugatchi the best, but everyone will have a favorite brand or not favorite.</p>
<p>It’s fun. He also likes Coogie sweaters.</p>
<p>Be willing to lose auctions, too. It’s only fun if you get it for a real steal.</p>
<p>Factor in the shipping costs and figure out a top amount you’d be willing to pay, so you only have to bid once. This keeps you from getting carried away bidding competitively with someone else and losing your mind over one purchase.</p>
<p>He also does shoes, which are dependable. So sometimes he can even see his size in Rockports, go out and try it on in a store, then come home and bid on it.</p>
<p>Most bids last around 6 days, but there are some that have a “buy it now” option for a bit more.</p>
<p>Anyways, I really wasn’t trying to keep away competition, just missed the thread.</p>
<p>For advanced buyers, there’s a way to set up a last-minute “snipe” system where you can put in your last bid at the last 30 seconds of the auction. Oooh it hurts to get sniped, but this happens only on the very popular auctions.</p>
<p>Fact is, the site is overflowing with clothing. Try to bid only from someone with feedback better than 95% (some say 98%) so you know the seller is reliable. Don’t deal with sellers with anything lower or you may find something isn’t shipped promptly or in good form. Also, don’t go with someone who has very few prior sales. Sometimes a bad seller shuts down and reopens under a new name.</p>
<p>Since it’s online, you can also communicate with college students to see if they even like the item before you bid. All have pictures.</p>
<p>There’s also a way to ask for “new” versus “used” clothing.</p>
<p>As for me, if I want a skirt, I dial up clothing, women’s, skirt and pick my length and size and color (if I care). This keeps you from looking through 77,000 garments. </p>
<p>Can also sequence them acc to “most recent auctions” or acc to price. Price is good because perhaps you want to see the most or least expensive things in a clothing category, or have a price in mind so look for that range.</p>
<p>We don’t hang over each auction. Much better to pick a top price you’d be willing to pay and post it. Then if you win the auction, you’re happy but if the bidding goes over your head, you say “oh well” and look for another one.</p>
<p>My H’s obsession with ebay also causes him to leave me alone about CC. Actually we joke about both. </p>
<p>One more tip: like any of these websites on the internet (amazon, and so on…) you can have the package mailed directly to your kid on campus.</p>
<p>Just leave “feedback” for the seller, if you found them good, bad or inbetween. That’s what keeps the bad sellers away.</p>
<p>P3T, I am sure that ebeeeee was kidding. Thank you!</p>
<p>I was kidding, of course. Good tips. I do a lot of ebaying and agree wtih all. Just wondered what brand your boys like as mine has become more interested in clothing as of late.</p>