<p>The dean of procrastination would like to recommend against waiting too long for certain things. All this talk of where to get cheap textbooks is great, but make sure you order them with enough lead time to get them before you leave for college! Online savings are quickly offset by having to buy the same book anyway at the school bookstore, or mailing it Fedex from home. We received 2 out of 3 textbooks today, which ain’t bad! (leaving tomorrow a.m.) Somehow when I ordered these books last week, the leaving day seemed so far away! </p>
<p>Although we ordered my son’s computer a while back, (and Dell has an amazingly quick delivery) I put off buying the printer until the last minute along with many standard school supplies. Of course the printers don’t come with a cable, and I gritted my teeth but paid $30 for the cable at Staples, knowing full well these cables are available online for about $7 delivered. </p>
<p>So what else costs you if you wait too long?</p>
<p>For those flying to school and shipping a lot of items, waiting too long means paying more to get those packages to school by the time the student needs them. My advice, ship early!</p>
<p>Great point Mini! Unfortunately we were told that the manufacturer can’t keep up with the demand for shots and my DS will have to wait until later in the year to get the new one. (He got one last year but I guess there is a newer, better, life-long one that has been recently developed.)</p>
<p>My son has managed for two years without a personal computer printer; he uses the library printers. (My D claims she can’t manage without one.)</p>
<p>Waiting to buy plane tickets can cost a lot–OTOH, extremely last minute tickets can be cheap… but nervewracking. </p>
<p>My son’s oral surgeon says it can get VERY expensive if you wait to have wisdom teeth out, since once the roots get down into the jaw nerves the surgery can be complicated. (Of course, the source may be biased here, but it makes sense to me.)</p>
<p>S’s dentist recommended getting his wisdom teeth out before going away to school. We live in a college town, and the oral surgeon sees a lot of kids, far from home, with infections and other problems, dealing with it the best they can (without their moms). DS had his out this morning and from where I sit there are other benefits as well-- he’s not going anywhere for a day or two and I get to baby him one last time. . .</p>
<p>Yes, 1moremom, I guess I shouldn’t admit to how much I enjoyed taking care of my son while he was recovering. Of course, the best part was when he <em>thanked</em> me, after he felt better!</p>
<p>HoyaMom
that’s interesting that you couldn’t get the vaccination. I go to boarding school and with the new formula, my doctor recommended I get this year (senior year). I just got mine yesterday. But I do recommend getting it if you can. Our school had a scare when a local school nearby had a case and a bunch of our students had been there for a hockey game the weekend before. My entire floor went to that game, so I was so paranoid about getting the infection. Now I don’t have to worry.</p>
<p>No problem getting the shot here. There is a doc who has a storefront clinic just a few miles from here supplied by the county helath service - walked in, requested the shot and paid (gulp!) $130.</p>
<p>We know the new formula is important for my DS to get. At lease he has last year’s shot offering some protection. We leave for school this weekend and plan to check on getting him the shot up there. As far as the cost, yes $130.00 is a lot of money but not compared to the cost of a major illness! I’d gladly plunk down any amount of cash to keep my DS healthy!</p>
<p>My doctor told me that the shot itself costs about $90. We paid over $150 with the office visit. This was last year, unfortunately, and the only available shot was the one with five-year immunity. This year’s shot has up to ten years, I believe.</p>
<p>We are counting on the using the school’s printing office. I hope it works out.
We never did our shopping for new winter clothes. Maybe he can pick up a few things at the collegetown mall.</p>
<p>Arranging with roommates about who is to buy what for the room. If you wait until you arrive to move in to negotiate that, and then wind up as the one responsible for buying the minifridge on move-in-day, better get youyr care ready for the LeMans start, as you zip around from place to place trying to get one, especially if you want it at a good price.</p>
<p>If you know you’re buying the minifridge, check out whether there is a local Sears or the like from which you can pre-order for pickup.</p>
<p>Appointments for sports physicals. Especially for the D1 recruits. Some uni’s provide them and some don’t. Local doc gets backed up and it takes a while to get an appointment.</p>
<p>Cathymee: Correct! My son got his meningitis vaccine during summer orientation for only (?) $65.00 at the college. Still seemed steep, just for a shot, but definitely peace of mind.</p>
<p>It may not be that much cheaper at the college health service, but at least they have accessability to it.Some colleges do clinics right along with move in and orientations.</p>
<p>The meningitis vaccine is unusually expensive for the doc - I can’t quote for sure (maybe $40/dose, just for the vaccine, no nursing/office time, etc) but they are basically breaking even.
I’m a physician, and my kids’ pediatricians have always given us prof courtesy (insurance only), they submitted DD’s shot to the insurance company, when I got the statement back of what the doctor had been paid, I immediately wrote them a check - they got less than half of the cost of the vaccine.</p>