<p>Great list, thank you! Did I see scissors and scotch tape on there (may have missed it)? And shower flip flops?</p>
<p>Added for my son on west coast: boogie board, wet suit</p>
<p>Reposted packing list from my2sons, and added a few items at the bottom:</p>
<p>Personal
wallet
passport
cell phone/charger
water bottle
mini-fan</p>
<p>Computer Supplies
Laptop
Mouse
flash drive
headset
printer paper
printer/ink/cable
laptop sleeve? (did not get)
ethernet cable? (bought one but then he did not need - but UVM recommends to bring one so we’ll pass it on to DS14)
powerstrip (2?) - bought there
external hard drive for backups? - did not get this, I think he backs up online</p>
<p>School Supplies – most of this was stuff we had in the house that he grabbed
pens (uniball rollers + multitude of stick pens - black)
Pencils
highlighters
colored pencils?
post its
index cards
glue sticks
Lined paper
notebooks/binders (buy there once he knows what he wants)
hard plastic 2-pocket folders
ruler
3-hole punch
stapler/staples
paper clips? Binder clips?
book ends?
lap desk? (no)
backpack
2 calculators (graphing/scientific)
electronic dictionary
summer reading / response
student handbook (into go to box?)</p>
<p>Entertainment
D&D Books / dice
playing cards
gameboy?
frisbee?
whatever else he wants</p>
<p>Dorm Room
minifridge (coordinate with roommate – ship to local walmart)
floor lamp (coordinate with roommate? Ship to local walmart) - we returned this to Walmart, the room did not need it
back of door towel hooks/rack - got some large command hooks
clothes hangers
alarm clock
storage - buy there
bowls & spoons for breakfast
small amount of other dishes?
dishwashing soap & 2 dish towels
mini safe
plastic drawers
book light or clip-on bed lamp? - he took a desk lamp to use by his bed, the dorm room came with a desk lamp for his desk
shelf paper for dresser drawers? - don’t think we bothered
clip-on fan? - he lucked out with an a/c dorm, so we didn’t bother</p>
<p>Bed & Bath
1 set twin XL sheets
1-2 extra pillow cases
mattress pad
sleeping bag
light cotton thermal blanket
“cheap” down comforter
2 pillows
small fleece blanket
2 towels</p>
<p>Daily Meds & Toiletries
any meds the student takes daily
toothbrush/toothpaste/cup
dental floss
hair brush
face wash
liquid soap
deodorant
shampoo
electric razor
hand sanitizer
hand cream</p>
<p>Laundry
laundry basket (mesh popup thing)
detergent
stain spray
bounty dryer sheets or bounty liquid (can’t recall which he took)
shout color catcher sheets – allows them to combine whites and colors and with red as a school color I figured it might be needed
febreeze?</p>
<p>Go To Box - Medical
box (used a plastic tote with a lid and handle)
anything specific for the student’s medical needs
sunscreen
bug spray
bandaids/triple antibiotic
tums
bug bite gel
spare toothbrush
acne cream
benadryl
tylenol
ibuprofen
naproxen sodium
sudafed
cough suppressant
allergy eye drops
moleskin
mucinex
cold-eeze
cough drops
thermometer
Q-tips (need a container or just a ziploc to put some in)
kleenex
lip balm
immodium
athlete’s foot spray
reusable heat/cold pack
tea
(I later sent a thermos for brewing/carrying hot tea for him to take to class with him when he had a cold)</p>
<p>Go To Box - Other
box
sewing kit
safety pins
screwdriver
duct tape
zip ties
box cutter
WD-40
sharpie marker
head lamp
hand crank flashlight / USB charger
ear plugs
shoe waterproofing spray
spare lightbulbs for desk lamp
spare lightbulbs for floor lamp
batteries:
(I included a list of everything he was taking that required batteries, and what kinds they needed)</p>
<p>Groceries (buy there - these are just some things to consider)
Cereal - I also shipped an assortment of single-serve boxes from amazon
milk
single serve milk boxes for milk “emergencies”? (or ship via amazon.com $20 for 18)
ramen
easy mac etc.
indian pouches? Bring some from home? (shelf stable meals)
microwave popcorn
soft drinks
food storage containers
honey for tea</p>
<p>Clothing
your kid can probably figure this out
at least 1 swimsuit (Cornell has a swim test they have to take on move-in day – put it where he can find it!)
2 sets dressier clothes (shirt, tie, dress pants, belt, socks)
dress shoes
good rain jacket
long underwear (for outing club opportunities – probably never used it)
mini gloves</p>
<p>Travel
duffel bag (smaller one for weekend trips, plus big ones he moved stuff in with)
toiletry bag</p>
<p>Bring later
Ski equipment (whatever he has that still fits)
winter outerwear
winter weight hiking boots (this is what he wears to class in cold weather)
major winter boots (wears occasionally when the snow is deep, or when spending more time “playing” outside)</p>
<p>Move-in Day items
Cooler with drinks/waters/fruit
granola bars / other snacks
trash bags
cleaning wipes
paper towels
doorstop?
camera</p>
<p>be sure to pack separately (backpack) laptop and anything else valuable or that would be very bad if misplaced (prescription meds) and hand carry to room</p>
<p>Added: bath caddy
mattress topper
hand held vacuum
wash cloths
shower flip flops,
scissors
scotch tape
boogie board/wetsuit</p>
<p>Also: beach/swim towel</p>
<p>Add laptop lock, lock box, and small external battery for iPhone for charging while out and about and no access to outlet. </p>
<p>We have a small dilemma. When D12 when to college she worked it out with her roommate to share the cost of a micro fridge rental, and it all worked out fine. I was expecting the same for S14, but when he spoke to his assigned roommate about it, he said he didnt think it was ‘necessary’. I do feel it is quite essential and was much used by D. If I pay all , it adds up to the rising cost of dorm shopping and I’m sure it will be used by his roommate too, so how should we handle it? There isn’t much else he plans on getting that he would ask to split costs on.
Thanks for any ideas…</p>
<p>Sometimes “not necessary” might mean “My finances are very tight.” I’m thinking, if it’s important to your daughter, go ahead and get one and your daughter can just smile and share. My son bought one off of Craigslist for $50. Cheaper than a rental. </p>
<p>One enterprising young man who lived locally made quite a profit by buying back fridges at the end of the year for $25 from fridge owners who didn’t want to haul them home, then reselling them in the fall!</p>
<p>We bought S1 a fridge at Walmart – purchased online and picked up in the college town. He used it for 2 years, now S2 will use it (but this time we have to schlep it there ourselves). He’ll happily share with his roommate. The amount we paid to buy it was as much as we would have paid for chipping in to rent one for 2 years. Some colleges have sales opening weekend of furniture, fridges, etc. that graduating students have donated. You might be able to pick up a cheap fridge that way.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that there will be stores in the town where the college is. Once you see the room, you may want to get certain things you didn’t foresee (for S1, we went to the local Lowes and got a piece of plywood cut for a bedboard because the springs on the bed in his dorm room were awful! and we needed more power strips than anticipated due to the layout of the furniture as compared to the power outlets.) You’ll know how much space you have for storage units, and so on. In most dorms the rooms aren’t all standard sized, so you won’t know details until you see the actual room. So, figure on a shopping trip once you’ve unpacked and sized up the situation. </p>
<p>Since d has all of older d’s old dorm things, her roommate lucked out. We’re supplying the fridge, micro, and tv (if they want it)</p>
<p>@ovrseasmom, perhaps you S’s roommate can provide other things such as TV, etc… </p>
<p>For those of you who purchased a fridge, how did you get it home at the end of the year? The one year rental price is the same as the purchase price, but I can’t see it fitting in our car along with everything else.</p>
<p>@mathmomvt – you probably told me this already, but were there specific requirements for the power strips? And great hint about the plywood bed slats!</p>
<p>Did anyone need an XL iPhone charging cable?</p>
<p>I made my first trip to BB&B today. Am I alone in thinking their prices are inflated, even after 20% off everything? And why are so many XL comforters all polyester? Won’t the students slide off the beds?</p>
<p>@CT1417 yes there were explicit requirements about the power strip. We found appropriate ones in Lowe’s but it was non-trivial. I think it was that they had to be UL approved, and it was hard to figure out if they were or not. There were rules about the fridge too (how many watts it could draw) which was also a pain to find out, though I suspect all of the fridges of the appropriate size probably do meet the requirement. </p>
<p>My dilemma with UVM is they don’t allow Command Strips! Not sure what to do about coat and towel hooks if they don’t already exist in the room. The closet doors aren’t standard doors, so I’m not sure over-the-door things will work.</p>
<p>@mathomvt – Thanks! I think I will just pick up a few power strips and hope that one works. Fortunately they do not consume much space. </p>
<p>Not being able to use Command hooks could be a huge issue. Good luck with that!</p>
<p>@crowlady “Don’t feel like a slacker, think of it as compartmentalizing and practicing just-in-time parenting.” Thank you! I feel much better now! I love the just in time parenting - like just in-time inventory. I suddenly feel very organized…
@my2sonsfromca - thank you for reposting -@MathMomVT thank you for the extensive list. @calla1 , @Overseas Mom , @ordinarylives and anyone I might have missed! Thank you reposting and adding on! Very helpful.
I also have a list going for the backpack Trek that S is doing the week before school starts! We will have a full car.</p>
<p>About the frig- it will have to wait until S knows his roommate assignment. He will not find out until early August. But I was thinking of renting for the convenience but we will see what the roommate wants to do. Maybe he will luck out and MathMomVT’s S will be his roommate ;> </p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I just feel like the unforeseen costs seem to be adding up real fast. And the year hasn’t even started yet :-S </p>
<p>My older son is at a school where he’ll live on campus all 4 years. He and a friend get a pod - it gets delivered to the dorm, he puts in all his winter stuff, including the fridge and microwave, and it gets stored somewhere for the summer. They just call with the date they’re coming back and it gets redelivered back to the dorm. </p>
<p>@CT1417 the fridge should in the back seat the the car pretty easily, although you may have to turn it on it’s side to get it in the back doors. We have hatchbacks, so no problems. It fits in the “trunk” area.</p>
<p>Do the students leave their stuff in the dorms when they go on Christmas and Spring breaks (except what they use every day)? If we purchased the microfridge, they wouldnt have to bring it home during those breaks, right?</p>
<p>Just ordered a few odds and ends off the list for my son and had Amazon ship them directly to the college. It now all feels really real. (I love the idea of buying from Walmart and having them hold it at the store closest to your child. I will definitely look into that for my daughter. My son is going to college in the middle of nowhere so it doesn’t apply.)</p>
<p>By the way, if anyone is a military family, I visited our local PX/BX what have you last weekend and had forgotten how much home stuff is really really cheap during the summer for folks who are PCS’ing – trash cans, shower curtains, towels, bedding, kitchen odds and ends, etc. The place was full of pcs’ing families with screaming children in tow (Ah, yes, the memories it brought back) and also families of college kids. For some reason it hadn’t occurred to me to do college shopping at the PX, but we will be back there with my son. (You can also order online from AAFES and ship to the kid’s dorm. We may be doing some of that too.)</p>
<p>@cakeisgreat - when you move in first semester you don’t take out your stuff until the end of the second semester. You don’t need to repeatedly move in and out throughout the year.</p>
<p>I am cautioning my D that less is more. We’re planning to shop when we get to the other coast, but I’m hoping to keep it to basics. More stuff can always be added as needed - it’s harder to find a place to stash un-needed stuff in a tiny tiny room. The shoes are going to be an issue - can she live on only a dozen pairs or so? Oy. I’m betting she tries to bring 20 or more pairs. And of course, shoes and boots are two different categories…</p>
<p>The other logistical discussion we are having is how she can carry a laptop and a ukelele onto the plane without having to risk them in the overhead compartment. We’re OK getting there since there will be 2 of us, but for subsequent trips she’ll be on her own. Ha - talk about your first world problems.</p>