<p>My d loves her checking account too, now that she deposited her grad gift checks. She is guarding it fiercely though, so I’m not expecting any dorm splurges from her!</p>
<p>DS has had a savings and checking account, along with a debit card tied to his checking for many years now, ever since he started earning money refereeing back in 7th grade. It’s only been the last two years since he’s been driving that the ATM card has gotten any real use though. I don’t monitor his spending although I do peek at the balance every once in a while. He is doing a very good job managing his money. However, I don’t think he’s written a single check since he got the account. He just uses his debit card. He keeps a minimal balance in the checking account and just transfers money over when he needs to. That way his liability is limited should someone get access to his ATM card.</p>
<p>Mine is guarding his closely too. Since he’s busing tables, he gets tipped out from the waitresses. He’s living on the tips and the money he gets from mowing his grandpa’s lawn and banking everything else. He has a virtual wallet account at PNC that has a reserve (short term savings) account and the spend account (checking). Plus he has his “growth” account- his long term savings. He can move his money back and forth between the reserve and spend accounts on a phone app. He can also track his spending by category each month- gas, restaurants, etc. He can set limits for himself (which are soft limits- he can break them, but he gets alerted when he’s hit the limit) by category. It’s a great deal for a newbie, I think. My daughter should have this type of account. It’s pretty cool. </p>
<p>I printed out the list of dorm stuff that was posted earlier and found the list on Michigan’s site too of what they recommend to bring. I’ll start picking up some of the grocery/cleaning/medicinal type items as I grocery shop. I ordered the shower caddy everybody recommended from Amazon and they had a mattress topper and pad as a bundle thing “most people order these…” so I added them to the order. I’ll pay for that stuff. I’ll let him get the bedding, lamps, etc. We’ll wait on a fridge or microwave until he gets a roomie and they can discuss who should bring what. He has a small TV (like a 19" flat screen) and the dorm comes with digital cable (at a price, but it is reasonable) so we’ll see if his roomie wants the cable or maybe has a bigger TV. I think my son will want the cable because he loves watching his sports and his CSPAN. </p>
<p>We’re going shopping tomorrow. I figure I better take advantage of his agreeableness about it while it lasts!</p>
<p>We went shopping at a big new outlet yesterday. To my d’s horror when we were chatting with the store clerk and we mentioned college shopping she was all - wait a sec, how old are you?! When she heard d was 18 she just said, wow, I thought you were 14. lol Poor d - she has a little baby face, but she’s also much shorter than me and hubby so I think people just assume she’s young. </p>
<p>It seems like we’ll never get to the end of the list! We keep remembering little things here and there. Like rain boots, where she’s going it gets misty rainy a lot and they suggest boots. Or a printer, she needs to take 2 writing classes and her style of editing is to print and read and mark up the paper. </p>
<p>She’s also going through sorority recruitment before school starts, so that’s an entirely different animal. </p>
<p>I keep thinking I’m never going to finish shopping! But I figure if there’s something DS forgets I can always order on Amazon and ship to him since I have Prime. I know college students also get Prime for free but last I checked it was only for 6 months so I’d rather use my account.</p>
<p>I can even send him cereal and other non-perishables through Prime!</p>
<p>That’s a great deal with Prime and free shipping! Other good options are Walmart, which usually has free shipping on items over a certain amount, and Drugstore.com for healthcare items. They have free shipping over $35, and lots of snacks and school supplies as well.
Has anyone done any shopping at Big Lots? It looks like they might have some cute storage and decorating items for reasonable prices. </p>
<p>I am ever fearful of bringing too much and have to keep telling myself there’s a Walmart nearby. There are two boxes in older d’s now empty room. One has bathroom things–shower caddy, shower shoes, toiletries, medicines, Kleenex–and laundry products. The other has kitchen-y stuff–dish rag, dish soap, cereal bowl, plastic forks (left over from grad party!). We’ll put bedding towels and clothes that won’t wrinkle too badly in space bags. Then there’s a fridge and a microwave. Oh, and d ordered the mandatory supplies for her designe classes. FedEx brought THREE boxes! Uff da. Just seems like it’s so much stuff. </p>
<p>Reminder to all of you . . . Grab an extra pair of those plastic flip flops for the shower now while thy’re in the stores and likely cheap. I know the bathrooms are cleaned daily, but still, that,s an awful lot of feet in a shower over the course of a day. Wear the shoes! and have a spare pair in case one breaks mid year. </p>
<p>Good idea to have them bring an extra pair of flip flops. They are probably $10 in the college store. </p>
<p>A drawback to buying dorm gear early (as we did), is that NOW it’s on sale, at least at Target. Oh well, we got what she wanted while it was in stock. It’s only money. The Target closest to us is smaller than most and they don’t restock much. When it’s gone, it’s gone, so it was worth it to get the grey plush body pillow. It does look a lot like her cat …</p>
<p>Bought $250 worth of stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond. Used a couple of 20% off coupons. The next day we get a 20% off EVERYTHING coupon in the mail. Do I have to bring all the stuff back in or will the receipt suffice to get the 20% off on the stuff I already bought … The things I didn’t use the coupon for the first time.</p>
<p>Interesting question yellowgranite. I also just got the 20% off everything coupon, now that we are mostly done. Sigh.</p>
<p>Still waiting on dorm assignment and tax free weekend before we do our major shopping (Aug 1st). I was feeling behind and panicked though so I started today on the random things - first aid kit, cleaning supplies (hand held vac, etc), laundry supplies, command hooks, and sewing kit. I found some cute towels at Marshall’s too. I really wish I could use the guest room to store all this stuff (afraid to put it in the Black Hole) but my father is coming to visit this week. Between his visit, college prep and work, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. </p>
<p>We used the 20% off everything coupon today. We’re about halfway done with the shopping, I’d say. We are waiting on the big things (fridge, microwave, rug, floor lamp and TV) to coordinate with a roommate. I’m picking up the random things each time I grocery shop- a little at a time. Of course, we accidentally purchased a full/full XL bedding set instead of Twin. It was in the dorm stuff- I don’t even know why a full size one would be there. So, we’ll be going to back to BB&B. Things he’s having a hard time finding- after going to BB&B, Home Goods and the dollar store- a few plates, silverware. He wants melamine type plates and already got some bowls and mugs and cups so he doesn’t need a set- just a few plates. He may just end up using paper all the time. I just feel like kids are so green these days that will be a social faux pas. Things were cheaper than he anticipated which made him very happy. I did warn him we saved some of the most expensive things for last. </p>
<p>I think we can get most of the rest of the stuff at Walmart. </p>
<p>^do you have an ikea nearby? It’s great for stuff like that. I, too, bought stuff at BB&B with old coupons I had but a bunch were just $5 off…not as good as 20% off everything. And then the 20% everything coupon came in last week. Well, I went back to the store yesterday and they honored it. It was a bit of a pain for them. And no, you don’t need to take the stuff back with you. Well worth it. I did purchase a lot of bedding at ikea, including the pillows, duvet cover, duvet & blanket. Also the utensils & dishes. Also floor lamp. Everything is so well designed there and inexpensive.</p>
<p>Bought a vacuum at target and a rug on sale, which was originally over $500, at a neat NYC store. Got it for $108. Well worth it. Bought a similar rug there 3 years ago for older son…hand made w vegetable dyes in India. I’m an interior designer and think the boys will probably use it for the rest of their lives. I have a rug and some art I purchased while in college & grad school that I live with to this day. For my oldest, for his 21st bday, I bought him a work of art bc he really doesn’t need anything. and my friends were buying their daughters a piece of jewelry to commentate the big bday. This seemed comparable. Again, I didn’t pay a bomb (it cost $80…spent a little more to frame it) but it’s something he’ll own the rest of his life. I was in London on portobello road at the antiques flea market. I came upon a stunning 19th c Japanese wood block print of a samurai and his assistant. It’s hard finding that subject matter for that genre/period…most is of females. My son loves all things Japanese. He took a Japanese history class last year and has been self-learning the language. He’d love to travel there after he graduates before he goes off to work in a lab and onto grad school. When he opened the gift, he was floored. It’s now one of his prized possessions, along with his clarinet & épée sword & fencing equipment. Lol.</p>
<p>I completely forgot to bring my coupons to BB&B when I went shopping there. Oh, well. You can buy individual plates, bowls, etc. at Target. They also have 4 packs of forks, etc. for $1.99. I figure those items are likely to get lost or beat up so cheap is fine.</p>
<p>Had the end of season swim team banquet tonight and seniors were honored. So touching to see pictures of them from when they were 8 years old struggling to make it across the 25 meter pool to the expert swimmers they are today. DS won most valuable male swimmer for the team and we are quite proud. He is not the fastest swimmer but the coach pointed out that he is a true leader and always makes time for the little ones, taking them under his wing. That was borne out by the fact that an entourage of 8 & unders trailed him to the podium and insisted on taking pictures with him. So cute! He made All-Stars but unfortunately won’t be able to swim in that competition because he has a training camp for his college sport that day. He will miss this team next summer, but his younger sister still swims so he can come back and visit.</p>
<p>Dumb question: what will they use the plates, bowls, utensils for if they have a full meal plan in the dorm? </p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom , my DD11 likes her full sized comforter because it’s not too big, but it’s big enough to hang over the side of the bed a few extra inches to cover up the totes and other assorted stuff she has under her bed. Of course, if it’s a full set including sheets, that won’t help you :)</p>
<p>Hey, where is everyone scoring these 20 percent off everything BB&B coupons??</p>
<p>I assume that DS will sometimes want to have a bowl of cereal, soup, etc. in his room for breakfast or snack and won’t want to walk to the diniing hall just for that, especially if it’s cold out. </p>
<p>The BB&B coupons came in the mail, and DS also got one at school.</p>
<p>My sister mailed her 20% off everything coupon to me. She doesn’t have a child anywhere near college age, so I don’t know why she received one and I didn’t. Then again, I never set foot in the store so perhaps that is why.</p>
<p>For those willing to check pricing on-line, I have found BB&B prices high, even with 20% off everything. </p>
<p>Ct1417, there’s an ikea in new haven. The duvet cover & queen size pillow cover set I bought cost $29.99. The down pillows were $12.99 each. And they’re all good quality. I also bought a blanket for $16. And a decorative pillow for around $12. The design & quality are unbeatable for the price. If it’s too far for you, perhaps you can buy online & ship. The floor lamp for by his bed, the kvart, was $19.99. My older son loved it bc he could direct it to his book & not keep his roommate awake. </p>