<p>My older son uses the same towel for bath and hand. I think he brought 2 or 3. He only showers once a day, and doesn’t swim or do water-sports though – you’d want more for that. He’d been at camp for several summers prior, so he knew what he felt he needed and I think has stuck with those same 2-3 towels throughout his first 3 years. </p>
<p>Beadymom, maryjay60, and eyemamom - thinking of you and hoping all goes well for you and your kids!</p>
<p>D is taking two sets of towels bath/hand/wash. I ordered a few books on amazon and will have her buy the rest from the college bookstore. They are definitely much cheaper on Amazon, it looks like the rent option is also cheaper on Amazon. </p>
<p>We booked on SouthWest which allows 2 checked bags per person, so we are buying stuff as much as needed here. D ordered a few things through BBB and we will pick them up there. </p>
<p>My son is an athlete, so he does shower at least twice a day. Because of that, we packed four beach towels for him, as well as two hand towels and two wash cloths. I have told him that he needs to wash his towel(s) every two or three days, as he is in Alabama, and the humidity/temperatures are high. Hopefully he does remember this each time he showers. I also reminded him that he needs to change his sheets weekly – again, he does sweat a lot!</p>
<p>I am sending DS with two sets of towels (bath, hand, and face). He is also an athlete and will shower at least twice a day. But one of those showers will be after practice in the locker room, so the athletic department will supply (and wash) those towels for him.</p>
<p>Checked out my D’s books online and the prices were amazingly close to Amazon. Decided to order from bookstore. The hold them and she will pick them up when she arrives. </p>
<p>It really hit me today while grocery shopping that DS will be gone in just a few short days. I didn’t even fill my cart halfway and spent less than $100. The only reason I even had that much to buy is because I bought a couple of boxes of cereal, some granola, cough and cold medicine, cough drops, bottled and powdered Gatorade , and some extra toiletries for him to bring to school. If it weren’t for that I probably would have spent $30! Of course, I do have a freezer full of meat at home, and I tend to shop a couple of times a week for produce but it’s obvious I will have to change my cooking habits. DH is on travel at least half the time, and that leaves only me and my 14 year old daughter at home.</p>
<p>I have been reading this thread for awhile and you have all been helpful. I’m struggling with a DD that just does not like to be bothered with stuff. I don’t think she knows she needs stuff. So I’m trying to be minimalistic. I do like the idea of a safe because she will lose things. But it will have to be combination . . . No key to lose. Can someone recommend a style or brand on Amazon that may be suitable. It would be great if the MB air could fit.</p>
<p>2014novamom: I spent just $104 yesterday, but about $30 was meat (good sale locally). My husband also travels, and the older son will be at UVA Law and not come home too often (in fact I may need to drive down just to see him). So there will not be much spent on groceries or the water bill. But, I do need to give the kids’ bedrooms a good cleaning when they go. Not complaining about that.</p>
<p>Evergreen1929: My son acted as if he did not care too much about shopping, so I did most of it alone. That’s all right. One of my fellow teachers said it will be like Christmas when he opens all the boxes in his suite.</p>
<p>@Evergreen1929 –
I don’t know if CC will take too kindly to links to Amazon. But these are the two that we’re considering:
Stack-On PS-508 Extra Wide Strong Box Safe with Electronic Lock
SentrySafe X105 Security Safe, 1.0 Cubic Feet, Black</p>
<p>The user reviews have both detractors and champions of each of these, both of which should be able to fit a 13" laptop. The Sentrysafe even has an opening that allows a computer charge cord in, to charge the laptop. </p>
<p>We don’t think that our son will use this on a day to day basis, but we thought that if he’s going away for the weekend he could lock up his laptop (and not worry that his roommate might forget to lock the room on his way out).</p>
<p>I bought a few of the crank flashlights that also has a weather radio and phone charger. This one can also be solar powered so I’m going to store mine on the window sill. The kids think I’m absolutely ridiculous and don’t want to take them to their dorms. I told them I thought it was awesome and I’m giving them to everybody I know for Christmas. LOL. They think I’m totally nuts.</p>
<p>Micro-fridge is rented. The roommate is bringing the TV. We just have a couple very small items to pick up. </p>
<p>BarnardMom, your kids will think you are ridiculous until they have a power outage to deal with. It took 3 semesters for D1 to realize how inconvenient it was to have to find someone with a car and charger that would let her recharge her phone, and she was calling home 4 hours away for updates on their weather!</p>
<p>@Jam13 love it!^^^…I haven’t been on the board much this week. I have been finishing up at work and trying not to worry about what my next job is going to be…wow I was really stressed out and I am so glad to be back in Maine ( even though I am soon to be jobless). S seems happy that I am home and I have been getting things ready for next Friday -we are driving to Burlington, VT and he leaves for a 5 day wilderness Trek on Saturday. There are a lot of loose ends that I am trying to get done or get S to do…like health insurance waiver, dorm insurance, passport renewal/photo, notifying car insurance company about S going to college, paying for college, immunizations, ordering books, deciding weather to take AP waiver vs taking Calc class, last minutes items that I think he needs…oh and my husbands car was totaled (no one was hurt) and we finally settled with the insurance company yesterday. It ticks me off that I had to fight to get a decent price for our car. The national average for our car was $ 1000 more than our estimate but the car is selling for less in Maine! We finally settled in the middle…glad to be done and moving on. We are not replacing the car because we have (had) 3 and really could get by with one most of the time. </p>
<p>I tried to go back and read old post…@ Barnardmom I love the flashlight with weather /phone charger! Good idea…
I think my husband is going to "kill "me if I don’t stop buying things for S to take with him! I just bought him a “crazy creek” chair to take with him on the Trek trip - it was listed as optional lol…However, I don’t think I will buy a safe- S wouldn’t use it anyway and he is in a honors dorm so hopefully his items will be safe ? Plus he has a bathroom connected to his room that two doubles share. </p>
<p>Today I need to go buy items for the go-to-med box ( yes I am still buying). I am not sure what size box to buy? I have a plastic shoe boxes that I just might use…</p>
<p>Glad to read that move ins are going well…@eyemamom @ beadymom and @Maryjay60- hope you all have a smooth move-in day! </p>
<p>Computer discussion…we bought our S the 15 inch MacPro - I think the 13 would have been fine but he really wanted the 15 and it was his graduation present so I bought him what he wanted…He doesn’t care about the weight…I have the 13 inch and boy that 15 is awful nice! </p>
<p>@mathmomVT - the honors packet is $19.95 - my guess is the packet is not in the bookstore yet. Plus they do not need it the first day of class. I bought some of S’s books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble to use his gift cards. Actually, I only bought the books for the honors writing class - 4 of them - I had the 5th ( The Immortal Life of Henrietta Locks). S will have to buy the others at UVM bookstore because they are special editions mostly. He will need to decide if he will live with an E version of the book or wants the hard copy. He tends to like to have the text book but this time he is using his own money -it will be interesting to see what he chooses! </p>
<p>@cakeisgreat - I am glad your D is feeling better! </p>
<p>Well I am off to have breakfast with a friend and to finish shopping and start to organize/pack for move in day!
Yikes! …Btw …anyone else getting teary eyed? I have been looking at old photos …where did the time go - how could my “baby” be going off to college…it is hard having only one…</p>
<p>Great idea about the flashlight BarnardMom! I feel like our shopping list is ridiculously long, with many items still to purchase. I will be amazed if we can fit half of this stuff in the room. </p>
<p>@onlyonemom - I also have many of those tasks remaining. The health insurance, in particular , is giving me fits. Few in-network providers in TN, and this year the school decided to discontinue offering insurance. So I’m shopping for a new policy for D. And that 5k deductible on the existing policy has already been met. Ack! </p>
<p>As move-in draws nearer, I’m feeling this strange mix of sadness, excitement for D, and anxiety. Also, a bit overwhelmed by everything left to do. My dad was visiting for 2 weeks. It was wonderful to see him, but I didn’t get much done during his visit and work has been crazy busy. I’m ready for the post-launch cruise. Anyone for a cocktail?</p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom - can you please link to the specific flashlight you purchased?</p>
<p>I have been a big-time lurker on this thread and have been so appreciative of all the advice and wisdom shared. Thank you!</p>
<p>@cakeisgreat, so glad your daughter is feeling better. The cough will probably linger for some time—I had pneumonia years ago and not only had the lingering cough, but also a loss of appetite that lasted for months afterwards and led to a 40 pound weight loss.</p>
<p>@onlyonemom, definitely getting teary-eyed as the departure date draws near. S leaves two weeks from today, and like you, I have “only one.” The “to-pack” stacks are growing taller, and the closer we get, the more I have to fight back tears as friends and coworkers ask me how I’m feeling.</p>
<p>@overtheedge, you nailed my feelings exactly. Sadness, excitement, anxiety. Sadness when I think how quiet our home will be, how much I will miss the sound of his guitar in the evenings. Excitement for him to start this new chapter in his life. And anxiety, as I pray that he made the right college choice, that he loves the small Christian LAC that he chose over the full ride offered by a state university, that it will be the right “fit” for him, and that he will flourish there. Worrying—a Mom’s job, right?</p>
<p>We’ve done the visit to the dentist, and even a visit to the dr, where they recommended the HPV vaccine that he hadn’t yet had. Now I just have to remind him when it’s time to get the follow-up dose. We’ve requested another copy of our insurance card for him to put in his wallet.</p>
<p>It seems like ages since he graduated in mid-May, the summer has been somewhat of a “limbo” feeling, but now with launch date looming, it’s getting “really real really fast”!</p>
<p>We ordered S’s books from Amazon, total approx. $600. Just curious how many others have run into the requirement of textbooks with “online access cards”. S is taking 17 hours, and 3 of his courses required the online access, which effectively reduced his ability to save money with a used textbook, as purchasing the online access separately can run as much as $145, seemingly making it no more economical than a new textbook. S’s chemistry textbook, ordered twice as “new” from Amazon, arrived twice without the access card enclosed (shrink wrap had been removed from book, and card was missing). After the second one, Amazon sent him the access card separately at no additional charge, since S had already paid $230 for the “new” book that was missing the card. It seems that the online access requirement really escalates the overall book expense—will be curious to see how much that online access is actually used and whether that expense was justified!</p>
<p>@1mississippi My S will bring 2 sets of towels; he showers every other day. Didn’t get new towels as we just did that last year. Everyone in the house got color coded towels. His are purple so I bought sheets that coordinate. He doesn’t care but they will stand out.</p>
<p>@2016barnardmom the crank flashlight sounds cool. My S is bringing his old favorite, though. He commented “I’d forgotten how much I liked that flashlight. Such a great flashlight!” That’s my guy, sentimental about a flashlight.</p>
<p>Important stuff has been done for a while but I can’t stop buying little optional things. Bought a big pack of zip ties because people said those were handy for cables but also for hanging things from the bunk. They will go in his toolbox for times he feels creative. Bought combs because he won’t be able to parasitize from his dad. But the real sign I’m beyond necessity is the manicure set. I got one when I was a child. He will use the nail clippers and file, figure it isn’t a bad idea to have the tweezers too, all in a case so he knows where to find them. I was going to let him discovers these needs and make the purchases at school, but I couldn’t help myself.</p>
<p>I spent a couple of nights in a threadbare dorm room and now have no regrets with the comfortable bedding and other amenities I’m sending. My household of guys thinks I’m way over thinking but I feel good about it.</p>
<p>On the down side, he just started complaining about jaw pain and will have to see the dentist ASAP. I thought we might have a couple years on the wisdom teeth but maybe I was wrong. Big miscalculation if so as we leave on Friday :-(</p>
<p>
for S1 I found some “nicer” plastic boxes just a little larger and sturdier than shoebox size, and with handles, that I used for his meds and misc items boxes, but for S2 I wasn’t able to find anything like that, so I’m just going with the shoebox size boxes, which seems just fine.</p>
<p>@overtheedge, if your deductible has already been met, would you be better of just paying out-of-network prices (if your policy offers that) and keeping the current policy, at least through December? It would give you more time to shop. How does using the on-campus health center work – do her fees already cover some or all of that cost?</p>
<p>@1mississippi I think DS only had one book where he needed the online access. As they get more experienced, they’ll probably be better able to judge whether they really need those things or not, but for first semester, it’s good to have all the right versions and accesses of course. Glad you were able to work out the access card issue with Amazon – their customer service is awesome, IME. I think my DS ordered the one book where he required the online access directly from the school’s bookstore.</p>
<p>Good luck to all completing all the last-minute tasks. </p>
<p>We got DS’s room assignment, roommate, and move-in time. Afaik, he has yet to reach out to the roommate (shy!) but I’m pleased that the move-in time slot is late enough in the morning that we can just drive up that morning, and not have to get a hotel room for the night before. (We live about 3 hours away and I’m not a morning person, so I wouldn’t have wanted to pack the car at 4 and start driving at 5 for an 8am move-in!) The room is 1400/year more than the type he asked for (double room with its own private bath) so I am looking into whether he qualifies for any of the funding the school sets aside for kids placed in expensive rooms they didn’t request – with his scholarship he is only just barely finaid eligible (and only that because we have 2 in school this year, so they may just offer him more loans. But it’s worth applying to see.</p>
<p>I haven’t been here in a long time and didn’t really follow the thread way back when, a thousand years ago when we started thinking about college. My daughter (my one and only) and I live in Brooklyn. She is going to Rochester Institute of Technology, and we leave a week from Monday. During the application/decision process, I was spending many days looking after my 91-year-old dad and 93-year-old stepmother. My dad passed away the day after we went to accepted-students day and my stepmother was taken to Colorado to live in a nursing home near her son.</p>
<p>Because I also have a very ill brother who lives far, far away from us, we were not able to have a memorial get-together for my dad (who donated his body to a medical school: no funeral) until this week, when my brother finally came to NYC for treatment. I just finished my eulogy for my dad. So I am in the final throes of losing both pieces of bread in my care sandwich.</p>
<p>I cannot bear to think of how I will feel with her gone, although I must say that she has behaved in such a way this summer that I may miss her a tiny bit less than I would have otherwise, lol. But next week is to tie up the loose ends and pack up the car.</p>
<p>I guess we’ll have one another here to pick up the pieces when we come back without our new college-student kids. I come home the night of August 20th and I’ll be here for sure!</p>