I got this bed topper for DD
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CICW2YA/
It’s bamboo not foam. She has a Bamboo pillow that she really likes too.
@readingclaygirl Walmart has a memory foam pad for $60 I believe.
Thanks everyone for the ideas!
Can I just go ahead and admit this right now! This CC thread is helping me more than you guys could ever know! My husband and I grew up dirt poor. I financially struggled to put myself through college and was blessed with a government internship in my sophomore year. After 29 1/2 years I will be retiring at 49 1/2 years of age (federal law enforcement). I consider myself to be a strong woman but my only child heading off to college is taking me on an emotional roller coaster. Just reading all of your posts (especially many of the GW alums) has really helped me take a deep breath and calm down. Just wanted to say thank you 
D16 and I have been looking online and in stores for various items. We’re in full blown shopping mode! It’s been decided that we will purchase the microwave oven and a printer for the dorm. I’ve created registries or lists for various stores so that as we get closer to move in I’ll be able to easily see what’s in stock, what I can ship to store and what I can send directly to the dorm. @sseamom I’ve also found Target, Walmart, Marshall’s and Biglots relatively close to our hotel. Between them all, I’m sure we’ll find everything.
@HappyFace2018 congrats on the retirement! What are your plans now? My sister’s FIL retired and got so board he started a new company, and my ex-SIL went on a year-long tour of Africa, where she met her soon-to-be new husband! I’ve found this group to be very supportive also. My D16 is my youngest and last to leave home-I know I will need all of you in a month when she goes to college.
@Undercovermom1 I mapped out all the likely stores a bit ago, or so I thought. D asked me to find the nearest grocery store, as she’s excited to make “mug meals” in the dorm microwave-only kitchen. Turns out there are both a Kroger and an Aldi’s barely a mile away. From what D’s group chat people are saying, kids often walk over there to buy food.
Just got an email that Big Lots is having a 20% off day on Sunday. If you’re a rewards member you can get the discount Saturday as well if you scan your card or log in online.
I’m fairly sure my older two have this topper from Target. Nothing special, but enough to make their beds comfortable at $22.49. I put them on their beds at home, too. This one comes in the XL length. http://www.target.com/p/mattress-topper-memory-foam-beige-room-essentials/-/A-50366073
@psychmomma That’s the one I ordered for my son. His mattress cover is padded so that should be sufficient.
I’ve started shopping (mostly for items that I want to wash before D uses them), but find myself constrained by 1) having to schlep items via plane (though we will buy bulkier items like a mattress topper online and have it shipped); 2) thinking about how to store these things next summer. Sigh. I also expect that the tuition bill (and other related scary expenses) is arriving next week some time, which serves as a check to purchases.
@carlson2, thinking about next summer, does your school offer any storage options? D’s school allows students who live more than 400 miles away to store a limited amount of items over the summer or during study abroad time.
A friend whose son is there said there are storage services – they run approximately $35 per tote. We will probably do this.
@sseamom We have a second home on an island in Coastal Georgia. Can’t wait to garden, fish, crab, ride our beach cruiser bikes, volunteer at our home church, travel and get our small lawn care business started up again. Oh yes…and travel to DC to visit our sweet girl
@HappyFace2018 can I come visit sometime? I LOVE Coastal Georgia! I have friends that live on Jekyll and just loved taking my Girl Scouts to Savannah and Tybee Island!
@3scoutsmom We are right next door on the south end of St. Simons Island! Come on over
Like @sseamom, I’ve been mapping out different possible destinations for D. Since I’ve never been to Boston, I’ve loved using Street View on Google and spent way too much time exploring the streets around her school. The parks, grocery stores, libraries, coffee spots, historical sites – I can’t wait to put on my walking shoes during parent orientation and see them all for myself.
Anyone else wishing they could have a college do-over? They were great years for me, and I’m a little jealous of all that awaits our kids.
@palm715 My mom has been wishing for one ever since she toured my college. Her college years were “okay” but not really enjoyable. It’s part of what fueled her to make sure we ended up where we really wanted
College do-over? Those were some good years. Before all the responsibility of adult life, surrounded by thousands of people your age. I wouldn’t change the school, but I would be less uptight and stressed if I could do it over. I was scared of losing my scholarship, so was a little too obsessed with keeping perfect grades.
Touring colleges with the kids was so fun- it did make me wish I had some type of job where I could spend time on a campus again.
@HappyFace2018 : "@3scoutsmom We are right next door on the south end of St. Simons Island! Come on over "
Thought as much from your description. St. Simons, from what I know, is as close to an ancestral homeplace as my family can name. I’ve only been once, and I remember feeling enchanted. The area was quite lovely.
@sseamom: Met a woman there whose grandmother kept alive the folk traditions and songs of old, touring the country performing and greeting people, and whose work was recorded by Alan Lomax, an ethnomusicologist/folklorist.
My sister is officially enrolled in her community college and she even got waived from placement testing because her grades were high enough. She goes to orientation next week.