<p>Had to laugh at cathymee’s advice, “Don’t pack grandma and grandpa for the moving in days.” Between all the lugging and the heat, my spouse and I pretty much looked like “grandma and grandpa” by the end of the day, anyway.</p>
<p>writing as a student, I notice that a lot of people are saying, “No valuable irreplaceable items!”</p>
<p>My mother bought me an antique ring once when we were in Europe – really really expensive and gorgeous, with nine real tiny diamonds, and from the 1920s. I love it to bits and wear it every single day of my life, except to work (I work in a pizza place; not the best combination).</p>
<p>Should I forfeit wearing the ring for four years? I can’t imagine my hand without it ;_; Advice?</p>
<p>If it never leaves your hand, I think you’re fine taking your beloved ring. If you get another job at a pizza place, you can wear it on a chain around your neck.</p>
<p>Wow - to think that I brought my “Bartenders Guide” to college when I left for school in 1971!</p>
<p>Sheets and towels - who worried about those?</p>
<p>A TV is not necessary. Lots of other students have them, they are in dorm lounges, and kids don’t even watch TV that often, anyway–everything is on the computer nowadays, it seems.</p>
<p>If they need to apply for a job, they will need their actual SS card. I agree with mom60 on that point.</p>
<p>My D said she does not want a TV for the same reasons Cookie pointed out. She watches whatever online and mainly is into movies anyway which she can watch on her computer or portable DVD Player. The big thing she is trying to come to terms with is which books to take. I told her everything that has been written on here about not bringing too many books but she is having separation anxiety!!!</p>
<p>You can mail books to her at the special book rate after she is settles and if she still wants them. My bet is she won’t ask for very many…</p>
<p>Ah yes, that plug in phone! We insisted on buying S a plug in phone, since the school provides phone line for EACH student in housing in the cost of the housing contract. He answered it maybe twice or so out of the year he had it plugged in & “lost it” after that first year.
With D, we didn’t even bother buying the phone.
Neither kid wants or knows what they would do with a lock for their desktop. Both keep their laptops out of sight if they’re not around using them.
S wanted office supplies the 1st year when we went up with him but thereafter bought them at nearby stores.<br>
For both kids, it was good for them to bring less rather than more. D only packed 1/2 to 1/3 of her clothes & still her drawers are bulging at home, LOL. S was annoyed the 1st year that I packed him jeans and long pants–he only wore shorts. The 2nd year was MUCH colder & he was glad to have warm clothing and even purchased more! :)</p>
<p>I pretty much let the kids pack what they felt they would need. It was easier for D because she knew S was there & had a better feel for campus since we had been there for S’s move-in day in 2006 + Parents’ Weekend in 2008 before she moved in Jan 09. Packing light & taking them to shop made the most sense to all of us.</p>
<p>Neither is too much into popcorn & I have no idea whethe either has acquired or the use of a popcorn bowl. It tends to set off their allergies when popcorn is cooked. D likes it better than S, but neither uses as much as they purchase :(</p>
<p>Son took TV for the PS3, 2 towels, 2 sheets, too many t-shirts.
Lofted both beds freshman year and put a sofa under one and the tv/gaming system under other. TV sat on top of the mini-fridge. I would’ve been claustrophobic living in that room but they had fun.</p>
<p>I truly do not know how I posted on this thread this morning…gremlins?</p>
<p>Stop putting s or d just put son or daughter</p>
<p>People with kids going near Canada – if you live in New York State (maybe others for all I know) I think your kid can get an “enhanced” drivers license that allows border crossing. You may want to consider instead of passport.</p>
<p>My H showed up at WVU in the 70’s with a tent and a duffle bag first week of school until he found housing… He’s a pretty successful businessman now. :)</p>
<p>I am going the minimalist approach for S-- which is definitely being influenced by the economy. Two years ago I probably would have been willing to buy in abundance at Bed, Bath, Beyond. </p>
<p>I remember showing up in upstate NY w/ lots of sweaters & winter coats - but I was in trouble b/c it was hot the whole month of Sept. - I had maybe 1 pair of shorts & a skirt</p>
<p>Layering is always so useful to handle the variations in weather. </p>
<p>I personally prefer a minimalist approach & my kids seem to as well (S more than D). It makes things much easier for storing over the summer. To date, we’ve never had to pay a storage fee. S has just put things in garbage bags & stored them with friends. This summer, D used the boxes S had in his apartment & left her stuff at his place over the summer.</p>
<p>As the OP, I’d like to report on the things my S is not taking back to school for his sophomore year:
Alarm clock–He uses his iPhone.
Too many clothes–Ten days’ worth is enough. He actually does laundry. This means he won’t have to pack much stuff when he comes home for vacations.
Mesh bags–Seemed intriguing, but never used them. Now we have them here, and I don’t use them, either.
The large locking box we insisted he have for his camera equipment–He feels that his room is secure, and the box took up way too much space.</p>
<p>Things I made him take that he’s glad he had:
Antibacterial wipes–He swears that he and his roommate never got the stomach bugs that were going around because they used them to disinfect their room. 
A couple of bowls–He’s a cereal guy.
Stacking bins for his closet shelf–We had a fight while buying them in the Container Store, but he liked them.</p>
<p>He went minimalist last year thanks to this thread. This year he’s taking even less (still in a dorm room and knows what he can accommodate). By the way, he did wear his suit and other “nice” dress clothes (slacks and shirts) several times.</p>
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<p>Actually…ten days worth of underwear and socks is essential…but you know…they do NOT need ten pairs of jeans. I had to impress on my college kids (especially daughter) that they COULD wear jeans more than once. Ditto sweatshirts and the like.</p>
<p>^^^ LOL I thought it was common knowledge you can wear a pair of jeans more than once.</p>
<p>^^^I, too, thought it was common knowledge (wearing jeans more than once)…but somehow my D & S didn’t get that memo…sigh.</p>
<p>Oh, no, I absolutely did NOT mean 10 pairs of jeans! In fact, my S proudly told me that he wore the same pair for two weeks. I meant socks and underwear–and maybe t-shirts (my son doesn’t wear those more than once).</p>
<p>Another idea: He uses Dr. Brunner’s (sp?) liquid soap, which is basically all-purpose, gentle castile soap, for everything–shampoo, body wash, and washing his mug and bowls. All-purpose is good in college dorm rooms.</p>
<p>My S is a rising junior. I drove him to college his freshman year. A lot of the stuff we took in the vehicle were things people other than my S had suggested. He had veto-ed other stuff, but some things that were in there clearly were someone else’s idea. </p>
<p>Fast-forward 2 years. In May of this year, I drove over his bedroom furniture for an apartment he had rented for the summer and his junior year. When I got there the unfurnished apartment had a small pile of his stuff in the corner of the bedroom.</p>
<p>After we assembled his old bed that I had brought (he had bought a queen mattress locally off Craig’s list), I asked him if we needed to swing past his dorm in my vehicle to move “the remainder” of his stuff. He told me that he had already brought nearly everything over, or it was in the trunk of his clunker car.</p>
<p>I let it go until we were sitting around eating Chinese take out later that night. I asked him what he had done with X, Y and Z that we had brought over his freshman year. He had sold it, swapped it or donated it at the end of the freshman year. He stored what was left in his college town for the summer after his freshman year.</p>
<p>If I had to do it all again, I’d only send the stuff my S picked to take and then he could fill in anything he felt was missing in the campus town or from “home” on that first Winter Break. </p>
<p>FIRST lesson of a first time parent of a college freshman–if they aren’t interested in it, it is a waste of money to get it or send it. If they need it, they’ll get it some way or another.</p>