DS16 and I made a list as we drove home of things he wished he had: foldable chair, soft sided cooler (beach!!) bag clips, cord wraps, fresh fruit
And what he could have done with less of: water and sports drinks purchased off campus, one less bath towel (took 3), tv (watched in lounge)
The mandatory meal plan buy in that will no longer carryover from 1st to 2nd semester means he will spend that first before buying water and sports drinks off campus next fall. The prices are better off campus but not that much better. Also he will buy the pricey fresh fruit on campus for the same reason.
Since I have a food plan, I would limit how much actual food I buy for my dorm. I bought a lot of microwaveable food that I could cook in my dorm, and I ended up throwing away the majority of it at the end of the year, simply because my meal plan was more convenient, and I ate most of my meals with a group of friends.
I found that I could probably do without my TV. Whenever I was at school, I very rarely watched TV. In fact, I think I did not even turn on my TV once during spring semester. I could decide not to take it next year, but I think I will take it just in case I want to watch something. Sometimes it makes for good background noise, too.
Ditto on limiting the food. I brought two boxes of oatmeal since my dining hall doesn’t open until 11am on weekends. II didn’t eat one pack. I didn’t need to bring two water bottles; one worked fine for track and day to day, plus I got several freebie ones. I brought too many nice dresses (3), too many towels (3), and too many sets of sheets(2). I also didn’t use my bike helmet (though I really should have).
I didn’t bring enough loose leaf paper, notebooks, and id (needed SS card mailed to me for on campus job). I found myself buying fresh fruit, pretzels, and the occasional chocolate bar at the grocery store. I also didn’t bring enough business-casual clothes, but that’s because I had to dress nice for my job.