Over at A Mom, Money and More, my blogging buddy Sonya Ann has reprised her “Complete college list,” originally put together after packing her older child off to college.
Novices would do well to heed this detailed account of everything a student needs, from cards to bed sheets.
You don’t necessarily need all of these things, mind you. (Bug repellent? Movies? A Hairdini?)
However, the list is a great reminder of the things we’re so accustomed to having that we don’t really think about them.
That is, until they aren’t there. If the average freshman needs dental floss or shoelaces or cough syrup, which of these two scenarios is more likely?
- He’ll load a mobile coupon app onto his smartphone and then walk to the CVS six blocks away, or
- He’ll head to the on-campus store and pay the inflated price for Robitussin.
Of course, even the most exhaustive list can use a fresh pair of eyes. No offense, Sonya Ann.
For starters, I’d pull together a mobile medicine cabinet — a small plastic container with bandages, Neosporin, hydrocortisone cream, ibuprofen (or whatever), throat lozenges, cold meds and some of that Robitussin. College campuses are Petri dishes for whatever cootie is going around, so your kid needs to be prepared to be sick.
But as Sonya Ann points out, there’s no need to pay retail for such things. In fact, there may be no need to pay at all. You probably already own a lot of the items on her list: towels, phone charger, OTC medications, index cards, surge protector and the like.
(And yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to send your kid off with some of the three-year-old towels from the linen closet and buy yourself a few new ones.)
The list, on the cheap
While it might not be cost-effective to carry crates of stuff on a plane, those who are driving can fit quite a bit in the back of an automobile. (See Sonya Ann’s photo: It’s Tetris in a car!) And plenty of the listed items won’t take up too much room in a suitcase.
Some of the needed (or nice-to-have) items might be available on The Freecycle Network or Craigslist, the blogger notes. You could also put out the word that Junior needs a desk lamp or would like a small microwave oven; relatives and friends may have stuff like that in the attic.
The following frugal hacks are from both Sonya Ann and me:
Keep the master list in purse or glove compartment, in case you see a great deal on batteries or fleece pants.
Shop sales, obviously, especially your state’s no-sales-tax day.
Live in a town whose college hasn’t quite finished up for the year? Students leaving later this month may be willing to sell that printer or beanbag chair for a song. (They might also just throw them away; Erin Huffstetler at My Frugal Home recently scored, among other things, two discarded mini-fridges and a set of plastic storage drawers.)
Yard sales and thrift stores might yield storage boxes, bed risers, a bulletin board or other useful items.
Starting in July the big-box office supply stores and also some drug and department stores will run loss-leader specials on school supplies. While your 18-year-old probably doesn’t want a pencil box or a big pink eraser, she can probably use mechanical pencils, highlighters and Post-It notes.
Order items online and pick them up at a local store, such as Wal-Mart or Walgreens, or have them delivered once your student is settled. (Ordering through a cash-back shopping site like Mr. Rebates, Extrabux or Fat Wallet means an extra layer of savings; for more information, see “Social commerce links.”)
Redeem rewards credit cards points for gift cards, either to pay for items now or to send to your student for that cold-and-flu-season trip to the CVS. Or cash in points from rewards programs like Swagbucks and MyPoints.
Preplanning is everything
Oh, and make sure they know how to sort and launder their clothing. That includes how to treat stains promptly, how not to wash wool socks in hot water and how to sew up small rips in seams before they render a garment unwearable.
Knowing some cooking tips will come in handy, too, for those late-night study sessions. (Hint: It is possible to make decent food in a microwave.) Sonya Ann’s list includes utensils, plates, cups and paper towels. I’d throw in a few basic spices from Walgreens or the dollar store, purchased now or when you get there.
But as Sonya Ann notes, doing more now means doing less later. Maybe a lot less. She’s seen other parents make multiple shopping trips after moving their students into the dorms.
“I can’t even imagine what that bill looks like,” she says. By comparison, she didn’t make any shopping runs after getting her daughter settled.
Her advice? A little preplanning will let you do the move in one fell swoop: “Get in and get out, that will save your sanity on move-in day.”
Readers: After checking Sonya Ann’s list at the above link, are there any items you’d add? Any strategies you’d suggest for parents who will be sending their kids off this fall?
This is a good list. I wish I had this list when I was 18 starting college!
Sending College Boy off for his Junior year soon. Boys need pants, shirts, and three weeks worth of boxers, because that’s how long they will wait to do laundry! Dorms at UNC-Chapel Hill have laminate floors, so the list includes broom, dustpan, and mop; or better yet, a wet/dry swiffer that can be broom and mop. Anti- bacterial cleaning wipes for when there is a nasty stomach virus going around and they have to use the same toilet as suite-mates who have it! Get together with room mates and decide who is bringing fridge, micro, and TV. You don’t need two of everything. Many schools offer a deal where you can order the extra-long twin sheets, comforter, mattress pad, etc. for a set price. The prices were comparable to what local stores were advertising, they were all made in the USA,(important to College Boy) and have lasted through two years already with not much sign of wear. Mine has not written a single letter, no need for stamps and stationary, he texts.
Thank you for the writeup and the linky love.
I think the list is overly complete. I tried to include everything that both of the kids needed. I figured that it was easier for people to scratch something off than trying to figure out what was missed. Not everything will work for every person but it is a good starting off point.
🙂
As in, “Do what works for you.” Works for me.
Have been through the college drill 3 times. Never did all that extensive shopping beforehand–except for the extra long sheet set and comforter, as well as a shower caddy. Otherwise, just made a quick trip to Target before leaving daughter/daughter/son at their dorm. Every college they attended included the mini-fridge/microwave.
Part of being on your own is learning how to take care of oneself–and to learn how expensive it can be to do so. Having to purchase their own stuff (with their own hard earned money) was part of that process.
As for cold medicines,etc., most campuses have a medical clinic staffed with doctors/nurses. My 3 were very healthy but DS did have to go once for a lingering cold. Meds were free. Well, we did pay that hefty fee for having the clinic so I guess we actually paid @ $400 for that one visit.
To each his own. I didn’t mind starting my daughter off with some basic supplies; if she ran out, she’d pay for them herself because she did have an on-campus job.
I like Sonya Ann’s idea of ordering online and picking up at the closest Walgreens or whatever. Target now has in-store pickup so that would work.
I would be careful about extension cords and power strips… make sure the dorm allows them before you pack them up. Same goes with microwaves!
Aaah, college. My favorite time of life. If I could put four years on indefinite loop to live over and over, it would be those.
And let me second and third the recommendation that kids know how to do laundry before they leave the nest. I lived across the street from the athletic dorms and they would come use our laundry room frequently. There were rather amusing incidents (given that our school colors were garnet and black). One linebacker stuffed an entire duffel bag of clothing into one washer, got up in the washer and stomped around so that he could fit still more in. Then he dumped in about half of a box of detergent, started the machine and left. The poor machine gave one lurch of desperation and died right there on the spot. I actually waited around until he came back just to see what would happen…. Just enough water had entered the machine to partially dissolve the soap and run the garnet and black all over his white socks and t-shirts. He looked at me in despair and said “This washer isn’t working!” We had an interesting time extracting the clothes, sorting them out and attempting to rewash them.
I remember finding a girl CRYING in the laundry room because she had no idea how to sort and launder her clothing. Not sure why her parents never showed her; maybe they thought it was so easy anyone could do it. Sigh.
My husband taught the boys to do their own laundry when the oldest started high school and the younger was in middle school — had a set a schedule to make sure it got done each week but it worked. A number of other kids ended up annoyed because their mothers heard me talking about the boys doing their own and decided that it was a GREAT idea! And both boys had stories about helping the clueless ones in their dorms do their first load.
Both can do basic cooking as well. The youngest will be in an apartment starting next month and is thrilled that he will be able to eat “real” food for a change. Now we just have to wean him off his belief that everything has to be organic (he’s eating mostly Paleo and he eats a LOT). We’ll see on that one.
I expect that when he has to pay for everything out of his own pocket, he will either get very creative or become willing to compromise somewhat.
And good for you and your husband for insisting the young men learn to take care of themselves.
Actually, in the Texas city where I live (with several major universities) and frequent reports of West Nile virus cases on the nightly news, mosquito repellant IS a definite list need. (Also, while not relating to the back-to-school theme, a lot of volunteer groups and non-profits here request donations of mosquito repellant to pass out to the homeless population and indigent clients.) I do love the organizational mind(s) behind this article. This kind of thinking always inspires me.
That’s why I said “maybe” not — because every city is different. In three years at the University of Washington I never received a single mosquito bite.
And yeah, I like these lists because they make me think, “What else am I forgetting?” Being prepared, as Sonya Ann notes, saves you money later on (e.g., those parents running to the store because their kids forgot to pack toothpaste or pencils or whatever).
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
Sorry. My bad. Just meant to share, not challenge.
At the undergraduate I attended, student government tired of all the perfectly good stuff thrown away (once watched a student pitch a big screen tv into the dumpster because the van was full). Now, they tell students to leave the usable unwanted stuff in their rooms when moving out. Student government organizes the mother of all community yard sales at the end of the year and again at the beginning when new students are moving in. They got warehouse space donated. Pretty smart, huh?
I’ve heard about this idea — apparently it’s slowly becoming a movement. About time!
What a fantastic idea!
Yep, they do that at my school, too, every May. They call it the “free sale,” and it’s a HUGE event. Because everything is free, and it’s all good stuff that has been sorted and displayed. They have ropes to keep people back, and then – The ropes DROP! and it’s a huge free-for-all! It’s AWESOME!
Anyone in the community can drop something off. I mean, it’s mostly students, but others can bring things too.
What a great idea! That is, unless someone gets trampled.
If you live in the dorms then communicating with your roommate is also a frugal hack that can eliminate cost associated with plates/cups/utensils. Also, my roommate and I split the cost of the micro fridge. It would have been too much for either of us individually, and we would have had to transport a mini fridge and microwave back and forth each year.
Good point, especially about the plates/utensils. Why have twice as many as you need?
My daughter and her roommate split the cost of a fridge rented from the university. These days the things are so cheap it would be possible just to buy one.
When my grandson went to school last fall, I used swag bucks to buy him two sets of twin L sheets. Since I had just bought school supplies for a bit of nothing at Office Max and other places in town, I told her what I was sending–I read my list. Then, I did not send it to her address. So, I had to send his box to his school. Thankfully, I had the list of exactly what went into that box. sigh…I received my original package a month later.
The list was important. The school said to send 10 of each type clothing. My daughter sent more.
My grandson had never washed a load of clothing. My daughter said he spent last summer with his gf while she washed the family’s clothes each week, so she was sure he knew how by now. ??? At any rate, he told his mother the ALL tabs I sent him did not work, so he used his girlfriend’s detergent. She knew they worked because I sent her a dozen to try to see if they were okay for his sensitive skin. He was totally unprepared. He can cook nothing at 19-years-old.
The school supplied a combination refrigerator microwave. There was a kitchen where the guys could cook, renting pots and pans or bringing in their own. My daughter sent no pots because she knew he would never even heat up anything.
My daughter is not entirely at fault for her decisions. Her Daddy told my children that I was making them do my job, the housework. EX: No child should have to vacuum his own room or the living room.
What I meant to say is that I did not put her correct address on the box, so it was not delivered to her, just returned to me.