Question about college care packages About This Page:

[pflamingo]

C'mon, get real -- forget the quarters and laundry soap -- just send him clean underwear!

When I was in grad school, I loved getting Mom's homemade cookies. But anything from home was great.

[CRCrazy]

Dianne - before you send quarters for laundry you may want to check out the machines.

Jennie and I have been saving quarters to send for laundry - but we found out that Keene's laundry machines are all hooked up to her Keene student account - so I've got to feed that now as well! GRRRR! Apparently - they just swipe their ID through the machine to do laundry.

Are you getting nervous yet? I know I am - this seems so much more - COLLEGIATE - than when Amanda went to the Tech. Jennie went with our friend Rick, her confirmation sponsor (aka the Godfather) on a shopping spree today - he wanted to buy her an IPOD alarm clock speaker thingy for her dorm room. He was complaining because she said she didn't need anything - he wanted to take her to BJ's and stock up on snacks! You can tell that his college age child is a boy - Ricky's never refused snacks, that's for sure! Jennie finally acceded to a bottle of V-8 Splash - although she's already confiscated all of my snack foods !!!

I'd stick with the homemade cookies type foods for snack items in a care package - and according to Amanda - pictures from home are very important - she just called asking for more. Other good ideas are Dunkin Donuts gift cards (or Starbucks - if that's your preference). Phone cards used to be in vogue before the big cell phone boom. Again - money's always nice - if you have any left. I know I don't - 2 in school is a huge expense! Just ordered Amanda's books online - she goes for the inexpensive route - but Keene doesn't release any of the names - they just offer freshman a 10% discount if you give them your ID number - they pull ALL the books on the list for your registered classes and charge them to Mom's credit card. Then you just have to stop in and pick them up on move in day. Of course - they do charge $10 for the service.

I like Amanda's way much better!

So - 2 college tuitions and room/board ( or at least - feeding Amanda's bank account so she can pay her rent) done for this semester - books are ordered - Sarah's dance classes are scheduled (not paid yet - waiting for my summer school check) - and a coal stove ordered - OUCH can we say a year's salary plus out the door this month?

I haven't even scheduled Sarah's braces yet. I need to win the lottery, I think.

Oh well - it's only money - they're worth it (most of the time!)

[Magicdreamer287]

Omgosh Packages from home are the best!!!! Pretty much anything from home is the best! I'm also a girl....but some things that I bet are the same: favorite foods! I know you can get them at the market up at school...but when they come from home it's like awesome! Rare things that you can only get from home too.... I once got a pumpkin pie from my favorite farm sent to me! Simple things like toiletrees, cards, pictures, movies, cds, anything! I get a lot of room decorations. I am a theatre geek (acting and technical) so I like having things that sing around. Freshman year, someone from my family sent me one for EVERY holiday as a decoration.... I was know as the girl who's room sang. It was awkward but something I pride myself in. haha. GIFT CARDS!!! Walmart, starbucks, olive garden, any kind of gift card is awesome!!!
So to put it simple. Care packages can include basically anything you want in them. Favorite items are great to put in there. Comfy/homey things as well.

I hope this helps a bit!!! I hope your DS has a great time at school!

[Teresa]

Thought of something else - why not silly stuff, like squirt guns, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, frisbees, etc?

[Hugmonster]

Simple things are best. Send homemade baked goodies or his favorite store purchased ones.

Send pictures. Send the little things like post it flags and high lighters.
Listen when you talk with him and you will hear what he is missing from home. For me it was Pepsi as I was a Yankee in North Carolina the land of Coke drinkers.

Send pop-tarts and snack mix too.

Oh and maybe a new DVD from time to time. Or even an old one that is a favorite from home.

[ilovedisney247]

I'll be honest . . . the best thing to send in a college freshman's care package is alka seltzer morning relief! That aside . . .is he bringing a coffee maker--really good coffee was my weakness in college--I couldn't afford it, but I had to have it! Send things that will be easy to share--it will help him make friends!

[DyanKJ130]

What great ideas everyone has! I didn't go away to college, but when I moved away and lived in OK for a while, I enjoyed anything my parents sent me. I think my favorites were photos (which we can send online now), handwritten letters and the copies of the local newspaper they used to stuff in the box. I also enjoyed the things they could only get regionally, like Autocrat to make coffee milk and Red Rose tea


to help you get through this. DS has 2 more years to go, but I think about him leaving all the time and it pulls at my heartstrings!

[dejavu]

Wow Dianne, this is coming up soon!

My mom would send homemade chocolate chip cookies wrapped in saran wrap and packed in a shoe box. My friends and I would always get excited when I got a shoe box in the mail!!

My very favorite thing from home was not a care package though- it was the handwritten letters that my dad sent me. He didn't like to write, but would write me one long newsy, dorky, funny, loving letter every semester. I still have them all and just thinking of them has me in tears.

These days kids have cell phones, texting, IMing, etc. - but I wouldn't underestimate the value of a heartfelt handwritten letter from home.

[caitdanmom]

in addition to what everyone else has listed, A little $$$$ is also good

[Marybeth]

How about a long distance gift card that he can use to call home?

[NanaTink]

You've gotten really good suggestions already! My mom used to send me a lot of this kind of stuff, as well as stamped envelopes and stationary. The best thing was just getting that package from home with the notes inside!

[poohmaine]

CASH! That's what Hayley wanted most, so she could go out for ice cream and things like that. Also, for holidays (like Halloween) I would send candy and decorations for her and her roommates.

[Huntermom]

Cash and Gift cards! DS2 loved to go to the movies and had chain cinemas available so that was a good option for him.

I would not go overboard with snacks depending on the room size. Many newer dorm rooms are are miniscule and storage is a problem. My first son didn't particularly like boxes from home-he has plenty to eat on his meal plan and he is not a snacker. You also also have to get them from the PO to your room, which could be a pretty long walk.

My second son liked mostly things he wouldn't buy himself-candy, sweets. Because of the freshman 15, be careful of weight gain. I see my DD regularly because I go to her horse shows. I will usually take her somewhere or ask her specifically what she wants. Last year, she brought little other than water and granola bars. She had a single the size of a closet and a meal plan with a lot of meals and points left over at the end of the year.

Check the rules carefully about what appliances you can bring. My DS2 went to school in NY state and the state has very tight regulations. He had a dorm fire his freshman year-1st week actually-when a student left an illegal crock pot on. Student was not allowed to live on campus (on a campus with a very few off campus students) among other consequences.


And ask your son. Boys are different. Some will love being reminded of home, some prefer a cleaner break.

Diane

[wheatenwalker]

Laundry is free at SU ( well,as free as anythingis with that tuition)

[Huntermom]

I forgot, my second son requested that he be sent some apples from a local farm. As I said, weight can be an issue-especially with so many schools now having unlimited ice cream and "fast food" options. Ben said he really missed being able to get "good fruit."

I also sent him nuts (he loves cashews and almonds). He alway had a kitchen available so he brought back pancake mix and real maple syrup.

Be careful that you pack well-I sent one of my boys applesauce, which opened on route.

My son also liked to go shopping with his friends on the weekends, so gift cards to the local grocery stores were great. I think there are Wegman's in Syracuse. They have a great hot bar that Ben and friends would go to to bring a meal back to the residence.

Diane