Ah college memories. The years of eating ramen noodles heated up in a hot pot and an entire floor trying to scrape up enough money for pizza. I had to laugh when I saw one of those “off to college” commercial ads for one of the big box stores. It was a list of all of the college essentials that parents needed to purchase for their new college student. I couldn’t believe it. There were practically all of the comforts of home. Actually, there were more comforts in that dorm room than are probably in my own home right now!
My first bit of advice is to tone down on all of the stuff. College kids just need a few things such as classes, time to study, friends, food and sleep. They don’t need designer sheets and espresso machines.
Take a look around your own home to see what can be put together for college. You should already have the sheets, the pillow, blanket and towels. Laundry detergent is also a good idea, unless your college kid will be bringing all of his laundry home. A desk lamp might be nice, as well as a simple netbook or laptop.
A mini fridge can be helpful, especially if you are opting to tone back on the expensive college meal plan. With a fridge, there will always be snacks available as well as the makings for simple meals.
Check with the school. Your student may or may not be allowed a microwave or simple coffee pot in his room. But even before you buy the microwave or coffee pot, find out if there are common areas in the dorm where these things are available for the students to use in common. You’ll save money this way. I know an enterprising student who got a job in the school cafeteria and then was able to cook his own meals for free, before and after the student rush.
Go for the used textbooks. If you can get a list together ahead of time of the books that are needed, you might be able to find them cheaply online. Your campus bookstore should also have used copies of required books, but you may get a better deal elsewhere.
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