DORM, my old country house

COLLEGE BOUND – and My “REVISED” DORM PACKING LIST

THIS is the first summer in 3 years, that I will NOT been preparing to send a child OFF to college.

ME AND MY GIRL!!!! Graduation 2016

Fall 2015 I sent a son to college and Fall 2016  I sent a daughter.

Their basic needs – bedding, toiletries, food – were about the same. My daughter was a bit more invested in the decorating of her Dorm room…but both kids wanted to feel comfortable in their first HOME – away from HOME. (sniff sniff)

This week I am going to devote my blog posts to THIS LAUNCH

 

The weeks and months leading up to THE DAY…ended up, for me anyway, being far more emotionally packed than THE actual DAY we dropped them each off…ALL that anticipation and reflection and the “it got here so fast!!” Now, we have recalibrated…down to one child at home…two here for the summer…and it feels strangely normal…but then again, my kids are all home and that always feels NORMAL.

I tend to throw myself into projects when I am in the middle of something bigger than me…it helps distract and keeps me productive when there is nothing I can do but move forward. Planning and shopping and organizing my sons and daughters belongings in preparation for the DORM helped A LOT and it also gave us something to do together.

I helped move both Tate and Phoebe home and asked them for feedback on what they used and did not use at school. In addition I saw first hand the items I was helping to restock on AMAZON throughout the year…and items that came home in the original unopened packaging.

I will break the list down into 8 categories

1.BATH

2. BEDDING

3. DECOR

4. ORGANIZATION

5. FURNITURE

6. ELECTRONICS

7. SCHOOL SUPPLIES

8. EVERYTHING ELSE!

BATH – 1. Towels –  various sizes – “quick dry” and light eight. Thick plush towels may be more cozy but they will take longer to dry.

THRESHOLD TOWELS TARGET

                 2. Shower Caddy = Plastic with drainage holes

Tate needed more towels mid year / Phoebe wanted me to take some home. So go figure. I think for Tate he did not do laundry often and so more towels was better and for Phoebe, she liked keeping her room tidy and uncluttered so EXTRA TOWELS just made it hard to decide where things should go.

You know your child better than anyone – so, ask yourself   – Will surplus be a relief or a source of stress? For BOTH – the thinner , quick drying towels ate MUCH better than thick plush tower that are hard to hang and never dry and thus – get stinky! I got them the cheapest towels at Target.

BEDDING

  1. One Sheet set for XL Twin bed, extra pillow cases
  2. Body Pillow
  3. Throw Blanket
  4. Extra layer of some sort –
  5. Mattress pad and Mattress topper
URBAN OUTFITTERS SNOOZE SET

SHEETS – I hate to tell you this – but For both of my kids – one set of sheets was sufficient. Storage is a big factor…and both never changed their beds. I did it when I came to pick them up at for Fall break, Christmas break …and then back from Spring break…but extra sheets proved a waste for them. They both said that IF they did need to change them they would wash what they have and then put them back on.

They both LOVED their big fluffy comforters, their memory foam toppers,  and Body pillows.  The mattress pad is a nice layer of extra coverage. Tate had a brand new dorm but Phoebes’ dorm was a million years old and the mattresses were NOT NEW. bed pillows are great for many things and In fact, extra BED pillows came in handy. Both said to limit decorative throw pillows though- too much stuff and it all ends up on floor. BOTH Loved having an extra throw blanket that they could wrap around themselves and go down to the lounge in. Nothing that gets too linty though.

 DECOR

  1. Personal touches – photos, posters, tapestry
URBAN OUTFITTERS MEDALLION TAPESTRY

BOTH KIDS liked having personal touches. Tate preferred posters sold the first week of classes that he and his roommate went and bought. Kind of a bonding things. Phoebe spent the summer before she left for college making collages of photos of her friends and family.

METAL CLIPS PHOTO DISPLAY – URBAN OUTFITTERS

She also loves her big fabric “tapestry” from Urban Outfitters.

ORGANIZATION / LAUNDRY-

  1. Rolling Plastic Drawers
  2. Jewelry holder
  3. Laundry bag and extra bins and baskets for storage
  4. Lots and lots of hangars – the metal ones covered with velvet save space
Room Essentials™ Laundry Bag With Whimsical Typography – Navy

BY THE WAY – COMMAND HOOKS, COMMAND HANGERS, COMMAND EVERYTHING – YOU CANNOT HAVE ENOUGH! They are good for towels and laundry bags and jewelry . AND they come off the wall in seconds just like the commercial!

Phoebe discovered SHOUT COLOR CATCHER SHEETS you put in the washer that keep colors from Running. GREAT to have when money is tight and colors and whites need to be combined.

SHOUT COLOR CATCHER

FURNITURE

  1. Portable chair – OPTIONAL and can get crowded
HANG-A-ROUND CHAIR PBTEEN

Phoebe and Tate both had chairs that they sent back at Christmas. Just not enough space.

ELECTRONICS – 

  1. Extra long charger cords to reach from plug to bed.
  2. Lamp – free standing desk lamp and clip on ones for bed
    DESK LAMP PB TEEN

    AMAZON – 3 CORD CHARGER SET 3 FT, 6 FT AND 10 FT
  3. Power strips
FLEXIBLE POWER STRIP

OTHER SMALL APPLIANCES  YOU MAY WANT  –  FRIDGE,   AIR CONDITIONER, MICROWAVE, PLUG IN HOT WATER POT,  KEURIG COFFEE MAKER

IGLOO MINI FRIDGE FROM URBAN OUTFITTERS

 SCHOOL SUPPLIES

  1. Pencils, favorite pens, notebooks, laptop,

For school supplies, both kids stocked up on a few things before school…but preferred getting what they needed in this regard AFTER classes started and they knew what they needed. I HIGHLY recommend getting AMAZON prime. Phoebe ordered so many things online during the year…face wash, school supplies, electronic items…AMAZON gift cards are a great Graduation gift.

EVERYTHING ELSE 

  1. SAFE
  2. RUG
  3. SWEEPER
  4. UTENSILS, PAPER GOODS ETC ETC ETC

NEXT POST I WILL SHARE MY POINT BY POINT WITH THE KIDS REVIEWS!