Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:46:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 14:00:24 GMT
My nephew is getting ready to move to college so I've been assembling a "dorm survival kit" of all the things he might need but won't want to spend money on himself. Stuff that you sort of mentally take for granted, but when you need it, you need it.
He's moving into a dorm that has community bathrooms. He'll have one roommate. The only heat-producing thing they can have is an electric tea kettle and/or coffee pot, so no toaster, toaster oven, or microwave. He and his roommate haven't yet figured out if they're buying a mini-fridge.
So far I have:
A collapsible crate to put it all in but which will fit in a tiny spot when he's not using it Batteries Power strip Extension Cord Long cord for his phone Clamp light for lofted bed Ziploc Bags Pain Killer Flashlight A roll of quarters Laundry soap Sharpie Candy Top Ramen Silverware Cup, Plate, Bowl Small Dish Soap and Sponge A few pieces of tuperware Tool kit Can Opener Bandaids Command Hooks to hang stuff on his wall Clorox Wipes
Does anyone have any other suggestions? I'd love a few more "fun" things so it's not JUST practical.
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basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,619
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:09 GMT
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Post by basketdiva on Jun 18, 2016 14:19:30 GMT
Not fun but practical- a small sewing kit
Some fun office supplies- you can get paperclips, staplers, tape dispensers, push pins etc in fun shapes.
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Post by jengels999 on Jun 18, 2016 14:28:25 GMT
My boys loved their wireless speakers they got for graduation, they used them every day. Now that they are home for summer, they still use them everyday, I just get to listen to loud rap music, yuck!!!
Janell
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Post by ntsf on Jun 18, 2016 14:50:51 GMT
quarters may not be needed..I would leave them off. often laundry in a dorm is a card based.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Jun 18, 2016 14:57:49 GMT
I would leave out the roll of qt's. Most colleges have laundry free now, and the extension cords. If he can't have a microwave in the room, ext cords will most likely be a no no also. Though most kids DO use them, they just hide them during inspections.
I make a small survival kit for graduates every year, usually what I put in mine is.
paperclips, duct tape, command strips, band aids, triple antibiotic, ace wrap, Tylenol, ibro, small sewing kit, alligator clips, scotch tape, rubber bands, Tums, and a scissor
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Post by holly on Jun 18, 2016 15:10:40 GMT
I bought a couple senior all Nighter gifts this year (on PTO) and they were a hot water kettle with packs of ramen and I found Rapid Ramen Cooker on Amazon. Apparently it was featured on Shark Tank. I also bought a book called 101 Things To Do With Ramen. The kids that got it seemed to like it. With the cooker you don't need a microwave to cook the ramen you pour the hot water right in the container and it cooks and you can it from there too I believe.
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:46:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 15:13:02 GMT
Thanks all. I will add a bunch of these to my list. I went to this same college (and actually lived in the same dorm) so I know extension cords are allowed But good point on the quarters! Thanks!
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Post by LilyRose on Jun 18, 2016 15:15:51 GMT
Ummm....condoms? But pretty sure that's not something he wants from his aunt.
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Post by Frazzled Mom on Jun 18, 2016 15:44:28 GMT
Nix the quarters - dorm machines are card based now. A set of silverware for eating food in the room when the dining hall isn't open. A mug/bowl is useful too. Dish soap for cleaning dishes and silverware. Wall safe tape or poster mounting squares. A doorstop for propping open the door to the room to get ventilation and visitors. Zout for treating stains before clothes go in the hamper - makes laundry day easier. A small fan if the rooms aren't air conditioned.
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Post by 950nancy on Jun 18, 2016 16:12:01 GMT
quarters may not be needed..I would leave them off. often laundry in a dorm is a card based. My son's machines would text him when they were done.
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Post by 950nancy on Jun 18, 2016 16:12:49 GMT
Ummm....condoms? But pretty sure that's not something he wants from his aunt. Perhaps not, but having that message sent is always good.
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:46:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 16:29:43 GMT
some more first aid stuff -- cold medicine, aspirin/advil/Tylenol, cough drops, etc. Inevitably, they all seem to get a cold/sick that first fall/winter!
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Post by auntkelly on Jun 18, 2016 16:42:11 GMT
If it were my son, I'd substitute plastic eating utensils rather than silverware because he is a slob & would never ever clean the eating utensils. (I did not raise him that way, it was some sort of gene mutation).
Extra aux cords are nice to have on hand.
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:46:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2016 16:56:04 GMT
some more first aid stuff -- cold medicine, aspirin/advil/Tylenol, cough drops, etc. Inevitably, they all seem to get a cold/sick that first fall/winter! This! Also add a thermometer. I also make my kids get the flu shot before they go off. Other adds that my kids used: Ear plugs, Command Hooks, hangers, liquid body soap vs. bars, sunblock, chapstick, purell, water bottle, alarm clock, power strips with long cords (usually only a few wall plugs in each dorm), flip flops (for the shower), possibly long ethernet cable for printer/laptop if dorm doesn't allow wifi, ream of paper for printer, laptop lock, bike lock if bringing a bike, scotch tape and duct tape, mini stapler, paperclips, cork board w/pushpins, doorstop, lanyard for keys, and any type of fun wall/room decor.
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Post by tmarschall on Jun 18, 2016 17:01:06 GMT
quarters may not be needed..I would leave them off. often laundry in a dorm is a card based. My son's machines would text him when they were done. Wow! I'm a college professor and this still blows my mind.
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Post by bdhudak on Jun 18, 2016 17:08:01 GMT
One of those small room diffuser - boys are stinky
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Post by mom on Jun 18, 2016 18:16:32 GMT
I would send more medicine - stuff for fever, cough, colds, and stomach virus.
Instead of quarters, I would send a gift card to like sonic....call it his emergecy drink money.
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Post by littlemama on Jun 18, 2016 19:07:14 GMT
Gift card to places local to campus, anything he might now share with other family members- manicure tools, beard trimmer, etc.
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Post by mom2rjcr on Jun 18, 2016 19:08:23 GMT
My son just finished his first year at UT Austin. In addition to the things already mentioned, we got him a hulu account. Otherwise, he didn't have anything to watch and could watch TV on his laptop.
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,508
Jun 30, 2014 12:52:45 GMT
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Post by ellen on Jun 18, 2016 19:18:02 GMT
IKea sells large rectangular blue zippered bags that are ideal for moving in & out of the dorm. I don't live near a store and ordered them on eBay. My daughter needed 8. Sturdy, easy to carry, and inexpensive. I'd post a link, but I'm at the lake and have limited Internet.
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Post by vpohlman on Jun 18, 2016 21:16:51 GMT
Wal-Mart has those rapid ramen cookers for about $3. They're by the microwaves. I bought one of those, a microwave brownie cooker and a Mac and cheese cooker with boxes of the ingredients to make the stuff for some of my students for graduation! Those were my favorite gifts to give!
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Post by threecs on Jun 18, 2016 21:18:09 GMT
Get a power strip that protects from power surges. His electronics will thank you.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jun 18, 2016 21:30:55 GMT
An alternative to the Ikea bags are the huge Ziplock bags made for sports equipment. They didn't stay closed at all when carrying them, but did when they were just sitting in the car. And they fold down into almost nothing.
DS was a freshman last year. I bought a small tote with the handles that lock the lid down, measuring it to make sure it would fit on his closet shelf. And I filled it with things like above--be careful. Dorm rooms are small and most guys don't care about a lot of stuff. I agree with a basic supply of meds. Living on top of each other makes for more illnesses. A doorstop is good--DS propped his door open when he wanted company and guys would just wander in. And just disposable dishes/plastic ware; ditto on the Tupperware. I never use them at home, but DS would have had to go down the hall to wash them in the bathroom sinks. Gross, plus they wouldn't get washed. I did send a set of dishes/silverware in case DS felt bad about tossing it all in the trash, but he never used them.
Spring for a good long charging cord--the $10 ones take forever to charge.
DS also brought his tool kit. It was just Dollar Store tools like a hammer, pliers, screw driver, etc that he had gotten years ago. But a lot of the boys borrowed it and he used it within an hour of moving in to repair one of his dresser drawers. And dollar tools meant that if they were not returned or broke, it wasn't a big deal.
I highly recommend buying a refrigerator over renting one. It was $160 per year to rent a fridge from a company that works with the school and I bought a fridge/freezer combo at Walmart for $140. Bonus that the freezer was separate and actually froze stuff--good for home cooked meals that I sent back with him and popsicles when he was sick with a sore throat.
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AmeliaBloomer
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,842
Location: USA
Jun 26, 2014 5:01:45 GMT
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Post by AmeliaBloomer on Jun 18, 2016 21:46:52 GMT
In the not-so-practical category:
-A framed photo -A poster of a favorite location, comic book character, video game, sports figure/team, etc. -A bobble head (TV or movie character, super hero, sports figure, zombie, etc.)
Also, you might want to check out the website for the college bookstore/gift shop.
Your list is good.
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iowgirl
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Jun 25, 2014 22:52:46 GMT
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Post by iowgirl on Jun 18, 2016 21:56:38 GMT
Don't go too crazy on stuff. My son had a lot of that stuff and brought 90% of it back home after the first year and it had not been touched.
One thing all three of mine have commented on, as being a great thing to have in the dorms and/or apartments are USB extension cords. I got them 6' ones, but you can go up to 15' long. They can plug in and charge, but still use their device, since the cord is longer with it.
A small fan and small desk light are nice too.
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basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 26, 2014 11:45:09 GMT
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Post by basketdiva on Jun 18, 2016 23:13:42 GMT
quarters may not be needed..I would leave them off. often laundry in a dorm is a card based. When I made a dorm gift, I asked the mom about quarters for the laundry. She said they used the school card but the there was a vending machine in the dorm so quarters were a good idea.
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Post by maryland on Jun 19, 2016 1:03:58 GMT
My 18 yr. old daughter is going to be a sophomore and you have great ideas on your list! She pretty much took some of what was on your list. She didn't have a lot of space (3 girls in s small double) so she only took what was absolutely necessary and did without most stuff that she would have taken with more space.
She didn't have a closet, so we bought her a steamer after the first semester. She only used it when she was going out, didn't really use it for everyday.
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Post by maryland on Jun 19, 2016 1:09:50 GMT
If it were my son, I'd substitute plastic eating utensils rather than silverware because he is a slob & would never ever clean the eating utensils. (I did not raise him that way, it was some sort of gene mutation). Extra aux cords are nice to have on hand. My daughter had plastic utensils. I had to laugh about the slob comment. That is so my three daughters! My 18 yr. old washed her everyday water bottle (should say had it washed by me) Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. She couldn't be bothered to wash it at school. She also let all her friends drink out of it. Gross!
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 7:46:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2016 2:06:54 GMT
Ping pong balls, deck or two or cards, Air freshner (both wall and spray), nail clipper, tweezers,flu meds, bandaids, some candy, gum and breath spray...a small safe, they make one you can use a pattern to open. My bosses son loved his and used it often.
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Post by vspindler on Jun 19, 2016 2:57:18 GMT
My first thought was Febreeze.
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