Dorm Rooms, Everything Else You Need

What haven’t we covered?

I have a whole post of leftover stuff that isn’t bedding, hall bath, or desk-related.

First of all, send snacks. This is my favorite storage bin. Scout products are built to last, functional, and cute. We have this one, which we found at our local Home Goods, but I found it at the same price on Amazon.

What do you send? I send power bars, granola bars, cereal, single-serve popcorn, pretzels, etc. I also send a jar of peanut butter and tell them to take an apple a day from the dining hall for a snack if they don’t want to go again between meals. Check to make sure no roommates have nut allergies before packing your snack bin.

Second, show some school spirit. Pennants are a fun, tried, and true way to get in the spirit and decorate the room. Amazon has a bunch and they are often less expensive than the bookstore.

Posters, flags, and jerseys are all inexpensive ways to personalize a space. My son hung his beloved hockey jerseys as well as a large canvas print of a favorite athlete. I went to Groupon and found a code for canvas prints, then selected the photo he wanted and had it made into a large print. The canvas is lightweight and easy to hang. Amazon has some great prints as well. We are going with a Boston theme for this post.

Shutterfly also has some fun options, like photo tiles. I made some of those for my daughter to hang over her desk. We did a family collage, friends from high school, and a few photos of favorite places. If you want to mix it up, you can use an adhesive shelf to display some of the lighter, non-breakable items.

Let’s talk about accessories for the ladies. A jewelry organizer is great to have. I would not send her with her best stuff, though, since it’s going to be out in the open, and the room isn’t just her own.

Another accessory that I sent with my daughter is a Birdie. Every school has a blue light system, and she doesn’t walk alone, but you never know when or where you may feel unsafe. At home, this is clipped to her car keys, and at school, she will keep it with her as well. Lots of girls carry these, so there isn’t a stigma about having it on you.

A portable charger is another thing that my kids always have with them. It’s a convenience for sure, but also a safety item in my book. This is the best one we have found and we’ve tried a bunch. It has every feature you could want, a slim design, and plugs in almost flat against the wall.

While we’re on the subject of charging, send extra cords and extra cubes. They get lost.

I don’t need to add water bottles to your list because your kid probably already carries one everywhere. They will likely not have a kitchen in their room, though, so I ended up sending a small bottle of dish soap and a bottle brush so the funky bottles could be cleaned in the bathroom as needed.

I also sent a couple of large cups, a mug or two so they could microwave things, and a few spoons and forks. These are not things I was attached to or wanted back.

While both of my kids are driving distance from home, they have travelled to visit friends and family directly from school. It wasn’t until we had to get luggage to them that we realized they should keep a small suitcase with them at school. This is the set that we ended up with. We just sent the smaller piece to school.

Having a few tsa-approved travel items is handy, and they can do double duty at school.

If your kid is taking a car to school and they are in the Northeast or Northwest, please stick this in the trunk. They will miss class trying to clear the windshield with their hands.

We recently gave up on air mattresses for guests at my house, and instead, I got this fold-up mattress. We have had several college friends visit this summer, and everyone has said how comfortable it is. We will use it for our family beach trip, and if anyone has room under their bed to store it once we move them in, I will send it with that lucky winner so that they have a place for friends to stay when they visit at school.

We did get the case that goes with it but it has been used so often that we haven’t put it back in the case all summer. I would store it in the case if it goes to school though.

Kids don’t use wallets when on campus. Everything they need is on their ID card and they all carry that on the back of their phones. Seems safe right? (eyeroll). But that’s what they do. Order a few of these.

Another thing they all do is shuffle around in slippers and slides. All weather. It doesn’t matter. These are a few of our favorites for shuffling:

I may or may not be wearing these next ones as I type this 🙂

Please browse all the posts in this section for more links at your fingertips. For a complete downloadable packing checklist, go to the College Packing List tab at the top of the home page and click for more.

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