<p>The only problem I see in buying things locally is that you cannot be sure the stuff is in stock while you are there. I’ve known folks who find the local stores cleaned out in that back to school stampede.</p>
<p>Both kids went coast-to-coast. With S, mailed boxes ahead of time to SIL who lived nearby and SIL picked S up at airport and helped him move in. (Parent and student orientation was held earlier so no need for us to go.)</p>
<p>With D, mailed boxes to the college, flew out with her, rented minivan to truck boxes from holding center to res hall. Went out since parent orientation and student orientation were held at move-in time. Split up buying things beforehand (computer, sheets since D is picky) and getting them upon arrival, e.g., lamp.</p>
<p>Found that FedEx Ground was the cheapest way to ship boxes. Also sent books via media mail.</p>
<p>After dropping D off, H and I went on a vacation through Joshua Tree National Park and environs, ending up at Palm Springs before heading home.</p>
<p>This might help
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/531756-list-stuff-pack-college.html?highlight=fedex[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/531756-list-stuff-pack-college.html?highlight=fedex</a>
or maybe this
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/508985-moving-2-boys-same-weekend-ideas-needed.html?highlight=fedex[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/508985-moving-2-boys-same-weekend-ideas-needed.html?highlight=fedex</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is what I’m thinking, as well. I hate to sound like a picky brat but I have really sensitive skin, and I have no idea if the products I need will be in stock at the swamped stores near Stanford. It’s just beneficial to buy them ahead of time. It all depends on the location, the student in particular, and the student’s needs. If “whatever” is their preferred shampoo, then it won’t be an issue. The same goes for a college at which the driver knows the area and can visit less busy stores.</p>
<p>Our daughter goes to school an 18-hour car drive away. We rented a stow-n-go van from our local dealership to drive her out east the first year and all her stuff fit in it very well. I agree that girls tend to have more stuff. Because a lot of the kids at her school come from long distances, there is no expectation that they will haul the stuff home in the summer. They have unsecured (dorm basement) and secured (locked room overseen by campus security)summer storage on campus. A student entrepreneur group also does off-site storage by renting storage rooms and hauling the stuff for a fee. One thing we have learned as small-town midwesterners in the last two years is that for having her fly home for semester breaks and summer, we save $500 per plane ticket ($200 vs. $700) by driving 4 hours to a major airport with a non-stop flight to her city on the east coast.</p>
<p>Lots of good advice here. We have also found some stores close to campus sold out near move in…and even some of my pre-ordered BB&B was not at store. (Luckily sent D’s comforter or she would have been out of sorts.) You may want to check college’s policies…D’s did not accept packages for the first week of school…understandable, as it would have been madhouse. We sent some boxes to our hotel; did the Southwest 2bags per; BB&B, Target, Staples…and interestingly, found some items at Lowe’s that Target or Staples were out of…make sure you pack the extra long cord power strip and a basic notebook in luggage.
Second year, D realized she didn’t need 27 pairs of shoes, workout tshirts (they get sooo many on campus) and all the pictures/HS memorabilia. The boas, tiaras, cowboy hats, ugly Xmas sweaters, snow gear, etc., spent the summer in storage…</p>
<p>We flew the 1500 miles last year, so loading up the car wasn’t an option. Making sure she’d have everything was quite the organizational ballet, but here’s how we did it:</p>
<p>Most clothing: Shipped it to her college mailing address by cheapest means possible, about 10 days ahead of time. Also shipped one set of sheets so we knew she’d have clean on the first night.</p>
<p>School supplies: Like cptofthehouse, we were afraid that stores in the college town would be picked over, so we bought at home in July.</p>
<p>Compact heavy stuff: such as school supplies, books, CDs. Shipped it a few days ahead of time by USPS Flat Rate boxes (also the very best way to send care packages once school starts).</p>
<p>Bed Bath & Beyond: Assuming there’s a store within striking distance of the college, this is a fantastic way to get bulky items such as linens, laundry hampers, desk lamps, fans, rugs, shower caddies, etc. You go to your local BB&B and basically create a gift registry. Then when you get to the college, you go to BB&B there to pick up the stuff in your rental car, pay for it, and cart it to the dorm.</p>
<p>Toiletries & supplies: Shopped for this stuff once we got there.</p>
<p>ETA – Lists, lists, and more lists are key to this operation!</p>
<p>Basically, the Thumper plan with 2 parents, six suitcases, Southwest Airline (or whoever doesn’t charge for baggage - a situation now in flux among the airlines). This was for S-2, the youngest and last, 3,000 miles away. </p>
<p>One tweak: we indulged in extra days, but not as a couple. Instead, we had a last hurrah vacation, just the 3 of us, in a nearby city of great interest, BEFORE orientation. It was truly memorable. We know he won’t return after college as his profession will be out West. </p>
<p>We 3 all decompressed and separated the leaving-of-home from the starting-of-college with those lovely 3 days (in San Diego, lots to do). By the time he got to Orientation, he was on West Coast time and very much ready. We were all well-rested and had a good experience at Orientation. </p>
<p>After Orientation, we parents flew back home pretty quickly. By plan, we didn’t sleep much that night, but saved a night’s hotel fee. We hugged goodbye around 9 p.m. (college’s deadline), drove ourselves 3 hours back to the original airport where we’d rented the car, snoozed a few hours on that parking lot, returned the car, took the earliest 6 a.m. flight home, slept most of the way home on two planes. </p>
<p>In sophomore year, S-2 had earned enough from a summer job at home to buy a good used car here with our help. Then, since I’d never driven cross-country in my life, S and I took 5 days to drive it together, and I flew home solo. That was great for sophomore year; I couldnt’ have handled it freshman year, though. In that second year, he filled the back of his car with Stuff for a friend starting at UCLA from his former high school. </p>
<p>Since then, he’s just come and gone himself by plane.</p>
<p>Packed her up in the mini van and we were off. Stopped in at the WalMart by the college (not crowded, plenty of stuff in stock) for a few last minute items. Left her around 1 PM and drove back. </p>
<p>The best thing we did was purchase 9 mos worth of toiletries and she stored them in her closet. Never ran out all year long.</p>
<p>This is not a joke…it took a U-haul to get two sons moved in. It was packed with bikes, sports equipment and plastic containers with everything perfectly arranged. It was the last time their stuff ever looked that good again. The funny thing is we saw another U-haul pull up beside ours. (We had an excuse moving two kids into the dorm.)</p>
<p>^^^^
mom4college—We also packed up enough toiletries for 9 months(which looking back was more like enough to last two years) for our two middle sons that lived in the same building. I guess I figured they would go without shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste if they did’nt have it in their room. My all time favorite was their medicine container—I looked like a competitor of CVS. It made me feel better to know they had everything and I am sure everyone on their floor appreciated all the things I remembered. Packing for my singleton children was so much easier!!!</p>
<p>Don’t know if this has been mentioned, but my SIL packs all her D’s stuff in space bags. She claims that otherwise she would not be able to fit everything in the car. I started using space bags at home last year and can vouch for how well they work.</p>
<p>I have heard that if you have more stuff (clothes and supplies - no furniture) than will fit in a medium sized car with one parent and one college student, it will be more than will fit in a dorm room - but I know that after two years of dorm life, my D has more stuff in her half of her double dorm room than would fit in two cars. ;)</p>
<p>When I went to college–(14 hr drive) …my parents had me fit what I wanted in my car (old Mercury Monarch)…the back seat and trunk…they followed in their car.</p>
<p>I took a small fridge, linens etc and clothes, stereo (actually had a turntable!)…
anyway…
only took in season clothes and then got winter stuff later (Thanksgiving break I flew and my suitcases were stuffed)</p>
<p>All books and supplies were bought on-site…
…and actually from year to year I think I brought less, not more…
because I found I didn’t wear it all, need it all, nor use it all…</p>
<p>^^^^
Yes…word of advice don’t pack the kids things in a U-Haul. (We still laugh when we talk about that first day.)</p>
<p>East Coast to Chicago: We flew and then rented a car to get stuff to the school. There were no parent orientations at move-in (they had been scheduled over the summer), so we just came back home with some of the empty suitcases. Since then, S has flown back and forth on his own, but it was important to me to do the “help him move in” thing.</p>
<p>I advise all to pack light. Upperclassman especially like to move around. I know many agitated parents whose kids had to dump all of those expensive things that were purchased for them. I’m one of them. My son lived like a gypsy, well really more like a hobo since he carried little more than a pack with him. He had his girlfriend’s place, frat house, house with friends, moved because of some issues with the house. Temporarily stayed with other friends. Had a summer temp rental. I could not even keep track. All I know is that many of those nice things we so lovingly bought him disappeared.</p>
<p>Oh…I just remembered something that might be helpful upon your arrival. Mark every item/bag with your child’s name, and assigned dorm/rm number. There is such a flurry of activity on move-in day-with several upper classmen there to help—this way your child’s things get to your child’s room!</p>
<p>OK, alternative type here. </p>
<p>Son went on the plane and then bus, with a backpack and a trunk. Got to campus fairly late at night. It was pouring rain. He called security (as we had been told to do) and they said they would meet him at the dorm to open it. That’s when he figured out that the dorm was half a mile from the bus stop. </p>
<p>Nothing to do but trek across the campus in the pouring rain. He pounded on the door of the dorm and, lo and behold, there was another kid who had also arrived early and was feeling kinda lonely. They’ve been friends ever since. </p>
<p>We mailed some further boxes but kid did not get linens/etc for a couple of days. </p>
<p>So, minimalist support and the kid did fine. I’ll admit to mixed feelings about this. I am VERY proud of son (and he kinda was amazed at the kids that arrived with UHauls and hovering parents). </p>
<p>At the same time, S is a big kid with lots of hiking/outdoor experience from the Pacific NW (rain is not new). I would have wigged if the same scenario had unfolded for a daughter. Sexist? perhaps. But a dark, unfamiliar campus in the rain is no time to have the mind distracted by luggage for a gal, for me. For a D, I would have had her call a taxi to take her that distance to the dorm (or campus security).</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great ideas. We’ll be moving son from California to Pennsylvania. I like the Bed Bath and Beyond idea will check into that this summer. I planned that we’d fly out a day early and hit Target WalMart etc. I figure I’ll order a winter coat online and have it sent later (haven’t had a need for one here in Southern Cal!)</p>
<p>It looks like WalMart also offers the option of ordering on-line and picking it up at a store.</p>