<p>A moving cart or a HUGE luggage to move your stuff in.</p>
<p>heating pad for cramps, cold winter nights, achy muscles, etc.</p>
<p>we had the same problem with the space saver bags. Also, they didn't get as flattened as the picture showed they would. Maybe I did something wrong...</p>
<p>"When I really wanted to talk to him, I'd send an email, then he'd walk outside and call. Nothing like standing outside in your PJs in 10 degree (F) weather to focus the mind."</p>
<p>Yeah, mine would always call from the balcony of his dorm (ie outside hallway, not swanky terrace). It seemed like we had to hang up after the first few minutes every time because a train would come by and make too much noise to continue talking. Guess he had the schedule pretty well figured out!</p>
<p>My son came home at Thanksgiving his freshman year and asked me to buy him a suit! It was a challenge getting the alterations done in time to go back to school.</p>
<p>Again: watch the Space Bags in suitcases. You'll be charged for overweight luggage. Check the weight limits of your airline and weigh your bags carefully. You don't want to pay $$$ at the airport.</p>
<p>RE: Depo-Prevera. Check out the warnings on this one. DDs roommate was in a real anxiety/depression cycle. Stress makes it worse. (And all should be cautioned that antibiotics and BC do not mix)</p>
<p>I got some great space saver bags from target, the rolling kind. A friend and I sat on them to get all the air out, and things ended up really flat. I liked not having to use a vacuum. But be careful, if you vacuum too many things, you'll be over the 50 pound limit for checked bags.</p>
<p>I find it helpful to just put all my clothing in laundry baskets to actually transport it to school. It makes it a lot easier because it stays folded and is ready to be placed in your dresser when you get to school.</p>
<p>Also, I use a little plastic tackle box with small compartments that I got from Wal-Mart to keep my earrings/jewelry separate. It works pretty well.</p>
<p>Another re Depo Provera. The weight gain graph is almost a 45 degree angle up for most people. Didn't happen to one person I know(10 yrs of use), but it did affect her bone density-has osteopenia.
But everything has a side effect, just be informed and check your options.</p>
<p>Re: Over-the door hangers: I'm heading back to BB&B to return one. It wouldn't fit over the doors in my son's dorm room-- they wouldn't close with the rack attached! I hate to waste the space behind the closet door, though. I think there are fabric shoe racks that also can be hung from a door, so I may check that out. And ditto to the idea of a low drawer for the closet floor-- we also found it would be handy under the wastebaske/recycle bin. That way it didn't iake up any new floor space, but was great for keeping snacks and other miscellaneous items handy.</p>
<p>If you are heading to a city or town that you're unfamiliar with, print out directions to the nearest Target and Staples. You very well might end up at one or both stores!</p>
<p>Just returned from dropping off our youngest. I think she had most everything she needed except:</p>
<ol>
<li>picture wire and wire cutters. (we actually had some lightweight wire, but no cutters, so probably ruined her new sissors). Her dorm uses S-hooks and picture molding and there were some very creative solutions by others(hanging shelves, crates, boxes, etc.). High-strength wire w/ cutters would have been handy.</li>
<li>Extra long internet cable. Her room is VERY small, but the 25' chord still did not extend to one of the desks via the perimeter, so either it had to be duct-taped to the floor (yeck), or extend under one of the beds which would get in the way of underbed storage accessibility. </li>
<li>Step-stool. The rooms are 9' tall. Using furniture was fine for poster hanging, but the closets have some great but unreachable space that could be used if access were easier.</li>
</ol>
<p>For the love of God, an EYEMASK! It makes a huge difference when trying to fall asleep with a night-owl roommate.</p>
<p>i found that when my daughter lofted her bed she didn't have a rail or anything to hook a shelf on for alarm clock etc. there are those shelves they sell but there is not always a rail to put them on so we bought a tension spring corner shower with baskets/shelves.</p>
<p>You can put it so that there are 2 or 3 shelves or baskets at the foot or head of the lofted bed. You might need to take out one of the poles to make it shorter if need be. Also if you have the basket one and your item (like alarm clock) does not fit in the basket, then just turn the basket over to make it a flat shelf.</p>
<p>While we used command hooks for several things - we found that an over the door "rail of hooks" sold everywhere worked best on the rail under the lofted bed. this way it will hold a back pack when they come in the room or towels etc. It holds the weight.</p>
<p>Magnetic cd holders (or school magnetic locker baskets) work well if the closets and furniture are metal. You can put them on the closet next to the mirror and store things like extension cord from the high light above so daughter can plug in hair dryer without having to reach up all the time and store all kinds of other things.</p>
<p>a lock for the closet -- comb or key but we found key to be faster and easier</p>
<p>step stool to get to the top of the closet or to get into bed!</p>
<p>suction hooks (large robe type and smaller ones) that you can put in your shower caddy to hang wash cloth, towel etc if not enough hooks in the shower area. Also suction soap dish works well,</p>
<p>plastic ice cube trays to put jewlery/earrings in as they stack in the drawer</p>
<p>tension rods for curtains</p>
<p>desk drawer baskets/dividers</p>
<p>i gathered up all the markers/crayons/colored pencils/sharpies etc hanging around the house from previous "school supplies" that were hardly used and sorted and sent them in the little plastic pencil boxes.</p>
<p>those strange knick knack items that they just "had to have" at one point, like the expanding plastic "sphere" or those batton like sticks or some games along the lines of trivia -- or those stress ball kind of things and things they haven't used in awhile but with some kids hanging around in the room they would pick them up and play with them</p>
<p>if you have a girl and are driving then use a rod to hang her clothes in the car. then bring a wardrobe type cart (can buy at Bed BB or L&T) so you can just put that together when you arrive and load all the clothes on it and wheel them up to hang in closet!</p>
<p>Oh yeah -- those stick on lights for inside the closets as they are dark!</p>
<p>Regarding Laundry: When my D went to boarding school I got these great Tide and bleach tablets . They are great because you don't have to lug the whole bottle or box of laundry detergent or bleach with you to the laundry room. The bleach tabs are great you don't have to worry about spilling any on that favorite red sweater.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned bringing a hand truck - great idea! We took our large, heavy duty, industrial one when moving older D to college last week. She is only 75 miles away and had a lot of her things in her own car, so we had room to take it - it was invaluable! </p>
<p>We are moving younger D (college freshman) to school next week 350 miles away. She is not allowed to have a car her freshman year - so everything, plus the 3 of us will have to go in one SUV. I just returned from our local
farm and ranch supply store (yes, we have one of those in town - it is wonderful!!) and found the greatest contraption! It is called a MAGNA CART made by Welcom Products. It cost $40, is all assembled, feels very sturdy, but folds down flat to store. It is suppose to hold 150 lbs. I also bought a couple of those elastic cords with hooks on each end to use to secure objects on the cart ($1.39 ea). The website says they are sold at Sear and KMart - <a href="http://www.welcomproducts.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.welcomproducts.com/</a>. This one will easily fit into the car and can will be used to haul the refrigerator, multiple boxes, etc. into the dorm - and will save our aging back!</p>
<p>Stick-on mirror (guys). Our s. is a sharp dresser and neurotic about his hair. On item I found at a garage sale was a laundry bag that mounted on a stand. I also got him a wooden diaper drier for five bucks so that he didn't shrink every sweater so it would fit a doll. We also got him a credit card in his own name, with a tiny limit ($500) for medical emergencies, as the student health service doesn't cover PT or sprains, strains etc. Learning to dance, he's gonna hurt himself. And we got him a wind-up alarm clock, to back up his cell phone, and a body pillow (we are a pillow people; and he currently has six on his bed).</p>
<p>A friend just went to college and forgot to bring notebook paper and notebooks. Yes, you can buy these at the college book store, but it's much cheaper to get them at home, of course!</p>
<p>Duct tape.</p>
<p>I didn't bring it when I dropped off my daughter. We turned out to need it, and I ended up buying a roll at K-Mart.</p>
<p>The ethernet cable for my daughter's computer was in exactly the wrong corner of the room. We had to string it around half the room to her desk, and we needed duct tape to hold it down so that people wouldn't trip over it and so that it wouldn't come into contact with the radiator. It's against the rules, of course, to tape anything to the walls, so we taped it to the refrigerator, the carpet, and the desk. So far (two days) the RA hasn't said anything.</p>