<p>We rented a van last year so that the old wagon wasn’t overloaded with all the stuff plus the four of us.</p>
<p>We’ll have 2 cars also. My Envoy full of stuff and us , then son will drive his own car. It is very common around here for the kids to have their cars at college. I thought we’d put clothes on the hangers in his car and small stuff. I can lay the seats down in mine for big stuff and boxes.</p>
<p>We had two cars last year as well, my parents ford fusion and a pick up truck borrowed from my aunt. After that first time moving in my parents decided it wasn’t worth the hassle and now they just rent a uhaul truck for most of my stuff, and the other parent drives the fusion with fragile items just to be extra safe.</p>
<p>We’ll either have two cars or my Chevy Blazer with a trailer my uncle will let us borrow. Depends on how much stuff we end up at the end of the day.</p>
<p>Our car might be too small.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s input. We have a year to go with a very unfussy son so our spending should be minimal (if I can be kept in control).</p>
<p>Two thoughts - some schools do not allow any furniture or textiles (rugs, towels, linens) unless they are new, from home or a ‘reputable’ friend. They do not want anything from a source that might have bedbugs or other insects infested therein.</p>
<p>On the towel dilemma for your home - when we redecorated our master bath last year, we installed a towel warmer instead of towel rods. Cost was a little more because we had it hard-wired (not necessary) and we have toasty towels every AM that are fresh smelling and have no mildew. Love it!! BTW - I use my towels for 3-4 days, DH & DS for a week.</p>
<p>My D is going across country. Just her older sister and I are going with her. We went to thrift stores and bought 3 of the biggest suitcases the airlines allow- I think we spent $8 on the most expensive. Then we are each checking one at $25 each to move her stuff from home. We will just donate the suitcases to thrift stores there when we get there. It is way cheaper than shipping stuff and she can fit all of her stuff in that way. We will also hit thrift stores there for the rest of the stuff- pots and pans, utensils, etc. I have learned from my other kids that most of that stuff seems to get lost when they move around so I refuse to buy new. This is my D’s 1st year at this school. After this, she will have to find storage there and will fly back and forth herself. Why couldn’t she go to school closer to our house? So much easier!!!</p>
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<p>I just can’t imagine what all y’all are bringing that takes up so much room.</p>
<p>But then again, my S had no trouble packing for his academic year-long exchange program to Russia in one reasonably large duffel bag and his backpack.</p>
<p>Yes, he’ll have more stuff to bring to college in September than he took to Russia last year. But it will all fit inside our '93 Voyager mini-van.</p>
<p>I’d love to tell you, but I can’t figure it out myself! I filled half a uhaul truck at move out last year (and my room was neat and organized, it all fit fine), and I am trying to figure out how to reduce for next year and I cannot for the life of me figure out what I brought that took up such an unreasonable amount of space.</p>
<p>When we moved my daughter out of her freshman dorm in April, it took us about seven loads. When we moved her to her summer program dorm, it took TWO loads. She has a hard time keeping organized, so I suggested she try a minimalist existence for the summer. She has been gone nine weeks and hasn’t asked for anything.</p>
<p>I am hoping that we will be at about two or three loads for fall. She can get by with very little.</p>
<p>Oh my. I think my son could pack a large suitcase and be done. That’s him and not me though, so we’ll probably have our minivan pretty full of stuff I think he could use. Our kids will already be in school and S’s move in day is a Tuesday, so the other kids won’t go with us.</p>
<p>We have a Toyota Corolla so there’s not much room after parents and D. Her body pillow (which she really does use) is massive by itself.</p>
<p>It’s not the clothes, it’s not the sheets, towels, pillows etc…it’s the bike, the longboard, the skis, the golf clubs, the tennis gear etc. etc. Why oh why did I not encourage swiming and one tiny little bathing suit??? that create a situation that requires a 2day cross country jaunt and 2 days back. One time for each boy. After that it’s storage lockers and they can figure out where and how to move the “stuff” after graduation!</p>
<p>takeitallin, I like the idea of the “disposable” luggage. We were going to check big plastic bins that we would leave with ds so he could store stuff in them under his bed.</p>
<p>I used nothing but garbage bags and bankers boxes for all my moving last year. I decided this summer I couldn’t take it anymore and bought luggage. I think it will work out better for the kind of stuff I am bringing.</p>
<p>I think part of the reason I had so much was because I could not buy ANYTHING once I got to school. My parents will not send me packages, for any reason, and would not take me shopping except for groceries once I got to campus. I have no spending money the entire year for anything I may want or need for my room. So I did not have the benefit of just bringing clothes, bedding, and toiletries in the car and then buying the rest when I got to school-- I had to get EVERYTHING ahead of time. I imagine it’s easy to fit things into one small car when you don’t even buy the big ticket items until you get to school.</p>
<p>We always packed my son’s stuff in Rubbermaid bins when moving him in and out of his boarding school dorms. We have an older Land Cruiser that my husband worries about on long trips so he bought me a GL450 which should be large enough to get our son to school. His BS stored things over the summers and he was a prefect for 2 years so he had a larger room and sooooo he accumulated a ton of stuff. Luckily he gave away some of the furniture and seems resigned to the fact he can’t take his sofa! He does want his golf clubs.</p>
<p>We got S to college freshman year in a Ford Explorer with nothing on the roof and 3 of us in the car. His roommate showed up with an SUV with a roof box, both full, AND a second car - also full. He was an only child, and his mom apparently thought she had to provide enough clothes and food for the entire dorm. The ironic thing was S said his roommate wore the same 5 outfits over and over again. They both agreed that if there was an outbreak of plague and the dorm were quarantined, they’d could feed their whole floor for 6 weeks.</p>
<p>We will try to get D to school (13 hours away) in an SUV with a roof box. The rug and micro-fridge will already be at the school. I have a feeling I’m going to become good friends with the UPS man as the season change and D’s wardrobe needs change…</p>
<p>I swear: son’s shoes took the most room. He wears a size 13 and had: running shoes, tennis shoes, indoor soccer shoes, outdoor soccer shoes, cross trainers, casual shoes, black dress shoes, brown dress shoes, sandals, shower shoes…I’m sure there were more!</p>
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</p>
<ul>
<li>Bike (I have no bike rack/hook thing to stick it to the back of my Blazer)</li>
<li>Fridge (is almost the size of the trunk space in Blazer by itself)</li>
<li>All-in-One</li>
<li>Large Floor Fan</li>
<li>Floor Lamps</li>
</ul>
<p>Those are the big things, then there’s:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bed Sheets, Comforter, Pillow, + Blankets</li>
<li>Clothes and Shoes</li>
<li>School Supplies, including a White Board and a cheap, simple Plastic File bin</li>
<li>Hygiene Supplies</li>
<li>DVD Player and DVDs </li>
<li>Books for Pleasure Reading and/or Reference (Dictionaries [multiple languages], etc.)</li>
<li>Art Supplies</li>
<li>Simple First Aid supplies</li>
<li>Towels, Washcloths, Bathrobe</li>
<li>Trashcan</li>
<li>Anything I forgot?</li>
</ul>
<p>Think that’ll all fit in my Blazer? With three people in it too? I don’t.</p>
<p>The first time we took my son to college there were three (maybe four of us) in a minivan. Nothing on the roof, both a desktop and laptop computer and a fan. No fridge, no DVD player (that’s what computers are for), only a few books for pleasure (he got a library card and uses both local and university library). No bathrobe, no trashcan (but you can fill it with towels and other stuff.</p>
<p>
Strap it on the roof.
Dumb question but did you take it out of the box?
Too big. Get a small (small!) table fan instead for your desk.
Not needed. The goal is not to recreate your bedroom.
Every dorm I’ve ever been in has been hotter than heck. I doubt you’ll need blankets since you have a comforter.
Take less! You can have your parents ship more to you if you really need them.
How big is the white board? Take a smaller one.
You can play them on your computer, leave the player home. Could probably leave the dvds home, other people will bring them.
References are all online now, leave them home. Pleasure books - you won’t have time. Leave them home.
Are you the towel-a-day person? Don’t want to start that again. Bathrobe? Meh. According to my S, no one wears them. It’s all pj’s or gym shorts.
S’s room came with one. Maybe yours does.</p>
<p>There, I just saved like half of your space. You can thank me later.</p>