<p>momofsongbird, </p>
<p>can your daughter marry one of my sons? They need a neat-nick and organizer.</p>
<p>D and I wandered into the new Home Goods here this weekend. Picked up comforter set and towels. There’s no BBB near her school (from what I can tell), but we did much better price-wise in Home Goods. Was going to send her with old towels but they are really trashed from summer camp.</p>
<p>She did express interest in getting an iron (really?), but I will see what kind of low low end iron I can get. Not sure it will get much use!</p>
<p>I did come across a thread here about what your freshman did NOT use the firt year of college. I need to find that again this summer.</p>
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Most of the towels in our house date back to our college days. I’m thinking of letting my son have the better ones and investing in new towels for us. My sister-in-law just treated her house to gobs and gobs of white hotel style towels and I am totally jealous!</p>
<p>Lol, I still have towels from my college days too - D wouldn’t touch em with a 10 foot pole though! Sadly, my kids have nicer things than I do these days…</p>
<p>Here’s my towel tip: get ones that are a medium shade so that they can be thrown in the wash with anything.</p>
<p>Re the iron, someone is my son’s dorm had an inexpensive portable steamer from target and that worked to get some wrinkles out of garments they didn’t want to throw in the dryer. I think I saw a well rated one for about 25.00. I know around the time of the formal dance, they realized some clothing items needed it, my girls have used one on more sensitive fabrics.</p>
<p>There may not be a closet door. Here is what my son had the past 3 years: freshman year - closet with a door, sophomore year - standing wardrobe, but no closet, junior year - curtain</p>
<p>If you are getting a printer, consider getting a laser one. Toner is a much better deal than ink cartridges. </p>
<p>Don’t forget duct tape/ tool kit.</p>
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<p>lol, limabeans. Maybe we can make a match. She HATES outdoorsy work. How are your sons at mowing, weeding, pruning, etc? I cannot make this girl touch yardwork!</p>
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<p>Well, I’m sure gonna look into that thieves’ oil – placebo-effect or not.</p>
<p>I always sort of pooh-poohed vitamins, although my Mom has been after me for years to take them and give them to songbird. Now that she performs a lot, (and unlike a cellist, for example, a singer can’t perform when sick…the instrument just isn’t there), I decided to do an uncontrolled, informal experiment this past year. I put each of us on a daily multi plus 1000 mg of Vitamin C. What can I tell you? We both stayed healthy all year. I can’t prove it was the vitamins, but we’re going to keep taking them.</p>
<p>We’ll try the thieves’ oil, too, partly because I love the name!</p>
<p>The over-the-door hooks didn’t fit on the door but were a perfect fit on the end of the lofted bed. And ITA on the medium shade for the towels. College guys aren’t the most laundry savvy, they don’t have bleach loads nor dedicated dark loads. The towels are happy when they’re washed period.</p>
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<p>Years ago I read that Oprah told an interviewer the first thing she did when her income level really soared, and she knew she had “made it” financially, was to go out and buy ALL NEW TOWELS for her whole house. Just like you said, the really great thick, plush, white ones.</p>
<p>When I felt my ship had come in awhile back, I went out and did the same thing! (Little did I know how the economy would change last year and that my ship is now kinda hard to spot…even from the harbor with binoculars, but that’s another story).</p>
<p>I promise, you will feel like a queen using those new towels. It’s such a fun luxury!</p>
<p>A tip for the towels: make sure your kids wash them a couple of times at home. For some reason when I moved out I was not smart enough to think to do this. Plus pre-washing at home saves money on laundry at a dorm.</p>
<p>I can see washing new towels once at home. But a couple of times? Whatever for?</p>
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<p>I like that tip. My son received a red towel and a black one for graduation (school colors). I can easily see them bleeding in the wash. I’ve taught son to separate his colors but you never know. A few washings might prevent ruining a whole load of clothes.</p>
<p>I found a list at BBB that had a lot of things my D probably won’t need but the one item I appreciated was the Brita (or similar) water filter/pitcher. My kids are used to drinking bottled water and this will be much cheaper and easier than lugging cases of water bottles up to her room. Problem solved (her dorm offers bottled water delivery but this is also more expensive).</p>
<p>One unusual item my son liked using this past year in his dorm was a hefty ottoman/storage box with a padded top I got at Target last summer. He used it as an extra chair for friends, as a “stepladder” up to his slightly elevated bed and for storage.
Also liked plastic stackable “drawers” he put under the bed for storage of meds, snacks, etc. Those 3M hooks worked well on his cinder-block walls and came off completely clean, unlike the little sticky thin pads. Wished we would’ve brought his air cleaner, he ended up using the window air conditioner practically year round to clear up the air.</p>
<p>we got a footlocker for s. He was able to lock valuables and use it as a nightstand.</p>
<p>about the iron…I’ve been looking for some time now for a small dorm iron with auto shut off (auto shut off is required by the college) Has anyone found one, if so what brand?</p>