<p>"Nope, no embargo on the stationary supplies here in PA, you'll find plenty."</p>
<p>That is such a relief. I'm sure zoosergirl will be pleased to know that she won't have to go cold turkey! Good luck with the empty nest. I hope you do something fab just for yourself.</p>
<p>I would love to only have to deal with 3 pairs of shoes - I hate having to pack so many different types when we travel! </p>
<p>NSM - Igglegirl got a single (although she asked for a double) but in a requested coed dorm. She is happy with boys on the hall, but single-sex bathrooms. I'm ok with that as well, just not the coed roomie thing.</p>
<p>We took our car (not an SUV), packed full (with 3 passengers) just to get d to 3 weeks of camp! So we are planning the multiple car trip to her school. She really wants to get most of the stuff at home. And yes, she does want the TV. Roommate's bringing the fridge, so we're bringing the microwave, which just by itself takes quite a bit of room. So does the printer. And she bought lamps, sheets, matching comforters, etc. It gets cold at her location, so lots of sweaters & sweatshirts, bulky enough by themselves!</p>
<p>I do anticipate bringing quite a bit of it home, but that's easier than arguing about it!</p>
<p>When bringing a lot of stuff, the challenge is finding a place to put it all when it's time to unpack! Be sure to bring a lot of storage stuff too; be creative. It's hard to fit all of those bulky sweatshirts and sweaters in the limited amount of space that is usually provided.</p>
<p>Get bed risers (cost less than $12) and buy large storage bins for under the bed.</p>
<p>Absolutely. And many girls bring at least one "Sterilite" set of drawers.</p>
<p>(Hint: You can pack right into them at home and put them in the car or van that way.)</p>
<p>What surprises me is that 2 years into college, the parents are doing it all over again with the kid's first apartment - buying new furniture, kitchen and bath stuff, etc. and orchestrating this move also. I thought freshman year would be the only "big" move, but apparently not.</p>
<p>That's why I'm happy that 99% of the students in both of my kids' schools stay on campus!</p>
<p>Both kids took their cars to school (older model Toyota Corollas). DS's contained large speakers that took up most of the back seat, mountaineering equipment, desktop computer and a few clothes. DD's had 3 boxes of shoes (watch out Imelda), clothes, and I'm not sure really what else but both cars were full with just enough room for passenger. No TVs or appliances though. When DS moved out of the dorms the following year he ended up building most of his furniture (bed frame, desk, kitchen work table, bbq table for the backyard - doubles as dining room table), so after he graduates I think he will need a moving van. ;)</p>
<p>These are campus owned apartments, but not furnished. When my S started college life, all students remained on campus and these apartments are on campus. However, they are now getting lax about that requirement since they have admitted so many freshmen the last 2 years.</p>
<p>I'm not buying new stuff but one item. My kids are rising juniors and seniors. My rising senior is moving into an off campus house that is owned by her college. It is practically on campus. It has 11 bedrooms and nine girls will live in it. On each floor will be three girls who have single bedrooms, a common living room and their own bathroom and kitchen. My D (who is still out of the country for the summer) has to find out who will bring what for the common room (but we will not BUY stuff) and same with the kitchen. I have some kitchen things I can spare and a couple of items we had gotten that other D had used in her kitchen as she had lived in apartment style dorms her first two years and in summers, but doesn't need that stuff this year (see below). D owns a ratty futon picked up on campus and we have an extra table and chairs and rug in our basement to spare. </p>
<p>Younger D is in an unsual situation in that she is moving off campus (which isn't saying much as she goes to NYU and the dorms themselves are spread out in lower Manhattan anyway) into a fully furnished expensive condo that her future roomie's parents bought for her :D. This is no "college apartment". Both girls have their own bedroom and own bathroom and then there is a living and dining room and kitchen and big deck. It is beautifully furnished and the kitchen is fully equipped. The girl whose parents own it has lived there one year already. My D is just moving in (and we are paying her parents what we would have paid for the dorm for the 8 1/2 months). So, my D is moving the same sorts of things in that she would bring to a dorm....NO furniture or kitchen stuff. However, there was one new expense. Her new bed is a double/full bed and her dorm beds were extra long twin beds. So, the bedding she had gotten for her birthday to go to college as a freshman, which was used for two years and still in perfect shape, cannot be used now. She has gotten a new down comforter, duvet cover and sheets for her birthday from us and from her grandmother as she had to have new bedding. But we have not bought another thing for either child since starting college (in relation to living stuff).</p>
<p>I moved in last week and had a decent amount of stuff. I'm not big on TV, but I brought my 19" LCD and DVD player. The main reason I even bought the TV is I can also hook it up to a computer and use it as a high-resolution monitor. Right now it is not connected to cable and if each of us weren't paying $30 a semester for the cable (part of the fees required) we wouldn't connect it to the cable at all! We're still trying to figure out how we want the TV set up so right now it's just in a corner.</p>
<p>I will mention that there ARE schools outside of the desert that lack resources for purchasing things later. The town my D's school is in has a RiteAid and a very small locally owned grocery and a locally owned dollar type store. That's it. The nearest town with "stores" is about 1/2 hour away. Being a freshman without a car while I know others may have car, buying easily later is not easily done. </p>
<p>I just notice many threads where people have a beef and say just use local stores - they aren't always available. Yeah, I know you can order online...but keep in mind many kids/parents are also trying to save some $$ to afford the college so if the items are already at home it's just as easy to bring them (within reason of course).</p>
<p>I forgot one other bulky item for soph year for D1...that year she had a loft which she had bought from another girl who was graduating. That is now in our garage.</p>
<p>abasket....what you say is quite true for kids going to more isolated campuses. My kids happen to attend schools in cities. We have the opposite situation here....we live in a rural area and have to travel to buy many items, as well as use catalogues and online shopping a lot. What my D2 can buy simply on the block on which she lives in NYC is more than we could get in our entire town, LOL.</p>
<p>"abasket....what you say is quite true for kids going to more isolated campuses. "</p>
<p>That's very true and I apologize if I offended you. I was tweaking my own freak-child, not anyone else!</p>
<p>No offense taken at all!!! And believe me, if there were one thing D would change about her school it would be for just ONE decent store to visit!!! Shoot, there's not even a McDonald's near her!!!!</p>
<p>abasket....she'll survive....there are NO fast food places in my entire community and in fact, our state capital does not have a McDonalds either! :D</p>
<p>That said, my own kids' college criteria was to go to a college that was near and in walking distance to things off campus, particularly having grown up in the country. I imagine for kids who grew up in a city or suburbia, that going to college in the country will be a big change.</p>
<p>Imagine the situation in reverse to your D for my D2.....where her dorm was last year was on the same block or within a block or so of (or even upstairs from!) Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Virgin Records, Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, Starbucks, Sephora, Duane Reede, Forever21, DSW, and a ton of other places and that was her block alone. Compare that to where she grew up and had to travel one hour to go clothes shopping, and there is no Whole Foods, Virgin Records, or Trader Joes in the state, and where there is no Starbucks for about 45 miles. :D</p>
<p>Hey soozie,
Didn't Brattleboro just vote to allow downtown public nudity?
Maybe they don't want the MacDonalds because someone might spill hot coffee on themselves.</p>
<p>^^^funny! I may have read that but I don't live ANYWHERE near Brattleboro, but way further north. </p>
<p>Montpelier is the capital to which I was referring to as being the only state capital with no McDonalds. I don't live there myself. My own community would NEVER welcome ANY fast food chains. Speaking of coffee, we don't have Starbucks in my area, nor in Montpelier. The closest Starbucks to me is about 45 miles away.</p>