My oldest child is heading off to college next week and the reality of it is just starting to hit me as we prepare to send him away for life on his own. The realization that he is trading a well-stocked house for a small dorm room (that he’s sharing with two roommates) is also hitting him. Dorm life is going to require him to be very space-efficient and flexible. The semi-public bathroom is another new concept for him and, as it turns out, one we had to make some adjustments for.
To save you the same darting back and forth across the store and long lenghty debates over what items to choose, I’m going to share the cliff notes version of our shopping trip so you can skip straight to getting what you need when you take your own child shopping for dorm living.
Just Go To One Store
First, for both of your sakes, head to a store where you can buy everything you need in one trip. We went to Walmart since it’s close, affordable, and carries everything from bedding to toothpaste.
Bring A College Packing List
Second, bring a list. You can use my College Packing List or create your own. This will help you avoid dashing back to office supplies for a stapler when you’re across the store buying towels.
It’s Okay To Buy Inexpensive Things
Third, choose inexpensive items. Even if you are a high-end purchaser, remember that you’re sending your child off to make his or her own way in the world. Unless you plan on buying all of their personal products for the next decade, get them ready for the things they can afford now. For example, when choosing his razor, we opted for disposable razors which are less expensive than reusable razors that require frequent purchasing and replacing of blades.
Buy Common Name Brands
Fourth, buy brands and items they can find anywhere. This tidbit of advice occurred to me when we were trying to decide between the big bottle of body wash and the small bottle. My son, in a panic about space available to store larger items was leaning towards the small bottle. I, picturing him walking three miles carrying bags of essentials back to the dorm from the store, wanted to send him with the big bottle so he wouldn’t have to go out in search of the items anytime soon. We decided space efficiency was more important and if we chose things that were readily available in a variety of stores, he could easily purchase them on his way home from class. This is also the reason we ended up purchasing Schick® disposable razors. I knew he could find them at any local drugstore.
Buy Extra Essentials For A Care Package
Finally, double up on essentials and save the second set for your first care package. I’m all for encouraging the growth and independence of my burgeoning adult, but he will always be my baby. One of the few things that is getting me through the process of preparing for his departure from the nest is the image of staying connected by sending “hugs” via care packages. So, for most of his essentials I purchased an extra to mail to him later. Buy One (1) Get One (1) Free coupons like this coupon for Schick® Disposable Razors made this especially easy to do.
We also snapped a photo of him with his new Schick® Xtreme 3® Ultimate Razor to enter in the Schick Selfie Sweeps for a chance to win $10,000 towards tuition. Of course, it’s not technically a selfie, and you don’t have to have Schick® in the picture, but I do love any chance I can get to take pics of my kids.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schick®. The opinions and text are all mine.