For parents and students alike, moving into the dorms freshman year can be a very exciting and stressful. Here are 5 tips that can help ensure a more memorable experience on the big move-in day:
1. Take advantage of Bed Bath & Beyond’s college dorm registry.
Whether you have a college student going to school out-of-state or a few hundred miles away from home, you will save time and money with Bed Bath & Beyond college dorm registry service.
The college dorm registry enables you and your son or daughter to walk in and shop for merchandise at your local BB&B for future purchase at a BB&B store nearest the college. What’s great about the service is your scanned items are bundled and set aside for pick-up, saving time when you arrive. Even better, you are not obligated to buy anything previously held for you. You can decide against any previously selected item without concern for changing your mind.
In addition to saving time, BB&B will save you money. The retailer has a liberal coupon policy, accepting expired coupons for any regular price, clearance or sale item in the store. In other words a coupon can be used for anything in the store! You may also use a different coupon for each item purchased, up to one coupon per item. Even more, if you forget your coupon or didn’t collect enough, don’t worry. After your purchase you can return later and still get a coupon adjustment with your receipt. This will result in HUGE savings for your family. So, start collecting those BB&B coupons today!
Sign up today to receive coupons and prepare for a huge savings. http://app.bedbathandbeyond.com/prefs/pref.cfm
2. Don’t become too enamored with dorm checklist for things to buy for the big move.
When it comes to supporting your young, college-bound adult for success, parents can get too carried away furnishing a dorm room. It’s natural to want to provide for a comfortable living environment, but silly to become too enamored with a dorm checklist of things to buy.
Keep in mind, dorm rooms are usually very small and are most often shared with at least one other student. So take a sensible approach to determining the necessities to bring, as well as the nonessentials and knickknacks to leave behind. Thankfully, Internet merchants like Amazon make it easy to order and send just about anything at a later date, including medicine and toiletries.
Also, it’s a waste of money and space to have two, possible three, refrigerators in one small room. Typically dorms are not equipped with microwaves or fans either. So, encourage your teen to seek out her assigned roommate(s) contact information from the college to discuss what can be brought and shared.
So remember, don’t become too enamored with the dorm checklist. Your teen does not need everything on it. Only if and when your son becomes a tea drinker will he really need an electric teakettle. Only if your daughter has learned before leaving home not to eat the whole bag of chips, or has learned to reclose the chip bag will she really need a colorful “chip clip” in college.
3. Use colored or decorative duck tape on boxes shipped-off ahead of your teen’s arrival to school.
If you decide to ship your teen’s clothes and things to college, keep in mind that the college mailroom will be inundated with the belongings of other students too.
Well-labeled, numbered boxes (e.g., 1-of-4; 2-of-4; et cetera) and the use of colored or decorative duck tape will help the campus mailroom clerk keep like items together when they are delivered to campus. Ultimately, this will help the mailroom clerk gather the boxes when you all arrive to retrieve them. Also, amidst a clutter, misplaced or lost boxes will be easier to find.
Choose two decorative rolls for shipping. My daughter chose two brightly colored duct tape rolls that lasted all four years. I also used the tape to wrap up and send colorful care-packages from home.
4. When unpacking save packing boxes for large items and “major” purchases.
There is move-in day, but there is also move-out day. More likely than not, with the passing of each school year your son or daughter’s belongings will either be stored on campus or at a offsite storage facility. Packing and unpacking items, such as a refrigerator, microwave, TV, computer monitor, printer, or fan, will be easier if the original packing boxes are kept. Also, the boxes will help protect against incidental damage when being moved and stored away. So, in even the tiniest dorm room flattened boxes for future moves can be stored underneath a bed, in a closet, or behind a bookshelf or desk. Additionally, packing materials can be stored in empty luggage.
5. Bring some tools and lots of patience.
College dorms can run the gamut from newly renovated room to older living spaces in need of a face-lift. More often than not, the dorm your teen gets is a crapshoot. So come prepared with a few tools, such as hammer, screwdriver, pliers, and duct tape. If something rattles, in need of fastening, or in need of assembling, you will be glad you brought tools to tend to the matter.
NOW you are ready for move-in day!
Now you are better prepared for what can be an emotionally draining day. With all of the buildup and excitement in anticipation of this day, these planning tips will help eliminate some worry, stress, frustration, and time. Not to mention you’ll have a few extra dollars left in your pocket.