College Freshman- Cutting Costs on Essentials

As your new high school graduates head off to college campuses around the country be wary of costs that are unnecessary in their quest for higher education. Gimmicks both from stores and from colleges can fool you into spending more money than you need to. I have put two sons through college and have two presently attending and I have found ways to save money that will be needed much more for books, laundry, and oh yeah…..tuition.

The first thing the college of your choice will ask is that you buy linens for beds from them. The extra long sheets are available everywhere and if you look on line, you can find them for far less than the college wants you to purchase them for. Once the flurry of moving in is over, those sheets reduce in cost to a fraction of what the first set cost you. Send your offspring to school with one set of sheets and ship them new ones after the moving in frenzy subsides. Less to pack and more savings financially when you have them shipped directly to your student. Comforters and comforter covers as well as towels will be on sale just a few weeks after your child has settled in. Everyone loves a package and I know that my boys loved getting their sheets and towels after they were acclimated to the school and ready to find space for more stuff. Send the kids with minimal supplies check out the room and the storage capabilities and then ship things directly to the kids or shop in the local discount store when you settle them in. Either way will work, but don’t buy a bunch of unnecessary paraphernalia before seeing the room.

Dorm rooms are tiny, and space is at a premium. The only vital things your student needs are an alarm clock, a bedside light for reading, and a computer. The extra clothing and shoes will only take up space. Of course, I am the mother of five sons so I cannot attest to what girls may need. I shudder at the thought of that space configuration. My boys were in a dorm room that had once been meant for one, but because space was lacking, those rooms were redesigned to fit two. They slept nose to nose with their roommates. They made great friends, but they had to be frugal with space. The bare necessities were all they could accommodate.

After the notices about extra long sheets come to your home, the pleas for the micro fridge will arrive. If you get an unlimited meal plan, which is a few dollars over any other meal plan, that will not be necessary. You don’t want your student out shopping for food and cooking when they should be studying. The unlimited meal plan will provide ample food at all hours of the day or night, some schools even have sandwiches delivered, and it will sometimes encompass off campus venues. The unlimited meal plan is worth looking into and will negate any need for a micro fridge and microwave. Beverages can be carried back to the dorm from the dining hall and as long as they have water and snacks taken from the dining hall, they are fine. Put your money into the unlimited meal plan rather than a microwave and fridge. If your child is lucky enough to get into a suite, someone else will have those things in the common area. If not, there is usually a kitchen in the dorm somewhere and your student can utilize that rather than have the appliances in their room. Going off to college is a big step toward learning and gaining independence. Walking a few feet to heat water for hot chocolate or tea is part of the growing process. We don’t need to encourage sloth by making things easy on our college students. They have to learn sometime. And again, that unlimited meal plan is a godsend. The students can eat anytime day or night, have sandwiches delivered and even use it at some off campus sites.

In terms of having enough water that is fresh and pure, I worried about that a lot. I wanted my sons to have cases of water under their beds, but again, space is at a premium in a dorm room. I found water bottles at an outdoor sports shop that had a filter built right in. These bottles could be taken into the jungle and the owner would always have pure water. They are far cheaper than buying cases of water, buying Brita pitchers, and they have that handiness of being what your student is likely to fill and take to class. This is a sound investment.

Another rip off is the card that colleges ask students to load money on to and use on campus. This card can only be used at on campus venues, when the local CVS or Target or other discount store can provide the same products at far less cost. The only thing the card is useful for is laundry as most campus machines run with the card. Send your student to school with a couple of rolls of quarters or teach them to find quarters when in need. One great way to get quarters is to go to the lobby of any dorm and approach the drink and candy machines. If you put a dollar bill in the machine and then hit coin return, Voila! Four quarters. A couple more times and you have enough for a load. There is really no need to load a card with money that can only be used to purchase things on campus at inflated prices. Your student can find discount stores and get the copy paper they need for two bucks rather than six dollars at the campus store. If they are on campus without transportation, most campuses have buses that go into the nearest town. They can plan to pick up the things they need in one trip. This is a great lesson in planning, bargain hunting, and managing money. Stay away from the college card that will double your costs in just a few weeks.

As much as we want to make our children happy and comfortable their first year away from home, they will make their own way and be much better people for it. We can give them all the accoutrements that Bed Bath and Beyond suggests, or wait to see their room, assess the situation, and stand back and let them fend for themselves. My sons learned many valuable lessons their first years away and now the two in grad school have learned to be Spartans, save money where they need to, and thrive in their academics. They go to the movies or an occasional concert, they eat out at restaurants as often as they want, but they put their money toward books, tuition, and their futures. Buying everything under the sun for our college freshmen is not in their best interest, nor the best interest of our wallets.

An alarm clock, a lamp, sheets, towels, and a computer is really all they need to excel and get the most they can get from their institution of learning. The knowledge to access the library and the post office are also tools to add to the toolbox of learning. A cell phone is handy and having an instant messaging program on their computer is also helpful. You can connect with them and they can tell you when they need money or sheets or a cyber hug to let them know that they made the right decision to attend school. When my oldest child left for college seven years ago, AOL saved me. I contacted him everyday when I got home from work just to check in, see if he was OK, etc. I probably drove him nuts, but he patiently allowed me to access him and let me know he was all right. Now in graduate school in Environmental Public Health with an undergrad degree in Kinesiology, he still lets me know he is OK. Sit back and bask in the wonderful job you have done bringing the children to the brink of education and let them flourish and grow. Back off the gimmicks that will cost you money and just see what great young men and women your offspring will become.