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College Survival Kit

I am very proud to say, I have two kids that are headed to full-time college this fall, at two different colleges, and both of them are on college teams!  One of the joys of having a college athlete, is that they head to college an entire month early to begin training for their sports!  It's a rough time for this Mom, who's heart is breaking, but for you, it's great, because I'm going to share what I did to pack them each a College Survival Kit to take with them to school before you're getting your college students ready

I got so carried away with my purchases that I couldn't fit it all in, but if it's microwave popcorn, it doesn't really count, does it?

First side of College Survival Kit
 


Second Side of College Survival Kit

 
First, I ordered a container to give them all the goodies!  I wanted it to be cute and functional for my kids once they emptied out all their gifts.  I got the Double Duty Caddy in Charcoal Links to match my daughter's dorm room and in Digital Camo for my son's dorm room.  (I really love the Digital Camo!!) I love this container because it has two big pockets on either side of the handle, as well as 4 mesh pockets on the ends.  (Works great on the desk, in the bathroom and in the camper for all those paper plates, etc.)

Then, I made a huge list of all the things that I thought might be helpful to them that they wouldn't think to get until it was too late!  Here's my list:
  • Snacks (my daughter said that she couldn't live without animal crackers, so that's what they got!)
  • Chapstick
  • Sewing Kit
  • First Aid Kit
  • 3m Hangers
  • Tool Kit
  • Thermometer
  • AA & AAA batteries
  • Lint Roller
  • Stain stick
  • Pain & Cold meds
  • Duct Tape
  • Charging cord
  • Cough drops
  • Cold Medicine
  • Ibuprofin
  • Aced
  • Nail clippers
  • Tweezers
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Band aids
  • Neosporin
  • Microwave popcorn
  • Gum
  • Tic Tacs
  • Birthday candles
  • Lighter
  • Ear Plugs
  • Febreeze
  • Post-It Notes
  • Flip-Flops
  • Journal
  • Pencils
  • Pencil Sharpener
  • Erasers
  • White Out
  • Food Container (I got a set of 2 at Dollar Tree, so they can put left overs in the frig)
Of course, I didn't get everything on this list, but as I was shopping, I had something to jog my memory for things to get.  Most of my items I got from the Dollar Tree and Staples. 

One of the items I'm most excited and proud of is a pill box I adapted.  I found these 7 day pill dispensers at the Dollar Tree.  I've seen people put fancy pictures of the pill boxes on each day, but I was worried that my kids wouldn't know what each was used for and how many to take. 

I put the ailment: pain, vitamins, menstrual pain (my son didn't get this, although it works great for back pain), migraines, cold medicine, allergy stomach and pain & fever.  I then put the dosage and how many to take.  In the Cold medicine box, I put a pre-packed pm cold pill and daytime cold pill, as well as a cough drop.  I wanted to give them a week's worth, but at least they know what to get themselves if they get sick.  I printed these up on white address labels and then just cut them to fit. 



I may not want to say good-bye soon to my kids, but at least I've been able to give them a practical and meaningful gift to take with them.  I know that every time they go to grab an item from this kit, they'll know that I love them and thought of them ahead of time!

I am an Independent Thirty-One Gifts Consultant, so I do make a commission from all sales from my website.  I do not in anyway receive any sort of compensation from Dollar Tree or Staples. 

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