Your freshman year in college will provide many opportunities for you to learn, grow, and experience life as an adult for the first time. But there are some things, maybe even your favorite things, you just won’t be able to get at your new campus surroundings which can only come from home. Those things you love, but can’t find locally, are the types of items you should request your parents send you in care packages. So, what things specifically might you ask them for?
- Favorite non-perishable foods: There are foods that might be a regional favorite where you come from, but you just can’t seem to find in your new locale. Whether it’s salt water taffy from Maine, Big Red soda from Texas, or a can of boiled peanuts from the deep south, there are some things from home a person simply has to have.
- Laundry and cleaning supplies: College students are notorious for several things, but two of the most prominent are being broke, and being untidy. Solve both problems by asking for laundry detergent and fabric softener sheets along with some basic cleaning supplies. These supplies can include such as an all-purpose cleaner (Lysol, 409, or Fantastic), glass cleaner (Windex), toilet bowl cleaner (Lysol or Chlorox), sponges, paper towel, and of course, air freshener (Lysol or Febreze).
- Microwaveable nesting storage dishes: Dorm rooms are small. Period. You barely have enough space for your textbooks, let alone a full-on cupboard of dishes. You also aren’t going to be doing much cooking outside of opening a package and tossing it into the microwave for a couple of minutes. That’s why space-saving nesting storage dishes are so great. Not only can you nuke them, but if you don’t finish all your food, you can slap a lid on it and toss it in the fridge for tomorrow.
- Restaurant gift cards: Eating in your school’s cafeteria can get really old, really fast – especially when you’re on a shoestring budget. So do ramen noodles and PB&J’s. If you have a favorite local restaurant, having a gift card (or two) handy to dine there can be a massive morale booster when the thought of cracking open one more can of SpaghettiOs makes your stomach lurch.
- A surprise: Half the fun of receiving a care package is not knowing what little goodies will be in there. Most parents experience a bit of heartache when their children go off to college and don’t need to depend on them as much anymore. Asking your parents to surprise you allows them to feel needed and affords them an opportunity to be creative and spontaneous to your benefit. Sometimes they’ll miss the mark with their surprises, but sometimes they’ll send you something you’d forgotten you loved – like a DVD of your favorite movie along with microwavable popcorn and movie theater style candy (which could also be something you can ask for).
Aside from the typical college student request for money, there are a lot of items you could ask your parents to send you. From school supplies to a roll of postage stamps and everything in between. The most important thing to remember though is to ask for things you genuinely need or want instead of allowing them to waste money and time sending items you either don’t like or don’t need.