Great Care Packages for Students
You might not be able to cook or do laundry for your son or daughter anymore, but you can still show your love with a simple and easy care package. When you ship a box filled with hand-selected items, your student will feel special and remember that he or she has a lot of support coming from home – even if said place is a thousand miles away.
In a perfect world, you will never have to include necessities like staple food items or cash in these packages. On planet Earth, you will include basics and necessities. Even if your son or daughter already has them, they will now have plenty to store away or share with roommates who aren’t as fortunate.
FIRST COMES THE SHOPPPING
Before you run to the store or jump online, make a written list of things that you think your student will need for the next couple of weeks or so. When you have a good idea of what you might want to buy, get in touch with your student to confirm that he or she really needs or wants these things. As an added bonus, you have the opportunity to grill him or her about grades – and if there is a treasured possession that the student left at home but now wants at school, he or she can ask you to send it with the rest of the goodies.
A few examples to get your list started include:
-Paper products such as toilet tissue, paper towels, facial tissues, printer and notebook paper.
-General school supplies like pens and pencils. It’s virtually impossible to have too many of these, as they tend to run out of ink or graphite, disappear after a classmate borrows them, or simply fall into the black hole in the center of most students’ rooms.
-Non-perishable food items. If your student has a reliable way to get to the grocery store, you can send a gift card for said store instead. It’s cheaper to mail, rechargeable, and the student will have more options. Sure, the ice cream will be first on the list, but at least you know your child is eating something besides noodles.
-Gift cards to the student’s favorite stores. A twenty-dollar gift card for books, movie rentals or even fast food is a fortune to someone who cannot even scrape up a buck or two until the next payday.
TIP: many gift cards can be purchased online. Use the Internet to your advantage and avoid extra shipping and handling costs.
-Any personal items that the student left at home but now wants to have. These can be decorations from the bedroom at home, throw rugs, favorite books, computer software or even games. Even if it doesn’t seem necessary to your student’s survival, send it provided that the housing office’s regulations do not prohibit it. (If your daughter requests her scented candles, you should probably tell her that she can have them when she comes home for the summer – most dorms will not let these or other open-flame items anywhere near the building.)
-Current photos of family members and friends. Your student might have several scrapbooks filled with pictures, but he or she is not around the family and friends right now. You might not be able to invite him or her home for the big barbecue, but you can share the memories. In fact, you can take the pics with a digital camera and e-mail them to save time and money.
-Quarters. Most students still pump these into the public washers and dryers. Ask before you mail a Christmas stocking full of these, however, as your student might use a laundry card instead.
-Contact the university about money accounts for students. Many schools allow parents to send money through checks or credit cards that will go into the student’s account. It can be used for on-campus expenses such as food and textbooks; some off-campus stores and restaurants will accept it as well. Sending cash this way prevents it from being lost or stolen; you will also rest a little easier knowing that there is a way for the student to buy last-minute supplies for finals week.
-Calling cards are virtually things of the past with the popularity of cell phones, but you can make a payment on your student’s cellular account or send a pre-paid card. Either way, you benefit: no matter how dire or dismal your student’s financial situation, you won’t have to hear the “not in service” error message when you try to call.
-Be sure to include a personalized note or card so that your student will have something to treasure for the rest of the school year.
NOW YOU FIND A BOX
Once you have everything that must go into the mail, estimate what size box you will need and dig one up. You can find them for free at many stores (most just crush them anyway, and are more than happy to give you one or two if you ask before they start breaking them down). You can also look around the house to find old boxes from past moves or new products you’ve bought.
There are a few things that you can do to make the package secure and safe for the trip t your student’s dorm or apartment:
-Find a sturdy cardboard box that has not been soaked or stained. Using something that held Dad’s leaky motor oil bottles isn’t going to work as well as a box that has not been stained. If you must, buy a new box: at least that way you will know it is sturdy and reliable.
-Use a felt-tipped marker, preferably black, to write names and addresses. This will show up best against the dark box, and your postal carriers will be grateful.
-Reinforce the bottom of the box with heavy tape. Make sure that the type of tape you use is approved by the shipping service you plan to use. Some tapes and packing materials are not allowed for various reasons, so call ahead or visit the Web site if you aren’t sure.
-Use plenty of packing peanuts, bubble wrap or old newspapers to secure the goodies. Packing the materials into open spaces and gaps will keep things from shifting around. It will also ensure that your daughter’s favorite porcelain figurine arrives in one piece.
-Do not seal the package until you are at the shipping center. In many cases, it must be inspected by an employee and approved before it is allowed on the truck, plane, train or boat.
-Add delivery confirmation and insurance, depending on the value of the items you’re about to ship. It’s a few extra dollars for your peace of mind: well worth the added expense if you are shipping a birthday present that you bought while on vacation in another country.
-Call ahead so that your student will know to expect a package from you. Some students don’t check their mail every day unless they know something important is on the way.
Now you can relax and wait for the phone call or e-mail letting you know that everything arrived safely. Once you’ve received that information, you can begin planning your next package – or, better yet, making plans for your student to come home for break or vacation.
