Best Packing List For College!

Going off to college is a huge, exciting change! There is so much happening, sometimes you dont even know where to start! I know I definitely overpacked when I left for school and my poor parents had to help me move all of it around! Here, i want to share with you what is essential for you to bring to college and some insights that will help make packing a whole lot easier! We will talk about whats good to pack by area, like bedroom, closet, kitchen, desk, bathroom, backpack, and car. Lets go!

Lets start with items for your bedroom…

BEDROOM

Bedding for a Twin or Twin XL bed. Check with your housing/apartment complex to see which they provide. Twin XL and Twin beds are very different, one sheet will not fit the other! Twin XL’s are a bit longer but thats about it. Consider the average weather while you will be there. If its sunny and 85 all the time, you don’t want to bulk up on blankets. If its going to be snowing and cold 80% of your time there, bring more blankets or get a very cozy comforter and material that will hold heat better, like flannel.

• Comforter- I thought I had bought a twin comforter but it ended up being a queen, so I could have totally brought my blanket from home. I love being wrapped up so I was okay with the extra blanketness!
• Sheets. Heres a 5 piece bed set from Amazon
• Pillows (sleeping and maybe decorative, 1 or 2)
• Pillowcases
• Bed topper- Super important if you want to save your back and actually sleep well! Get a 1 inch mattress topper, preferably memory foam. Anything over 1 inch is even better! This will help your quality of sleep and comfort so much because some beds are old or indestructible. These are not synonymous with comfort. Trust me on this one. Here is Amazons choice for a bed topper
• Small fluffy/fuzzy rug to make your small space a bit more homey and comfy. Sheepskin rug from Amazon
• Bed risers- Sold at Walmart for pretty cheap. most complexes wont let you take cinderblocks in to raise your bed. Helps with increasing storage room. Round hole bed risers found here
• Underbed storage- If you choose to put your bed on risers you’ll have more room to store things. May have to buy after you raise your bed to see what will fit. May be a cloth zip up box or plastic bins. Varies according to storage space available under your bed! Best Seller on Amazon right here
• Wax warmer and/or essential oil diffuser- I love the sound of the diffuser at night and usually they change colors which is super relaxing at night! Wax warmers are also super fun and are perfect to get the right vibe and feel in your personal space!

Got this lil dude at Walmart for super cheap. Very sturdy when plugged into the wall and has a nice glow. Sure to make any small space nice and cozy and smelling wonderful!

Bought this at a wax warmer and diffuser outlet in Provo UT, same suppliers to Walmart. Changes colors and speed settings. Very homey and has relaxing sound when turned on. Perfect for making your apartment home!

All purchased at Walmart, Definitely under 10$ each! Super fun and cute pillows to make your space fun and comfy. The emoji pillows are also the best road trip pillows!

Now lets talk about your closet!

Closet space is going to be extremely different everywhere! The main thing I would rely on though is that there will probably be few to no drawers space. Mostly hanging and shelves. To me, that means little privacy if you are sharing a room! So here are a few tips:

CLOSET

• Plastic three drawer organizer- very prominent at Target and Walmart. Some are extra wide and low, some are tall and skinny. Lots of options for your space. Buy when you get to your apartment. Easy to store undies, bras, socks, and more personal clothing and care items. Buy more than one too!
• Thin plastic hangers- You want to utilize your hanging space as much as possible, so the thinner the hanger, the more clothing you can cram on the rack! Hangers with plastic nubs on the shoulders or velvet hangers work well to not have clothing slip off. TJ Maxx, Ross are the best place Ive seen for selection of thin hangers. Find velvet hangers here
• Shoe storage- Find a place to put your shoes! In such a small place that you share it will get messy! No one wants your shoes by the door either, so they have to go in your small room. Find hanging shoe storage for your door or get a rack that will fit in on the floor somewhere.
• Laundry hamper- make it multipurpose for a hamper and a carrier to the laundry room and back. And durable. Mine fell apart in 3 weeks. Lame. Heres a plastic collapsible basket and here is a cute fabric one that will both work perfectly!
• Jewelry organizer
• Duffel bag- for packing, easily collapsable and wont take up space afterward.

Kitchen and cooking packing…. This one is difficult.

Let me say this first. You don’t need as much as you think you do when it comes to packing your cooking items! And you don’t need to buy it all brand new either. Or all of it before you leave even, because you can acquire more items as you advance as a single student cooking for yourself. I bought a lot of things new to go to school and i regret some of that. Some things i thrifted too, and i was super happy with that! One thing to remember is that your items will be in a community living area of the kitchen, so if you don’t want your things to get snagged, don’t bring quality items and don’t bring items that look like what everyone else has. If you thrift items, you can easily customize them without fear of ruining a more expensive item. Let me show you what I did…

KITCHEN

• Cutlery- I thrifted some cute forks, knives, and spoons and then personalized them by spray painting the ends of each of the handles with colors I liked, and finished with a clear coat. I had unique cutlery that I liked and no one would get it mixed up with mine!
• Rice cooker- super easy and convenient. Rice is cheap too when you’re a college student on a budget.
• Mini Crockpot/Slow cooker- I LOVED my slow cooker! I would throw in some frozen chicken breasts and broth and come home a few hours later to a nice little home cooked meal! It was seriously so easy. Since the pot was smaller, it made it easy to not cook too much food for one person, it had just the right portions for a meal and some leftovers. Little prep for very yummy food. Heres a cute small one
• One good sized pot- You really don’t need more than 1 medium-large pot
• One multipurpose pan- a pan with high sides makes for a small pot and large pan. Still make pancakes but still warm up some sauce if needed!
• Strainer/Colander- you’ll be eatin’ a lotta pasta honey!
• One large measuring cup- a Pyrex measuring cup that holds two or three cups total with markings.It cuts down on space as opposed to stacking cups.
• 4 Corelle plates- These are very common at the thrift store! I happened to get mine at Walmart because my mom told me to get them because they are very durable, perfect for a mobile and not gentle college life.
• Cups-find cute ones at the thrift store or wait to acquire some at school
• Small plastic cutting board- sanitary no matter what you are cutting and requires no care. OXO is a good brand and has a great one here
• One or two good cutting knives- 1 big, one small. One smooth, one serrated. Here is a super bright and colorful set
• Dish towels- find a unique pattern you like. TJ Maxx or Ross are a good choice to pick from. “What the fork is for dinner” towel set!

Still hvae the same Walmart pot that I had while on campus. used it for everything while cooking! Hot chocolate, pasta, sauce, rice pudding, ramen noodles, soup…. All of it!

Now for some study and desk tips.

DESK

• Printer- I hated using school printing and I had my own printer. Best thing ever. Heres the same one I took to school with me
• Favorite pens and pencils- Don’t go for cheap exactly here, find what you like and buy it. You’ll be writing a lot so its okay!
• 3 hole punch
• 5 subject notebook- I started using these because each class doesn’t need a separate notebook and I took less notes than I thought I would. I took about 4 or 5 classes too so it worked out.
• Laptop
• Laptop case- snap on case for Mac AND a soft sleeve for transport in your backpack! If you have a PC a soft sleeve will do great. It will extend the life of your laptop a long time. Heres the same one I have on my computer now.
• Bluetooth mouse for laptop
• Sheet protectors
• Nice resume paper- if you plan on applying for jobs.
• printer paper
• college ruled notebook paper
• tape
• stapler
• blue tacky gum- hanging up pictures in your dorm
• white toothpaste- fill in holes in your walls left from tack holes
• 2nd computer monitor- if you’re using excel or Photoshop or any big, in depth programs, you can hook up your laptop to it for more monitor space.
• Desk top lamp- preferably with different light settings for different times of day while studying.
• Noise cancelling headphones- drown out noise from roomies and rock out 🙂 Amazon has great inexpensive options, they don’t NEED to be Beats!

I bought a laptop cover and keyboard sleeve for less than 20$ on Amazon and its working amazing to keep my new laptop from getting scratched! Super easy and cheap addition to make your electronics last longer and hold up well. Apple products re very customizable externally.

BACKPACK

• GET A NICE DURABLE BACKPACK OR BAG

Ive had this backpack since sophomore year of highschool (2011) so over seven years! Its gone all around the world with me and still works perfectly. Absolutely no holes or rips or anything. Could probably need a good hose down and wash but its good to go!

Thats all I have to say about that. Don’t want it falling apart and don’t want to have to buy another bag while out there and you don’t have much money. Jansport with a leather bottom was the best for me. Amazon has a lot of amazing options too. Heres the Jansport options

CAR

If you are taking a car to school, how exciting!! Not everyone gets to do that so that is amazing! Heres a few things that are a must to have in your car/for your car.

• JUMPER CABLES- put them in your car NOW!! Your car will die at the most unexpected time and someone else may not have them. Buy some now and put them in the car trunk.
• Car air freshener. Buy a few trees from Walmart or get a small container that fits in a cupholder, poke some hole sin the lid and place a few wax melts on the inside. When the car warms up it will melt the wax and your car will be smelling wonderful!
• Outdoor blanket- might want to go for a picnic or sit outside and it good to have if you have to stay in your car for whatever reason.
• Extra water and snacks- if you go on a little trip and are stuck in traffic, you’ll have some backup supplies!
• Extra charging cable for phone- cable and cigarette lighter insert.
• Flashlight
• Hand Sanitizer
• Extra things you forget all the time! Personal for you- me, I have lotion, chapstick, mints, pads and tampons, car charger, pen, sunglasses. Just some ideas.

Along with all these practical packing ideas, Id also encourage you to find a couple items that are YOU to take with you that can help you have fun, be a conversation starter, and help you make friends. For example, I brought a volleyball, a longboard, and a horse head mask to college so I could have fun with others, have some me time, and have a funny thing to talk about and mess around with, with my roomies and friends. Don’t forget to be yourself at school and also create yourself to be who you want to be!

There! Thats the list! As I said before, this is a list for things you might not think about when packing up for school. It’s not a complete comprehensive list, but it will get you going and give you some tips on where to start! Keep in mind your climate and your amenities included in your living situation and try to keep it minimal and frugal. Have a great time at college and make the most of it!

Please comment any other suggestions you may have from your own experience or anything major that you think was left out of this article. I would love to make sure its all on here! Share this post with a friend or family member who is going away to school, or a parent thats helping pack a kid up! Thanks for reading!

 

 

Herbal Essences Is Making “Naturally Derived” The New Thing

Herbal Essences is taking the convenience store hair care world by surprise! (So basically the average woman buying shampoo) BioRenew hair care is the newest release from the company and their ad presence is everywhere, from Facebook video modules to Twitter to Instagram.They are really showing the world that it is possible to have hair products that are natural and actually work.

Their advertising campaign is beautifully done as well. Some of the objectives of the campaign is to reach the Millennial age. This is seen in their graphics, very mermaid-like and magical and earthy in design. This is for the younger demographic of women, not too common with older or middle aged women. Many of the posts that they share online feature millennial age women who have used the new BioRenew line and love it.

Another objective of the advertising campaign is to show that the product is “green”. Some of the labels touted on the products are “90% Naturally Derived” and “Natural Ingredients” while showing lots of fruits and greenery to go along with products and posts.

The two main principles that Herbal Essences is using in their advertising for BioRenew are the presentation principle and the value principle. For the presentation principle, the company is presenting the new product as a fun, natural, effective way to take care of your hair. If you buy the product then you will have the hair that they show to you in ads. You can buy into the fun and adventure that they portray. If you are intrigued by the way they present their product, then its for you. If you care about how you look and you want to show others that you are flirty, adventurous, beautiful, and care about the earth, then use this product.

For the value principle, I think the company has created value in their posts. They post “hair-iscopes” for your hairs horoscope, they feature other popular users of the product, beautiful photography featuring the products, and other content that brings users in rather than just posting a picture saying BUY THIS SHAMPOO! They do have a great following on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, along with a  beautiful website. They are very well connected and bring useful content to all sites for all their viewers and buyers.

Some of the weaknesses of the brand though, are that they do not market to older women (over 30, over millennial age). I think women who are older than the millennial generation have more money to spend on hair care products and care about their hair more than younger people. I also think the appeal of natural ingredients to nourish the hair is appealing to all ages, not just younger women. Their posts sometimes feel a little to “young” like its for high school and middle school girls, yet the packaging is more refined and I see it as a product for a young adult, so there is some disconnect there, in my opinion. Herbal Essences also does not have many, if any, men’s products, and they could possibly adapt the BioRenew line for men as well.

I love this product and its seriously changed my hair and its strength! I especially love the conditioner! If you want to check it out, here’s a link to my favorite shampoo and conditioner set on Amazon! http://amzn.to/2DdBFPA

The END; Week 12, Day 4&5

It’ll be all rainbows and sunshine when this weekend is over and done with!

The week wraps up… This is the final week I have to write daily journal blog posts! I know all of you have just had a blast reading about my daily woes and joys but hopefully I’ll continue on after this week! So now I’ll tell you about my crazy last few days…

Thursday: What a day! I was gone all day and it felt great o actually be busy and then tired at the end of the day. I mean I wouldn’t wish it on myself again soon but it was a productive day. I got up and went tot he store because I was craving cereal. I went to Walmart and got original Cap’n Crunch, some milk, and some bread. I as down to 8 dollars yesterday so now I have 1.50 until my direct deposit kicks in. I went home and feasted on the cereal. I haven’t had cereal in about a month. This is insanity! I love cereal and usually go through a  box or two a week. I am pretty impressed with myself for not eating it for a month. After Walmart I took Truckita through the car wash. My wash receipt was about to expire and the weather looks good for about a week so I thought I’d use it then. I vacuumed out the car too, it was way overdue! I had cinnamon sugar powder from when I was driving to Rexburg from Christmas in California. I went home and feasted and then got ready for the day. I went down to school to work a booth for Competitive Sports. The champ game is on Friday at 7:30 and we handed out popcorn and some t-shirts for the enthusiasts. I got a free tshirt too! I talked to Mitchell buddy that was working the table with me. He doesn’t even work for the Comp Sports, Mitchell just needed people for the table and told him he would buy him Pizza. We talked about nerdy superhero movies and the new ones coming up and other things like that. It was good conversation! Around lunchtime, Mitchell dropped off lunch for us. We got a subway sandwich and Stephen got his Little Caesars pizza. I munched and waited for Mitchell to come back but time was running out since I had to book it to class. Mitchell showed up and was like “I was waiting for you in the Taylor! I called you like 4 times.” I didn’t know! I said I was sorry and ran to class. Didn’t fall asleep in Book of Mormon  today. Went to the MC to get to the library afterward. I saw Ana there and she followed me to the library where I worked on my InDesign project. We talked and then I left to go home. While I was walking up toward home some kid with his jacket on backward walked up to me. I was freaked out for a second but it was just Mitchell trying to be funny! We walked to his car and he drove me the short rest of the way home. I did some homework for my portfolio project and then gathered my stuff and got in my car to go to Comm 100. I got there and class was really good. It talked about how to get form being a Comm major to becoming employed and what it takes. It will be a lot of work but I think it will be so fun learning about communications and business. I enjoyed class. After that, I went to the field with Hillary and another guy from our group in Comm 111. We started filming our running parts for the Juicy Fruit commercial. It got cold and the guy running was in a tank top! I talked to some of Hillary’s friends and he was cool. It was a fun interesting experience. i felt helpless since Hillary was doing all the filming and she knows what shes doing. I had a few small parts in the filming. I hold the gum up and say how good it is with a super cheesy smile. After we were done filing we had to runt o get the tripod to her friend who needed it for his job. He was photographing the Jane Austen dance in the ballroom. We ran all over campus trying to find the right place. The whole time Hillary had to pee. It was crazy. We got most of the filming down for the night. I went home and took a HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF. I started heating up dinner and then realized I had a lot more work to finish that night. I was exhausted and then I forgot I missed the draft critique I had scheduled with someone in the Spori building. I was ticked I had missed it but there was nothing I could do. I finished my work, got ready for bed and crashed!

Today is Friday. I woke up, ate the rest of the cereal, and did homework. Fun stuff. I know its going to be a busy day and I don’t know how I’m going to get it all done. I know I have the weekend to finish my Portfolio project but I just want to get it done as soon as possible. I need to hustle on my Brochure project but I’m in the same boat. I have limited funds to print everything I need and I don’t want to use all my ink in my printer. I am gearing up for a long day. I’m probably not going tot he Champ game. I’ve got a lot on my mind. i have to start packing soon. I want to start some personal projects on Photoshop, I want to see a good friend I’ve been missing but don’t know how to bring it up. I also don’t know what I’m doing when it comes time to move out. Its complicated and I know there people have worse problems but I don’t care! I am full Of stuff to do and I don’t want to mess it up. i want good grades and good relationships and I want a roof over my head. Idk, it will work its way out. Peace out friends!

Week 9, Day 1

Back to the daily grind! Monday wasn’t so bad. Usually Monday hits me like a train and I am not expecting the rush or the homework that I forgot about and everything else that goes along with Monday. But that wasn’t this week! I finished some homework up, a quick paper, I cleaned up my room (I know, real interesting and intriguing stuff right here for a college student) then off to class I went. I also looked great today! I had a blue, pink, purple fine square plaid under a grey sweater, dark skinnies and my tall brown boots. It felt good to actually put some effort into my outfit but still be comfy and presentable. Not that I look TERRIBLE everyday, but I looked a little more like I cared today! I went to class for a little bit then had to leave early to go get my grad plan started. Bad planning on my part but it was important. I actually got a somewhat helpful person at the Academic Discovery Center who helped me out and that was nice. Most of the time these people don’t care or don’t know what they’re doing or they’re restricted from doing anything useful for anyone since they are under the director. Or they’re just too incompetent to figure it out. That was mean… Either way, I meant business when I went and I was going to get my stuff done. I did it in a kind yet firm manner. I have a certain attitude I take on when I mean business and want answers. It seems to work and I stay friendly so I’m going to stick with it. After that, I went to the library to crank out my grad plan on a computer that actually worked with Silverlight since mine is always a pain. I got most of that done and then went to my next class. I like talking about PR in my Comm Writing class because it has a lot of marketing examples and fails, so that’s entertaining(like the recent McDonald’s happy meal box that was beyond creepy). After class I went home and avoided the apartment because all the other girls were watching and shrieking about the Bachelor (ugh!!). Got my laundry done. Didn’t hang out with Mitchell since he was studying but ya know..PRIORITIES! Went to Walmart a coupe times. Watched a creepy move and fell asleep. Great Monday.

Week 8, Day 5

Yay Friday! Not really… Creating and saving my cover pages on Photoshop for Interpersonal was a NIGHTMARE! I had fun making the collages and arranging them etc. in PS, BUT my computer was super slow! Most of my time was wasted waiting for the stupid thing to save the files to a PDF so that I could take them to the print shop. I was afraid it wasn’t going to happen before class. While I was waiting for the files to save, I went and “got ready” for the day. I am sad to admit that I am kind of a mess today. No makeup, no shower, no fashion whatsoever. It really could be worse, but I aint feelin’ fly today. I came back to the computer to check on the saved files and it was just taking forever! Finally they saved, i put them on a flash drive and went to AlphaGraphics. I made the guy print them twice on accident. It didn’t take too long for the whole process but I was slightly annoyed that I had made the process go longer. I wanted the pages to be double sided, different sides. He printed four pages at first and then I was going to make him laminate them but the pages would have shifted in the process. So he printed again and the pages were a clean double side with no lamination issues. Except that there is a really thick hair and a black speck laminated into the pages Next I trimmed them and left quickly. I drove home to pick up a few school things and ran out the door. I was only 10 minutes late and waked in on the prayer, but no biggie… Turns out the teacher didn’t even want the pages today. She said to keep them so she wouldn’t ruin them in transit for grading and such. She asked “Who brought theirs today?” and everyone raised their hand. Wow, I could have gotten away with half finishing them. I’m glad I got them done though. They are finished and have no problems and I am good! The rest of class was about listening styles and barriers. Still trying to work on being a better listener, even though I feel like I haven’t had too many opportunities. Now I have the rest of the weekend to do some more homework! It just never ends…

Finished Works:

These are in no way professional at all! Just what I was working on. They’re cute and funny but they’re just for me haha

Week 8, Day 2

Today has been very productive for my physically.I had some good inspiration to go to the gym this morning. I laid awake for way too long last night looking at workout clips from some of my favorite Instagram fitness champions. I went to the gym in the morning and had a good lift session. I was surprised I had enough energy after staying up until 1:30! The workout included squats, Arnold press on exercise ball, one-arm rows, stretches, and dumbbell reverse flies. I was sore walking up and down stairs around campus today! After my workout, I got all cute and dressied up for devotional. I wore a necklace that my grandma gave to me for my birthday. It’s a cute necklace with big rhinestones, but I never know what to wear with it! I wore it with a light colored jean button up and my black tulle skirt. It was such a  cute combo that I just threw together. After I was acceptably made up and dressed, I made my way to the MC for lunch with Mitchell. I brought with me my spinach salad, carrots, apple, and hard boiled egg. So healthy! Book of Mormon was after lunch, I actually enjoyed it this time. I love the Book of Mormon, but sometimes my teacher is not the most entertaining. He can be cryptic sometimes as well… After class I met with Mitchell for devo. Sister Stephens gave a great talk. I walked home afterward and now I’m typing this stuff up! Today has been healthy and productive 🙂 I am happy today. I just feel good.

I have been looking for good resources that can help me mix up my workouts and  found a great site. Here it is http://www.bodybuilding.com/

Week 2 Day 3

Today I received a text from my mom saying “Have a great day 🙂 Miss you!”. Little did she know that the night before was an odd one and that I was feeling down. She sent this to me at just the right time in the morning as I was beginning some challenging homework. I felt like it was a little tender mercy from the Lord. I’m thankful for His awareness of me and for my mothers thoughtfulness as well as the technology that allows us all to communicate so quickly. I know messenger apps and social networks are not a replacement for all interaction but I do realize the benefits that come from having contact with those close to you at your fingertips and I am grateful for it. Little things like this show me that my Savior loves and cares about me and also that my family does too. I try to do the same thing for my parents and sister occasionally, shooting them a text or as I mentioned earlier, calling them between classes. I can always improve my displays of affection and caring for my family and friends and hope to do so. Challenge: send a text or call a loved one in the next 24 hours! It may be just what they needed or what you needed to rekindle a struggling relationship. You never know. Happy life adventures friends 🙂 Make them good ones

Picture above is of me and my parents and our glowing faces as I was their first kid to graduate. They’re always there for me and have supported me through big events and challenges in my life.