Going to College? Here’s What You Don’t Really Need!

This may come as a surprise to many, but college can get pretty expensive. We’re not thinking about the tuition, but also about the clothes, books and the housewares to furnish their room. As for the kegs of beer, that’s out of the question, since your kid doesn’t drink, right?

Going to college

Long story short, college isn’t just about the tuition or the regular spending that may empty your pockets even faster than expected. However, you may cut down the expenses if you double check the list down below. Some of the things you think your college kid need are, in fact, far from being mandatory!

The appliances

We do know that all college kids need a computer, but there are some other electrical appliances that they may think they “really” need. Here’s what you can scratch down from the list:

· Tablet

Unless your kid is majoring in Pharmacology, chances are he/she may never have to use the tablet through college. The market gives us today two major types of tablets. The cheaper ones that are …cheap, but unable to replace a laptop and the expensive ones that actually impress with their performances.

However, it’s wiser and cost-effective to get a better-equipped laptop instead of buying a tablet that may never ever be used.

· High-end laptop

Did you know that 99% of all college students are actually using their laptop mostly for word processing, watching YouTube and searching something on Wikipedia? Most of them are able to manage their jobs with less than $500 models. After all, do you really want your kid to spill their coffee (beer is never in the equation) on a high-end laptop or a low-budget one?

· Desktop computer

You don’t want to complicate the college life of your kid even more so don’t get them a desktop computer. The very long extension cords and the lack of portability simply don’t justify the investment. It’s a lot wiser (and cheaper) to get them a laptop.

· External hard drive

We live in the era of cloud storage so your kid only needs to sign up for Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive, gaining 20GB of free cloud storage (that’s a lot, really!). your kid shouldn’t need more than that for all of his/her papers, projects and files. On top of everything else, this type of storage cannot be stolen, misplaced or broken when moving back home or in a new town.

· Printer

Gone are the days when you had to print all of your paper work. It’s quite natural for professors to accept (and even prefer!) assignments sent via email. Modern students may not have to print a single assignment so it’s entirely useless to get them a printer.

Should your college kid need to print something, the chances for the school to offer printing facilities are pretty high. In addition, it may even be cheaper if not entirely free to print something in a printing facility.

· HDTV

No, your kid definitely doesn’t need a TV for staying in touch with everything it happens around the world. Chances are that millennials never watch TV anymore. Now they have Hulu, Netflix, YouTube for watching their favorite TV-shows or movies so a computer is going to be more than enough. If your kid simply cannot take “no” for an answer, wait until November comes. We all like Black Friday!

· Coffee maker

Caffeine may be your college kid’s best friend as he/she needs to stay awake in the early morning. Coffee is a lot related to friends though. Just between you and me, college kids would rather hang out in a coffee shop than having their own coffee maker in their dorm. On the long run, it’s cheaper to get them a coffee maker, but why not support the coffee shops?

· Vacuum (or any other cleaning supply that may help)

Let’s take an imaginary trip forward into the future: can you see the vacuum still unpacked by the door, where you left it when you dropped your kid? Sadly, most of the kids going to college are going to explore their cleaning skills and may never ever clean their room. Even if they may need to vacuum at some point (please call before paying them a visit), it’s better that they loan or rent a vacuum at the front desk of their dorm.

· Anything a phone is able to do nowadays

No, your kid doesn’t need an alarm clock for waking up nor a tube TV to watch the favorite TV show. A smartphone is able to help them in so many situations and they don’t even need to learn a foreign language anymore! Forget about a good camera or a CD player for the possible dance parties. It’s better to get them the smartphone they want and be done with it!

· Car

If you’re planning to get your college kid a car, remember that it’s not only the gas that you’re going to have to pay for. Be aware that there are collages out there that don’t even allow underclassmen to own cars in the first place, so make sure you check the rules before making the “wise” investment. Even if you’re not going to get your kid a new car, you may still not want him/her to take one as the campus parking fees may really have a say on your budget. Let’s not forget about the tickets when your kid parks illegally around the campus (yes, it’s going to happen, for sure).

The miscellaneous

Even some of the items listed down below may seem important, at the end of the day, your college’s life isn’t going to depend on any of them.

· School supplies

Let’s get things clear: your kid is going to need school supplies at college (pens, pencils, notebooks), but don’t overdo it and definitely don’t take a stab in the dark. It seems that an average parent spends a bit less than $80 on back-to-college supplies. Wouldn’t you want to use it for something else?

· Pricey bedding

Even if you’re going to have to buy a new mattress (the very long mattress typically found in dorm rooms, which is more common than we’d like), you shouldn’t go over the top with the bedding. Chances are the new and beautiful Egyptian cotton bedding is going to be all ruin during the first session of eating and drinking with no limits whatsoever. Be wise and get some bargain bin bedding deals and not the 1,000-thread count sheets.

· Iron and ironing board

Unless your kid is nuts about wrinkle-free clothes, chances are your kid isn’t going to iron anytime soon throughout the college years. Sure, they can get all creative and try all sorts of tricks for de-wrinkle their clothes, as they may want to impress somebody at some point (and even go to a job-interview, right?).

You may spoil your kid with a compact ironing board and a smaller iron if it seems that your kid isn’t going to make it without them. Buying wrinkle-free clothes is a cheaper solution for many, though.

· Pots and pans

Even if not all kids are lazy, most of them are and you should really pay attention to your offspring when checking this list. Do you think that your kid is going to cook a meal? Is he/she going to do it, despite the fact a dining hall is right around the corner? Once he/she is done with cooking, is he/she going to do the dishes as well? Keep in mind that the dorm may not even come with a kitchen in the first place, so take care of your wallet. the money you spend on even the cheapest kitchen sets may be easily used for something else.

· Tool sets

Is your kid really the handy type? Is he/she really into fixing stuff? Even if your kid is going to major in this, he/she is going to get all the tools he/she needs from the school. Forget about buying a hammer as most dorms forbid any nails in the walls anyways. Should your kid ever need something, he/she may borrow the tool from the student center.

The last tips for the list of stuff your kid doesn’t actually need!

No, the list of things your kid doesn’t necessarily need in school isn’t done just yet. Here are some final thoughts on the matter. You can never know too much about your kid’s needs when going to college.

· Stay away from the school store

Campus stores are overpriced all the time as college students almost never want/can drive to stores outside the campus for some pencils, for instance. It seems that a regular school store may even charge you 35% more for a regular laptop. Fun, right? Let’s not forget the situation when it’s impossible not to fall into temptation and actually get an overpriced t-shirt with the school logo. Therefore, unless your kid is going to a niche school for the gifted youngsters, you should try to hold your horses and get the clothes with university logos from some other place. They’re pretty much anywhere online for a lot less.

· Double-check the shopping list

Before actually going shopping, it’s better to make your very own and personal list. Take notes and try to stick to your list. Try not to get creative nor to fall into temptation and get the soft and luxurious bedding that you fall in love with.

A funny toothbrush holder, a dryer or some cedar chips for the closet- sure, why not? Well, they all add up and your final bill may be a lot more than expected. The rule of thumb is that if “this is going to come in handy” comes to mind, forget about that item. Chances are, it’s never going to be of any help.

Going through our list and your list is going to be fundamental for cutting the college spending down, and it’s just one step taking you closer to real life.

Here's what our friend Kris Hui has to say about what to pack for college: