Gift Basket 101: College Edition

For my boyfriend's birthday back in June, I made him this cute little gift basket of things that he would need for college (he's a freshman this year, too). Like boys everywhere, my boyfriend thought all he needed to bring to college was a blanket, clothes, and an Xbox. So, I got him a few things that I knew he would need. This gift basket was relatively cheap, and makes a great graduation gift or care package! I got most of the things from Dollar Tree (a dolla makes me holla, honey boo boo child!), Dollar General or Wal-Mart. In addition to everything pictured, I added a strainer ($1), bowls ($1), a giant pack of Ramen Noodles, coat hangers ($1), and a Slim Jim ($1).

The basket all neat and put together!

Microwavable popcorn and a movie so we can have a movie night date! (It's a cheap date!)
$1 for popcorn from Dollar Tree and $5 for the movie from Wal-Mart

 Napoleon Dynamite is one of our favorite movies!

Their favorite candy for when they get hungry and the dining hall is closed! (I used Sno-Caps and Gobstoppers!)
$1 a piece from Dollar Tree

Gym shorts with our school name and logo on it. (Go Trojans!) I also bought him a Columbia shirt and some PFG shorts.
I got the shorts from the Wal-Mart in troy for around $10 and bought the shirt and other pair of shorts on sale at a local retailer.

Because who doesn't love Silly String?!
$1 from Dollar Tree

Disinfecting wipes, which I still don't think he has used. (Boys are GROSS!)
$1 from Dollar Tree

Air Freshener for when his dorm starts to smell "manly" (This is more for my benefit than his ;P )
$1 from Dollar Tree

Laundry hamper, detergent packs (I recommend these, they're so fast and easy!), and dryer sheets so there's no reason he can't do his laundry.
Hamper around $3 from Wal-Mart, detergent around $5 from Dollar General, and dryer sheets $1 from Dollar General

I also added a roll of quarters so there is DEFINITELY no reason for him to have stinky clothes! 

Put it all in the laundry hamper and ta-da! A perfect gift for college!

College Girl!!

I'm officially moved into my dorm room! I might be just a tad bit biased, but I think my roommate and I have the cutest dorm room! We decided to go with a color pallet of aqua and coral, but added in a few extra colors too! We decided to get different bedspreads that reflected our own personality, but used taupe as a neutral color for our rug and curtains so it wouldn't be color overkill. (Even though our room came with a doo-doo green wall that we couldn't paint over, which we were not happy about.) Of course almost everything of mine is monogrammed, even my mini fridge! I was so pleased that we were able to make it feel like such a homey space, it definitely makes you feel a lot less homesick. I definitely recommend trying out your mattress pad BEFORE you move. Mine feels like a rock! I'm so glad that I'm only and hour away from home and my parents are bringing me a new one!
I had A LOT of stuff! My car had only clothes in it! (Quick packing tip: keep your clothes on hangers and just put trash bags over them, so they won't get wet or dirty, and get a tension-type rod that is made for a car and hang them all up. This keeps them from getting wrinkled. Also, the easiest way to transport them to your room is to leave them on the rod and just carry it like that. I also packed everything in either duffel bags or the plastic pull out drawers that I put underneath my bed. I didn't want to use boxes because I didn't want to have a bunch of stuff that I had to go throw in the dumpster. The duffel bags that I didn't keep with me, I just sent home with my parents.)

This is my side of the room, and my doo-doo green wall.

Where we put my desk and our fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. 

My roommate's side of the room.

Check back for more dorm tips!