College Care Package Tips and Ideas

EMPosted by Emily Mathias
Cover image

Your baby-adult is off to college, but you can still be a rock star parent from afar by sending a care package. Unlike showing up unexpectedly for the weekend, a surprise care package will make you popular with your child — and their friends. Skim our genius list of ideas below for inspiration year-round.

Make-it-Easy Packing Tips

  • Stockpile boxes to reuse (shoeboxes, online retail boxes).
  • Securely tape a piece of paper on top of the old address if you're re-using a box, and write the new address on the paper.
  • Crumple up paper or junk mail to use as stuffing in the box.
  • Keep padded envelopes on hand for small packages.
  • Hate standing in post office lines? In most regions you can ship boxes under a certain weight right from your home. Go online to the USPS website to verify that you can schedule a package pickup. For this, you will also need a small digital postal scale.
  • Cover the box in wrapping paper during a birthday month.
  • Consider an express shipping method if you're shipping homemade treats.
  • No time? Research online websites and have someone else do it for you.
  • Ask a grandparent or a special aunt, uncle or godparent to send a care package. Genius!

Ideas for Every Season

August: Back-to-school basics (and beyond)
It's back-to-school time, and whether you have a freshman or senior, a little love from home always helps. Since the first week or two means a little extra goof-off time (no major assignments yet), back-to-school goodies and warmer weather essentials are perfect.