The Beauty Of Getting University Ready With Bed Bath & Beyond – $200 GC Giveaway

This following post is in partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond, a brand I love. All opinions here are my own.

I’ve been down this road before.  I should know what to expect, what to do, what she needs.  My second child is heading off to University in the Fall and even though this should be “old hat” it’s just not.  I’ll be honest, it’s still a little bit overwhelming.  How could it not be?  You spend 18 years nurturing, protecting and preparing your child for the real world and then BOOM – it’s time to push that baby out of the nest.  The good news, I know the tricks, I have the tips, and I know where to go to take the stress out of getting your kiddo ready for University.  Here’s everything you need to know, and more!

Graduation is over, we’re speeding through summer and it’s time to prepare to head off to school! For some these are magical words, for others, a little scary. Getting ready for back to school, no matter your child’s age can seem a daunting task. Getting ready to send your son or daughter off to University or College can be down right overwhelming. Emotions are running high and as the questions mount, stress levels start to climb.  What do they need? How much will it cost? How big will their bed be? Do we have to pack laundry stuff? Dishes? Before you know it the world is spinning, your teen is stressed and your credit card is crying. But it doesn’t’ have to be this way.  Take my advice and look at all you can accomplish with one incredible stop at Bed Bath & Beyond.

My daughter and I jumped in the car – a little bit excited, a little bit nervous- but eager to get all the things she would need to set her up for a successful year at school.  Here are the keys to a successful day of shopping and making sure you son or daughter has everything they need for their first year of University.

To Do:

Take a pen, maybe a snack and be prepared to shop!  This trip can be a one stop shop for all your dorm room needs.  When you arrive at Bed Bath & Beyond take advantage of one or all the amazing services they offer to College and University students. There are some amazing services!  You can Shop With An Expert, use the University Registry, or Pack & Hold.

• Meeting with a Shopping Expert is FREE! There are also experts in store always willing to answer your many, many questions.
• The University Registry allows you to choose the stuff you want and share your list with family and friends. A brilliant idea and a great way to share with those who want to buy your kiddos a gift before they head out on this big life adventure.
• Pack & Hold is a free service offered by Bed Bath and Beyond that allows you to shop ahead of time in your home town, and arrange to get it there. You can pick out everything you need for your University experience at a store near you and pick it all up at a store near campus!

We opted to create our own customized checklist and just get shopping!

Thanks to our customized list we had a great idea as to what we needed to buy and were ready to roll.  If you don’t have time to make a customized checklists, you can find individually checklists for all the Ontario Universities and each dorm right at the front door of the store.  Bed Bath & Beyond has detailed  checklists with everything you could possibly need for a dorm room from single rooms, doubles and even apartment style.  Have I told you how much I love a good list?

My girl and I grabbed a cart, okay two, and spent a lovely couple of hours planning, browsing and buying all the fabulous things!

Our first stop; bedding.  There are an almost endless number of choices of duvets, comforters, linens and pillows both in store and online.  We went with a classic white comforter, plus two medium-firm pillows and decided to jazz it up with fantastic textured pillows of different sizes and colours as well as a cozy throw to go on top.  The result will be a warm and welcoming room in shades of yellow, peach and grey.  We made sure to grab two sets of sheets, and a PrimaLift Mattress Pad which will add a little extra support and comfort.

Next up were the bathroom needs:  Towels, a shower caddy, a small personal mirror, hair dryer, laundry basket, Polder® Compact Accordion Dryer Rack, and a waste basket.  Yes, most schools require you to bring your own small garbage pail.

All the essentials out of the way it was time to move on to some more fun stuff.  Decor and organizing!  Dorm rooms are notoriously small, not only do you want to make that space feel homey, but you need to take advantage of every square inch you have. We picked up a 3 tiered Bath Storage Cart that will be used to hold all manner of things from books, to make-up to snacks.  An over the door shoe organizer, and a big box of 50 hangers that are “slim” so they will take up less space in the closet.  After all, a girl needs all the closet space she can get!

Then we found all this:  A super cute Umbra Hangup 30 Clip Photo Collage in Barnwood – perfect for hanging up pictures of family and friends from back home.

This Felt Letter Board in Grey.  Because, cute.

Plus. Plus. Plus.

All the little things that make life easier and a dorm room feel more like home:

Deluxe 2-Piece 3 Drawer Cosmetic Organizer Set.

Relaxed Living 11-Inch Fabric Storage Bin in Grey/White Mulberry – we bought a bunch to put in the closet.

Studio 3B™ 8-Watt LED USB Desk Lamp in White/Chrome – super sleek and small for the desktop.

3M Command™ 12-Pack Picture Hanging Strips – perfect for hanging pictures without leaving marks on the walls.

Globe Electrics® 3-Pack Combo Extension Cord, Wall Tap & Power Bar – essential!

HoMedics® Ellia™ Blossom Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser in Grey.

Revlon® Titanium Ionic 1875 Watt Hair Dryer.

Brita® 10-Cup Grand Pitcher and filters.

Hamilton Beach® 1.7-Liter Soft Blue Illuminated Glass Kettle – needed for everything from tea to ramen noodles!

Last touches included a fuzzy rug for the floor and some fairy lights to soften up the room.  We got all the things on our list plus a couple of items I might have forgotten if not for that checklist!

Checking out was more fun than I care to admit.  Feeling like I’d helped my babe get one step closer to being ready for her University life – and we did it all in one morning.  We loaded up our haul in THREE full carts and stuffed that complete dorm room into the back of my car.  Remarkable.

This is one happy girl.

Thanks to the beauty of Bed Bath & Beyond’s University Registry, the detailed checklists, and one stop shopping  we’d managed to find the bedding, electronics, housewares and decor all in one whirlwind trip.  If we’ve forgotten anything we can always order online and have it delivered right to the house.  So easy!  For now, my daughter is one step closer to being ready for school, and I’m one step closer to being able to let her go.  Ouf my heart.  Bed Bath & Beyond made it just a little bit easier to set her up for success as she heads into her new incredible life.

Now I have some amazing news for all of you!  A Giveaway!

One lucky reader of How To Survive Life In The Suburbs has the chance to WIN a $200 Gift Card to Bed Bath & Beyond. To win simply go back to the Bed Bath & Beyond website, browse, and then come back and tell me one thing you would pick out for the Dorm Room of your dreams OR one thing you wish you could add to your own house!  Then use the rafflecopter form provided below to earn those extra entries.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to Canadians only, excluding Quebec, and to all those who have reached the age of majority in their Province. Closes August 20, 2019.  Prize fulfillment is the responsibility of the Sponsor. Winner is responsible for all transportation, this prizes is for the gift certificate only.  Certificate has no cash value.  This giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.