This blog post is about tips for creating awesome, stress-free college care packages students will love.
It is so nice to receive an unexpected care package full of goodies delivered to your college dorm or apartment. College care packages make recipients feel special and loved, which makes the senders want to gift the perfect, personalized care package.
There are so many care package ideas out there for college students it can be overwhelming.
Pinterest has hundreds of pins promising 29 cutest care package ideas, 14 care package ideas for guys, the ultimate list of care package ideas, etc.
It’s stressful to sort through all the care package ideas, pick out a theme, shop for all the goodies and then decorate the box so it looks perfect.
Good News! We have 7 quick tips for a stress-free way to create care packages college students are sure to love.
Tip #1: Use a Care Package Sticker Kit from Etsy
Care package sticker kits from Etsy are the bomb! They come in themes and are a super easy way to creatively decorate your care package. The themes include holidays, final exam survival kits, just because, happy birthday, graduation, etc. so there is a theme for every occasion.
You can find a variety of care package sticker kits on Etsy, but we love Paper Paisley Shop’s sticker kits. You affix the stickers to the interior flaps of your care package box and voila! – you have an amazing-looking care package sure to impress any college student.
While these stickers work best on the box sizes listed below, they can be trimmed to fit smaller boxes or others you have on hand.
- USPS large priority flat rate box 12 x 12 x8
- FedEx 12 x 12 x 18
- UPS 12 x 12 x 8
- UPS 12 x 12 x12
Tip #2: Get Free Boxes from the U.S. Post Office
Source: usps.com
The USPS boxes are free at the post office or buy ordering online at USPS.com. If you go in person, they are in the self-service section near the stamp kiosk.
Genius Hack: buy care package sticker kits upfront for the entire school year
Tip #3: Plan Care Packages for the School Year Upfront
The best way to decrease stress is to plan for school year upfront. Do you want to send holiday related packages, finals survival kits, just because packages?
We like to plan for the school year breaking up the care packages across semesters. A final exam survival care package for each semester (Fall and Spring) is a must plus some additional holiday related care packages for Halloween and Valentine’s Day (candy anyone?). They have sticker kits for a variety of holidays – Thanksgiving, St. Patty’s Day, Easter, etc., so you have options for surprising your college student.
I order stickers for the year all at the same time so I have them on hand when I am ready to assemble the care packages.
Tip #4: Use a Grocery App to Get Goodies for Your Care Package
Source: Walmart Grocery App
One of the easiest ways to order goodies for your care package is to order online and pick them up curbside. Use a grocery store app to select snack packs and other items. We used Walmart’s grocery app and it was so easy to select the items we wanted.
You can buy the multi-piece snack packs and save what you don’t use for future care packages.
Suggestions for Care Package Items:
- Chips & Crackers
- Mixed Nuts
- Granola Bars
- Cookies & Candy
- Popcorn
- Protein Bars
- Ramen Noodles
- Airborne/EmergenC
- Socks/Slippers
- Gift card to favorite restaurants or stores
Tip #5: When Assembling Your College Care Package, Add a Personal Note
Start by applying the stickers to the interior flaps of the box. There is a picture showing where they go on the box flaps.
Add some tissue paper. If you save tissue paper from gifts, this is a great time to use it, if not head over to a Dollar Tree and grab some.
Place your goodies in the care package box. Add a personalized note of love, support or encouragement.
Tip #6: Create Shipping Labels Online & Schedule Pickup for Your Care Package
Source: ups.com
Go online to UPS, FedEx or USPS and create a shipping label. You can also schedule a pickup if you would like. Otherwise, you can drop off the package at the appropriate shipping provider location.
Tip #7: Short on Time - Order a Ready-made Care Package
If you are really pressed for time, you can send a curated snack box. Etsy has a variety of packages offering both healthy and decadent snacks. Check out these shops for complete care packages.
Source: Etsy
Beyond Bookmarks offers a variety of gift boxes and care packages. They feature eight college care packages with a variety of snacks and themes with nut free and gluten free options available.
Source: Etsy
Olive Grove Boutique has a student care package with 12 individually wrapped snack items along with pens, highlighters, Post-It notes and Starbucks coffee for a little pick-me-up. You can add a note at checkout to personalize the care package.
College Care Packages: It’s the Thought that Counts.
Following these tips will help you create a care package your college student will appreciate. They will love that you thought of them enough to send a care package. Don’t overthink the contents or packaging. Just the fact you went out of your way to make them feel special will be enough.