DIY College Care Packages for Valentine's Day

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Care packages are such a treat for the recipient, and no one seems more grateful than the new college student. I was so turned off by the commercial care packages available when my kids were in college, so I put together DIY care packages that were far more personal.

Here are some ideas for homemade care packages that are sure to please your college students when they are far away from home.

Take Note! This post is Valentine’s themed but the categories of gift ideas are the same, no matter which holiday.

Ideas for a College Care Package for the Girl:

The girl’s Valentine’s package arrived in my daughter’s mailbox on a particularly difficult day for her, and it was so valuable to me to hear her say how much the package cheered her up!

Items to go in a Valentines care package for a college girl, laid out on a white tablecloth. — Valentine’s care package for the college girl

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Here are some of the category ideas that work well in care packages:

Food: Homemade treats are always a hit. One year I made these strawberry brownies with a fluffy rosewater buttercream frosting, covered them with wax paper, and placed them inside a Tupperware container.

She said they were great and didn’t much care that the frosting had lost some of its “fluffiness”!

Strawberry brownies with pink rosewater icing

Relevant accessories: she was doing an internship every day at a hospital where they could not have their cell phones. This is where a cute watch or a sports watch might come in handy (in school colors, of course).

Fun stuff: How about a pair of sexy red panties for a college-aged girl? Most girls like pretty underwear, even if they’re not girly girls (which she is not).

Mundane necessities: Grandma’s spot remover might come in handy, along with some body cream and a “zit-zapper” stick.

Sentiment & money: These go hand-in-hand sometimes, so I put the money in the Valentine’s card with my heartfelt sentiments.

Tip: I was never really big on cards before, but it’s surprising how much more your words come across when written on a pretty card, rather than a printout.

Standard favorites: The kids seem to have a standard item that must be included in the care package if you don’t want to disappoint.

For my son, it’s often the card. For my daughter, it’s all about the jam. This package (photo above) included delicious seedless raspberry jam appropriate for Valentine’s Day.

Reading material: Sometimes I’ll get current new magazines, but most often they want something to read that takes them away from the more serious…and away from their phones!

This package (photo above) had a magazine with an article on the TV show “Teen Moms” (one of her shows). She didn’t have a TV so I thought it would help keep her up-to-date.

Details of College Care Package for the Boy:

Items to go in a Valentines care package for a college boy, laid out on a white tablecloth. — College Care Package for the boy

Fun: Over one Christmas break, the boy introduced us to Bannanagram, a fast version of competitive Scrabble. It was fun and he surprised himself with how often he won.
He was on the college golf team and I included this game in his package. Thought it might be fun for him to play in the hotel rooms when they’re on the golf circuit.
Specialty products: he always saves the haircut and the laundry for visits home, and loves the smell and feel of the shampoo they use at the salon. It’s too expensive for him to get regularly, so he appreciated it in his package.
Food: see the brownie notes above in the girl’s package.
Themed treats: Hot sauce, energy drink, and chocolates…all things he loves.
Money: I got a little more decorative with his money, rolling the bills up and tying them up with fun decor.
Sentiments: I usually opt for humorous cards for my son and then write the mushy stuff inside. Valentine’s Day apparently is not a humorous day for family members, as the only truly funny cards were for lovers and husband/wife types. So I went full board with the sentiment.