DIY College Survival Kit

One of the things that I learned living off campus was how annoying it is to forget things.

It’s always the little things, too, like kleenex, or a highlighter, or headphones. But it just makes your day a little more difficult, and when you’re on a budget it’s not fun to have to shell out even just $5 if you’ve got the exact same thing at home.

That’s why last year I decided to make myself some college survival kits of all of the things I most commonly forgot!

I love these for two reasons: first, it takes away the chance that I’ll be silly and forget something if I’m in a rush (which is a very likely probability); and second, it makes my purse so much more organized! I am very picky about what goes into my bag, and these make it so much easier to find everything since it’s all contained in a pretty little pouch.

I made one for my purse, one for my book bag, and one for my backpack so that I’d always have one on me no matter which bag I chose that day! These are quick, easy, and such a huge help when you’re rushing out the door! So here’s what I put in mine, and some guidelines to help you make one yourself!

1. Find a cute little bag to hold your college survival kit

I have a ton of these, since they often come if you buy makeup or are thrown in with a purse as a freebie.

They don’t need to be big–this one that I use carries everything that I need, and it’s only about as big as my hand!

I prefer one that is waterproof and has a zipper to close, since sometimes I throw my contact case in there and it’s exploded a few times! This keeps my laptop safe!

2. Add some beauty necessities

For me, this includes lipstick (I swap out whichever one I’m wearing that day), chapstick, bobby pins, and hair ties.

Some other beauty products to consider including are:

powder
eyeliner (especially if you sometimes go out after school)
makeup-removing wipes
hairspray
nail file
nail clippers
hair clip
blotting papers

Always forgetting something? Create a college survival kit so you always have the necessities!

Click To Tweet

3. Put some health and hygiene necessities into your college survival kit

I’m not going to go into much detail here, but it’s bad to notice at the beginning of a 3 hour lecture that you have forgotten *ahem* feminine hygiene products. Do yourself a favour and just always have some around!

I find that my hands get super dry at school, so I got some little pocket-sized hand-creams to throw in my bags, and often with my clubs on campus we play sports, so deodorant is a necessity, as well. On top of that, I include band-aids, some ibuprofen, and kleenex to make sure I always feel clean and healthy!

Some other health & hygiene items you may want to include are:

Floss
travel tooth brush
losanges
hand sanitizer (our school has it everywhere so I don’t need to worry about it)
Healthy snack like fruit leather or a granola bar

4. Don’t forget those school supplies!

I’m pretty good with pens and pencils, but I consistently forget highlighters, red pens, and headphones. I study in the library for hours on end, so these are a MUST for me. So I included them, and now I always have one on hand if I’ve forgotten my favourite ones at home.