My 20 year old son Matt has been living with his sister Emily for his freshman and sophomore years in college. It's been a great experience for him. He is extremely high functioning autistic so we knew the chaos of the dorm would not be good for him. His sister has lived in a duplex since her sophomore year, so when the decision was made for Matt not to live on campus, she invited him to live with her. It's been a great experience for both of them (and my daughter's little dog, JoJo!).
Alas, Emily graduated in May, effectively leaving Matt homeless after mid-August! Panic started setting in. Matt couldn't find another roommate to take over rent, and he doesn't have the money to live solo. What to do?
By accident, we found out that Pittsburg State was building a really cool and innovative solution for older students called Block 22. Basically, it's single unit apartment units located in preserved noteworthy buildings in Pitt's main street. And this concept is just SO COOL. See more about Block 22 here (and be very, very jealous). His unit will have a bed, bath, living room, full kitchen...and comes with furnishings (including a TV, microwave, washer/dryer unit and a dishwasher!). Downstairs has a coffee shop, learning spaces, an outdoor courtyard and so.much.more. I'm excited for him.
Living with his sister, he has gotten a lot of "shared" items, like pans, dishes, silverware, etc. We basically need to make a checklist of what else he needs. So, here we go!
Crock Pot I'm giving him lots of healthy and easy recipes. We got him the 4 qt. one so he can freeze food for later.
Colander We got the collapsible one to save space. The kid loves pasta! He needs the strainer!
Skillet I got him this ceramic non-stick skillet. I just want to see how he takes care of it before we get something more expensive. I do like this one, though, and it is sturdy and seems like it will withstand Matthew's cooking endeavors.
Keurig I raised a bunch of coffee drinkers. A Keurig is a must for them. He got this for graduation.
Mini Waffle Maker I actually got him this for Easter this year. It's small and mighty
I just got the boys an Amazon Echo Dot. I thought it would be a great idea...they can set verbal reminders, find out the weather, call Mom from anywhere in their rooms (apartments) and SO MUCH MORE! The kids got me one for my birthday, and I still can't get over everything it does for me.
We still have LOTS to get.
Bed set. He will move from needing twin sized to full sized sheets and bedspread.
DIshes. He has shared a set with Emily but he is getting his own.
Silverware. Same thing. He gets his own.
Storage dishes. Something like Tupperware or Sterlite containers that can freeze and microwave.
Kitchen towels, pot holders and trivets.
Wooden spoons and a spatula. Obviously!
The cost of his laundry is covered in his lease, so I have instructed his brother to forego the dorm laundry and head over to his brother's apartment. I even told them I would supply the laundry detergent and dryer sheets!
We haven't had the opportunity to see inside his actual unit yet, so we won't actually know what else he needs until August 18. Luckily there is a Wal Mart and a Big Lots in town, so we can grab what we need when we get there. He and Michael do move in the same day, but he's been asked to come a little later. That works! We were planning on moving Michael and his roommate in first, with Matt's help, then we will all head over to Matt's and move him in.
Let me know if you can think of anything I forgot! I'm a list maker, so I can just jot it down. And remember...pics WILL be coming soon!
Alas, Emily graduated in May, effectively leaving Matt homeless after mid-August! Panic started setting in. Matt couldn't find another roommate to take over rent, and he doesn't have the money to live solo. What to do?
By accident, we found out that Pittsburg State was building a really cool and innovative solution for older students called Block 22. Basically, it's single unit apartment units located in preserved noteworthy buildings in Pitt's main street. And this concept is just SO COOL. See more about Block 22 here (and be very, very jealous). His unit will have a bed, bath, living room, full kitchen...and comes with furnishings (including a TV, microwave, washer/dryer unit and a dishwasher!). Downstairs has a coffee shop, learning spaces, an outdoor courtyard and so.much.more. I'm excited for him.
Living with his sister, he has gotten a lot of "shared" items, like pans, dishes, silverware, etc. We basically need to make a checklist of what else he needs. So, here we go!
Crock Pot I'm giving him lots of healthy and easy recipes. We got him the 4 qt. one so he can freeze food for later.
Colander We got the collapsible one to save space. The kid loves pasta! He needs the strainer!
Skillet I got him this ceramic non-stick skillet. I just want to see how he takes care of it before we get something more expensive. I do like this one, though, and it is sturdy and seems like it will withstand Matthew's cooking endeavors.
Keurig I raised a bunch of coffee drinkers. A Keurig is a must for them. He got this for graduation.
Mini Waffle Maker I actually got him this for Easter this year. It's small and mighty
I just got the boys an Amazon Echo Dot. I thought it would be a great idea...they can set verbal reminders, find out the weather, call Mom from anywhere in their rooms (apartments) and SO MUCH MORE! The kids got me one for my birthday, and I still can't get over everything it does for me.
We still have LOTS to get.
Bed set. He will move from needing twin sized to full sized sheets and bedspread.
DIshes. He has shared a set with Emily but he is getting his own.
Silverware. Same thing. He gets his own.
Storage dishes. Something like Tupperware or Sterlite containers that can freeze and microwave.
Kitchen towels, pot holders and trivets.
Wooden spoons and a spatula. Obviously!
The cost of his laundry is covered in his lease, so I have instructed his brother to forego the dorm laundry and head over to his brother's apartment. I even told them I would supply the laundry detergent and dryer sheets!
We haven't had the opportunity to see inside his actual unit yet, so we won't actually know what else he needs until August 18. Luckily there is a Wal Mart and a Big Lots in town, so we can grab what we need when we get there. He and Michael do move in the same day, but he's been asked to come a little later. That works! We were planning on moving Michael and his roommate in first, with Matt's help, then we will all head over to Matt's and move him in.
Let me know if you can think of anything I forgot! I'm a list maker, so I can just jot it down. And remember...pics WILL be coming soon!
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