I had a nice summer, but it was extremely stressful. It was a full-time job prepping my freshman for the big college drop off. There were lots of lists and months of shopping, nagging, scheduling doctors appointments and keeping up with an inundation of college emails. I sounded like a broken record the entire summer firing off the following questions: Have you registered for classes? Did you take the required assessments? Did you ask your roommate about the rug? All of these questions were asked multiple times before they were completed. And yes, some were not completed on time even with the subtle daily reminders. I wondered how my smart, straight-A student couldn’t keep on task. Perhaps the whole transition is as overwhelming for the students as it is for the parents.
So, the college sendoff is stressful for all. That is a given. However, there was another stressor thrown into the mix. Just like families stressed about the toilet paper shortage, college moms had their own shortage. I realize it wasn’t as dire as toilet paper, but it put many of us in a little bit of a panic.
Where were the Frakta bags? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ll explain. It’s the hardest working blue bag found at Ikea. It’s a staple item for college kids. The no-frill blue luggage with a yellow Ikea logo is by far the best way to transport your college essentials. The gold standard is the 20-gallon size with the yellow zipper that can easily fit all your bedding. This perfect accessory, not only transports everything, it’s a space saver that stores flat. For some reason, I didn’t see this on any college lists. It should be at the top in bold letters. It’s the best kept secret.
My sister-in-law was the first to tell me about this primo bag. She gifted my oldest son a few of them for graduation. I had no idea how popular these were until I ran into a friend at the grocery store two months before the college start date. She complained about the bags being out of stock. I had planned to go the next day to get my bundle of blue bags and thanked her for the heads up. I was disappointed and wondered if they would be restocked soon. I shared my concern with another college mom and she told me she was searching for some too. She told me to go online and sign up for an alert that says when they’re restocked. I did. A week later, I received an early morning email with good news – more blue bags. It felt like I won the lottery. I started notifying my friends and one of them went early and snagged eight for me from the Norfolk Ikea store before they ran out again. That’s teamwork!
Now, I could relax and just concentrate on school supplies and dorm essentials. I had finally secured the simple, yet genius piece of luggage that would make college move in go smoothly.
So, you might be wondering why this column has run weeks after college drop off. I think you already know the answer. Obviously, with all the hype and supply issues , I wanted to make sure I had all the Ikea bags I needed before you rush to the store to get yours.
P.S. Go get your Frakta bags NOW if you have a rising senior. You’ll thank me next summer.
Lee Belote, jlbelote@verizon.net
