College life is great. Where else are sweatpants acceptable attire…anywhere? Where else can you crack a beer at 11 am and instead of being criticized, you’ll most likely be asked to pass one down. Come home at 3 am on a Tuesday and need pizza? You got it. Feel like blowing off class to go to the pool? No prob.

So it’s understandable why the anticipation of a trip home for the weekend (like this coming holiday weekend) can inspire a little anxiety, but once you cross the threshold of Home Sweet Home, you’ll remember just why it’s so sweet.

1. Home cookin’.
After a daily diet of fast food, dining hall “cuisine” and failed attempts at domesticity (and a pasta based backup plan) it is amazing to come home to fresh and delicious food. You want your childhood favorite? Mom and Dad will happily oblige. For one glorious weekend you get to come home to a hot meal every night, no stress required. And in those situations when someone just doesn’t feel like cooking, bring on the restaurants. When the closest thing to a gourmet meal you can afford is Olive Garden, nosh that’s a little more your parents’ taste leaves you feeling like you ate dinner at Buckingham Palace.

2. Retail Affection.
The initial bone crushing hugs and sporadic wistful looks followed by hugs that you’ll get all weekend are nothing compared to what you’ll score if you can get Mom to the mall. Her poor baby has been living in poverty at school as far as she’s concerned (and for the most part she’d be pretty accurate), so she’s more than willing to splurge on necessities like warm winter clothes (yes, everyone at school has 7 different coats, obv.), “comfortable” shoes for walking around campus (easily expandable into high heel territory) and any other array of daily wear that you have no access to at school. After all, Mom and Dad can’t expect you to shop at the bookstore for University brand gear every time you need a new outfit. And don’t forget the back to school care package you’ll probably get as you’re packing up. Take advantage and stock up on toiletries, hard to find makeup, laundry detergent, and any groceries you can bring back with you. Read More »

[I used to think I knew everything…until I found myself stranded in the middle of adulthood with no map and no one to guide me when I got lost. I have learned a lot since then - from how to balance a checkbook to how to sew on a button - and will share my wisdom with you. Every Monday I will be back to teach you how to do something useful, even if it also happens to be completely random. Because, hey, you never know when you just might need to know how to change a tire…or mix a perfect martini.]

It happens—you’re out to dinner (most likely with someone you find attractive), you order some sweet-potato fries, and suddenly the glob of grease that was on its way to your mouth is blossoming all over your new white sweater/ blouse/ pants/ tank/ beautiful item of clothing. You might have to keep that glob around for the night (and swear to god that it is the only thing attractive boy is looking at), but you can get it out. Yes, even without mom’s help.

The first rule of thumb for getting rid of (embarassing) grease stains is more of a don’t than a do: don’t toss that sucker in the laundry basket when you get home and “deal with it later.” Detergent and water will NOT remove grease stains, so you’re going to have to get tough.

Now onto the do…
Perhaps the easiest thing to try is a stain-removal spray. You can find them in any store right by the detergents, and if you spray them on stains pre-wash and rub them in, they’re supposed to take any spots right out. I say “supposed to” because my spray is a little full of itself and doesn’t work quite as advertised.

If that doesn’t work, this page will totally bail you out. This person has compiled dozens of tips featuring numerous household items that will likely be able to save you in a pinch.

Most successful for me have been the following: Read More »

[Every week, CC and John will bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, saddest things he hears on his college campus. Join the Overheard revolution! Leave your own overheard convos in the comments.]

Excited, rushing conversation, behind a closed door:
“And then this guy… he just, like, whipped out a trombone! And then some other guy just pulled out a harmonica! And then… and then someone had to do his laundry!”

A girl, holding up a bottle of vodka: “It’s my dildo! The best kind - the kind that has alcohol in it.”

Two girls arguing at a party:
“I’m gonna punch your cock off!”
“I don’t have a cock!”
“I wish you did - so I could punch it off!”

A dude walks into an apartment, carrying a keg.
“Wait,” asks another guy. “Is that, like, for drinking?”
“Nah, I think I’m gonna bathe in it, first. Hey, is that pizza? Maybe I’ll rub that all over my body while I’m at it.”

A girl at the library, in the stacks, as loudly as possible: “Listen. So then I talked to my doctor, and then my gynecologist, and he put me on birth control - but he says I still need to use condoms when I’m f***ing my boyfriend, because I might get syphilis! I know, right?” Read More »

I was home for Fall Break for four days, and I realized that maybe adapting to college was easier than I expected. When I entered my house Friday night, I didn’t see a place where I had numerous study sessions, birthday parties and mental health days. I saw a place to do laundry for free, watch some mindless television and sleep for awhile.

Sure, it was nice to be home. But I kept feeling like I had to go back to school, like this was more of a temporary sleepover than a homecoming. While the weekend kept me busy from noticing that my house was not exactly home, it also uncovered a new strangeness which college created—meeting up with high school friends.

Most of my high school friends, all of whom I have known for years, go to college within two hours of my hometown. So when a few of us come home for the weekend, we all come home for the weekend. And while I loved being around people who never need an explanation for my random songs or not-funny jokes, it was also startling to see how just a few months have changed us.

I left my friends for the entire summer, and I noticed little change when I came back. But now my friends are not just sitting around their houses or working at the local Dunkin’ Donuts; they’re making friends, testing their boundaries and (some of them) are becoming people who I never would have talked to in high school. When it’s just the few of us watching a movie or walking around town, I can’t entirely ignore the college sweatshirts, new belly-button rings and anecdotes starring new best friends. I can’t pretend that this is last June, when we all just graduated and were ready for something new. Read More »

With a hectic schedule of classes, papers, exams, and keg parties, it can be easy to let your dorm room look like a dumpster threw up in it. Besides allowing notecards and empty beer cans pile up, it’s a damn pain in the ass to cart your shizz to the laundry room and spend some precious change that could be valuable on Quarter Drafts night at the campus bar. Then there’s the process of remaking your bunkbed.

However, neglecting your sheets for too long can result in some icky, unwanted guests– and I don’t mean the one-night mistake you made last Saturday. Here are the five nastiest things that should inspire you to grab the Tide and make a date with the washing machine.

1. Bed Bugs

Reports of bed bugs are rising on college campuses and even if you’re particularly clean, you may not be safe. The little bastards can catch a ride to your room on luggage, clothing, and old furniture (e.g. your hand-me-down futon). Plus, they can live up to a year without a feeding, so they could have been hiding out in your empty dorm room for the whole summer just waiting for you to move in and unpack. Luckily, pest control on college campuses is prepared to snuff the buggers via steam, extreme heat, or pesticides. If you wake up with little red welts from bedbug bites report it immediately before the infestation spreads down the hall.

2. Your Personal Sheddings

When we hit the sack every night, we shed dry, dead skin and hair. Gross. I gag at the site of a hair-clogged shower drain, and sleeping with hairballs seems just as unappealing. Girls with long hair shed a lot, so there’s also the chance that you’ve left your mark in your man’s bed as well. Of course, dead skin and strands of hair are a breeding ground for microorganisms, so bacteria can escalate after just a few nights of shedding in your sleep. Read More »

So you’ve been at school for a few weeks, and you’ve noticed your laundry bag is overflowing. And you are out of undies. And, yes, bathing suit bottoms. (We get it; and we’ve been there.)

What do you do now that mommy isn’t there to wash your clothes for you? Don’t worry, with these tips and how to’s, people will think you own a dry cleaning service!

First of all, SEPARATE your clothes! Darks, lights, whites, and sheets/towels. Also pull out your delicate items like bras, nice underwear, or other lacey thangs (you little vixen). Some bras can be washed, but check the tag first! These should be washed on their own, either by hand or on the washing machine’s delicate setting.

Obviously, make sure you don’t have reds mixed in with your whites, because that evil color bleeds; yes, pink is in, but not in enough to warrant an entire pink wardrobe. While you’re separating, close zippers and buttons, knot strings and ties, and make sure totake things out of your pockets.

Temperatures: Darks/colors are washed in cold water, whites/lights are washed in warm water, and sheets/towels should be washed in hot water to kill bacteria. Be careful with warm and hot water, though, it may shrink some clothes depending on the material.

As you’re loading your clothes into the washer, take note of how full it’s getting. If you overstuff the washer, your clothes won’t get as clean as they should, and then you’ve just wasted a bunch of water because you didn’t feel like doing another load of laundry.

The scoop on detergent: There are so many different detergents and fabric softeners, so what should you use? Personally, because I have very sensitive skin, I have to use plain old Arm n’ Hammer detergent in that orange box, and I use those little dryer sheets that make my clothes smell nice. It’s really a personal preference and depends on your skin type or what you want your clothes to smell like. Just go to the store and shop (and sniff) around; you’ll find a detergent you like.

Drying your clothes is a different story than washing. Please, please, please check the tags on your clothes! I’ve seen many friends shrink their favorite clothing items because they put them in the dryer instead of laying them out to dry. Items that you should take out are: bras, delicates, 100% cotton items (unless they’re pre-shrunk), and swimsuits. Lay clothes out as flat as possible to avoid wrinkles. Now, when the drying cycle is done, take your warm clothes out and FOLD immediately! If you wait until later to fold your clothes, they will wrinkle and then you’ll have to spend time ironing (a whole nother article), or just walk around looking like a wrinkled mess.

The deets on bleach: They have bleach for whites and colors now, so if bleach is necessary for you to use, wait until the washer is totally full with water before pouring it in. You shouldn’t use bleach all the time, and you should use it sparingly. Color bleach will brighten up your colors, and chlorine bleach will obviously get rid of stains and brighten your whites.

Laundry Don’ts:
No overloading
Don’t wash thin shirts with heavier articles of clothing
Don’t put too much denim in one load
Don’t mix detergents
Don’t mix colors with whites
Don’t skip reading the tags!

Stains: To avoid stains, carry a Tide-to-Go in your purse or backpack. This little pen does wonders so I never have to work at getting a stain out. But, in the unfortunate event that you do get a stain, don’t worry, you can get rid of it. For drink stains (which happen a lot when you mix Vodka Cranberry with a bunch of sloppy drunk girls), run stain under cold water and wash item in hot water. Blood, milk, & other protein stains are a little tough and may take several tries to get rid of, but rinse stain and wash item in cold water. You can also use baking soda on stains to get them out by either soaking the item or rubbing baking soda on the stain.

Post your own laundry tips in the comments!

You’ve spent more time at Bed Bath and Beyond in the last two weeks than you ever thought possible.

Twin extra long sheets: Check.
Color coded notebooks/folders: Check
Sweatpants for every day of the week: Check

You have everything you could possibly need for college…or so you thought. Below is a list of 5 must-have items for every college student. You know; the things that you would never think of, but really can’t survive without.

Time to make one more shopping run. I know you never want to see the inside of a Target again, but suck it up; you are going to need these.

1. Rain Boots. I never wore rain boots at home because if it’s raining you just don’t go outside. Back in High School you drove to class and maybe an umbrella is all you needed. But in college you have to walk to every class and sometimes that can be quite a lot of walking. Investing in some wellies will definitely be worth it. There is nothing worse than arriving to class with water seeping through your shoes and waterlogged socks. The good news is rain boots are all the rage right now, so you can find them everywhere (and not get ridiculed for wearing them). Read More »

Rather than doing my laundry I often find it fun to buy new things…particularly underwear. I know I’m not the only one, either. Laundry day or Victoria’s Secret? C’mon.

Granted, it would be much cheaper to wash, but I digress.

Just yesterday I hit a low point in my stack of floral, striped, polka dot, lace, days of the week undies, and even every thong…so I headed out in search of spankin new skivvies.

I found myself at Urban Outfitters (it’s always fun running through Urban, checking out the goods but lately I’ve noticed EVERYTHING is a play on Vintage. I work in Vintage clothing sales and it’s hard to buy a “Vintage” looking top when you know five girls on the street will be wearing it too).

I’m getting away from my point — back to the underthing situation. I grabbed a sweet little lace forest green bra (so cute and comfortable) and three pairs of “Smack” underwear in solid shades of yellow, blue, and purple. I was excited, the colors were muted and the cotton felt soft.

Ha! Excited, nothing! I was swindled. Read More »