It was a typical Saturday morning, except Your Survival Guy was heading back to college to drop off my son for year two. What could be so hard about that, I thought. Four hours of assembling a couch and coffee table later, I’m here to say it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
Now, for any of you who have a daughter and a son, you know the difference. There’s a difference between being packed and ready and being packed and ready. One of them, when you ask, “Are you packed?” is really packed, while the other is thinking he’s got this and will throw it all together, no problem. Your Survival Guy remembers the weeks of preparation involved for year one drop-off last year. That was tough. But hey, year two, no problem. Anyway, we got the cars packed and were finally on our way.
When we got to campus, there wasn’t a move-in welcoming crew like I remember from last year. No army of volunteers helping to carry a carload of stuff up to the room. This year, we were on our own. It was hot, and Your Survival Guy didn’t realize how many friends were made last year until I was stuck holding heavy boxes while hellos were made and discussions of “How was your summer?” took place. That’s OK. I needed the workout. But here’s the kicker. Once we got everything in the room, I asked, “What else do you think you’ll need?”
“Well, I could use a small couch and coffee table,” he said.
What am I supposed to do just get in the car and leave? Walking through Jordan’s furniture, the smallest couch they had wasn’t going to fit in my living room, never mind a dorm room. Then, walking through the aisles of Walmart, I was thankful Your Survival Gal wasn’t with us. Sometimes, you just gotta bite the bullet. We found everything a college room needs, and then some, and yes, some assembly required. And that’s how the next several hours were spent.
Action Line: Life throws you curveballs sometimes. That’s why there’s Walmart. They have it all.
P.S. If you have a college student or a recent grad in your family, be sure to download my Special Report: How To Invest After Graduating College.
