Quarters - for doing laundry

Phone card - to call mom

Any kind of snacks she liked at home (twinkies/twizzlers/pretzels)

$10.00, to get some groceries (every penny helps)

Cool pens/pencils for school work

Thats all I can think of right now, I'll keep thinking!

PS - I think that is a wonderful Idea and your daughter will enjoy it alot, your a good mom!

My mother used to send me care packages when I was away at college and it was such a treat!
In addition to all of Kristie's ideas above, you could send:
Toiletry items like disposable razors and leg shaving cream, scented shower gel, new toothbrush, etc.
Gift certificates foe fast-food restaurants in the college town
A pair of fun design socks
Single serving coffee packs or flavored tea bags, if she has facilities to make them.
If her former high school has a school newspaper, send a copy of the latest issue.

chocolate! Don't forget the chocolate!

I also enjoyed rice crispie treats, trail mix, gummi bears and crystal lite drink mix (that stuff is expensive!)

Quarters are a great suggestion as is a new toothbrush and other toiletries.

Everyone's ideas are right on the mark.

Here are a few more:

Postage stamps
Deck of cards
Blank computer disks
Batteries
Bandaids
Vitamins
Headache medicine (tylenol, asprin, etc)
Stomach medicine (pepto bismal, Gas-x, immodium, etc)

Microwave popcorn and the new microwave kraft mac-and-cheese. Ramen noodles are good, too.

Hairspray, shampoo, makeup, deoderant, etc... note pads, Magazines, Treats she likes, A picture from home, note from her friends if available, gift certificate for groceries or to get her hair cut.

how about the local paper, or clippings from it about things you'd talk to her about if she were around.

My mom still sends me clippings from the paper, or a magazine, and writes a note in the margin. It's like a mini conversation.

And if you talk on the phone now and then, make notes (put a pad by the phone) as they occur to you (she said, "oh my hair is bugging me" you can send extra $ for a haircut, or something)

What wonderful ideas!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much to all of you. I wasn't even thinking along the lines of toiletries or newspaper clippings - that opens a whole new realm of ideas.

And rice krispy treats and gummi's ... those are her favorite! Can't believe I already forgot :( Sighhhhh.

She got quite a few fast food gift certificates at Christmastime ... I think I'll tuck a few into plastic easter eggs at Easter time.

Thanks again :)

JaneR

Chex mix has some nutritional voaue too.

Since it's a female and it's going to be once a month, make it every 28 days and send along her favorite tampon, panty liner or whatnot. Those are never fun to buy and it would release some of her own money to buy something else.

I like a special care package for finals. I make my own Chex mix, as I mentioned above, and I add lots of nuts and reduce the butter--protein. I also make Rice Crispie Treats--some nutrition there. They like the dried appples I make in my dehydrator, and I also make carmel corn--with just a little carmeling so it is not so cloyingly sweet. I throw in granola bars, cocoa and fancy coffee mixes, and pop top cans of single serving fruit. For one son's birthday, I had seen a huge box of squirt guns for sale at the end of the summer for 25 cents each. I sent a box of 20 of them when he was in the dorms. They soaked him when he arrived home after class on his birthday. We have a family recipe for birthday cake, and they all prefer it not iced. It is a from scratch, very moist chocolate cake that I make in an angel food cake pan, wrap in layers of Saran Wrap and mail successfully. Once I sent my daughter the paperback book of the Rules book--on dating. They all had fun reading it. I pack off the extra Halloween candy too. I have tjhrown in a huge sack of almonds from Costco for snacks too. My kids do not have weight problems; otherwise I might avoid mailing some of the mentioned sweets.

I suppose this depends on your kid's personality... but my mom used to send me packages that included all sorts of fun odds-n-ends to help alleviate stress and offer a temporary (but harmless) distraction: bubbles, silly putty, a slinky, etc.

I used to sit in the quad blowing bubbles, drawing smiles from everyone who passed by. Goofy "little kid" stuff like that was always VERY popular with my friends, who were glad to get away from things like organic chemistry for a few minutes to enjoy the magic of a slinky climbing down the dorm stairwell. $;-)

My mom would (and still does) send me pictures from home, especially of my nephews (and soon to be niece) when they were very little. It was so fun to go over pictures, show your roommates, and hang them all over your room. around exams she would sometimes send me things like coffees, teas, cocoa, things like that. At my college they had a special program for parents to "order" care packages to be sent to their kids around exams, with all that kind of stuff in it. The parent would check off what they wanted put in it and it came with a little note or something and was usually packed in a cool tote bag or something with the college logo. I still have the laundry bag that some things came in.

A compact umbrella and she may need more than one. Those things are easy to lose since you can't stuff them in a backback when they're wet. Some calgon and another vote for chocolate too. It's important to pamper yourself when you have to study so much.

Depending on where she lives on campus, I doubt she has a bathtub. We all had shower stalls. Yuck! maybe some shower gels and bath/shower shoes.

A new kind of make up for the girls too. I found a wonderful lipslicker by Mac(sp) and it was a real hit.

All of the above and maybe lip balm, hand and body lotion. If you sew at all, I remember a post some time ago about a Mom who made her daughter pillowcases for every occasion-winter, Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, Birthday, Halloween, spring, etc.
Candies, pencils, for upcoming holidays, snack size goodies to stuff in the backpack for a quick fix on a busy day and maybe some individual packets of wipes to clean up with afterwards. Juice boxes, gum, new CD. The list is endless. I don't think you could send anything that wouldn't make her feel special.