Ah, college. A time for expanding your horizons and finding out who you truly are. A time to make new friends and have fun. Unless, of course, you’re like me and have no money. I’m seriously living off of cafeteria food, and they won’t let me take anything out in Tupperware containers. I. Am. Struggling. Do some of you fit this bill too? Well never fear; Christmas is right around the corner, and Thanksgiving is basically upon us! If you’re a struggling college student like me, you probably depend on your parents for a lot of stuff. You’ve also grown out of making a Christmas list for them, so they’re kind of lost on what to get you for Christmas. Never fear! For I have made a list of five gifts that are great for college students.

1. A slow cooker

Slow cookers are amazing for college students who don’t know how to cook. Why you may ask? Because all you do with a slow cooker is basically dump stuff in it and turn it to high and let it cook for an hour! It’s a college kid’s dream! You can dump some meat, beans, tomatoes, and some chili powder in the slow cooker, set it on low for 2 hours, then go to class! It’s also extremely versatile. You can make dinner or dessert in a slow cooker. This is a great purchase that will last a while for a college student.

2. Prepaid gift card

These are beautiful things for college students. We don’t have to worry about getting cash out of our checking accounts, and there’s a set limit to how much we can spend, so we’re kind of learning about budgeting as well. They’re also widely accepted, so we can use it at Walmart, McDonald’s, or anywhere we need to go!

3. Essential dorm supplies

Examples of these might be: laundry detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, a sponge or two for washing dishes, dish soap, clothing hangers, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, shaving cream, deodorant, toilet paper, paper towels, ground coffee… I could go on, but maybe you could get all of this in a Walmart or Target gift card. DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY THAT GIFT CARDS ARE MAGICAL THINGS!?

4. A Passion Planner

My roommate actually introduced me to this planner. It’s amazing; there’s a monthly section so you can write down events by the month, and there’s a week by week section, where it’s broken down by time from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every. Single. Day. There are also spots where you can map out your goals for the week, the month and the year! This is a great planner for someone who tends to find their life kind of chaotic, or if you’re like me and you wind up writing everything down on Post-It Notes and spare bits of paper.

5. A cooking set

If you’re lucky, your school offers apartments as living spaces. If you live in an apartment, you’ll most likely have a kitchen or kitchenette. If you don’t have any kind of cooking implements, you’re kind of screwed. There are so many possibilities when you have an apartment: you can make your own meals and get a taste of adulthood for the first time. A cooking set, and a good one at that, could possibly last you a lifetime if you get a good quality set, like something from Rachael Ray or Gordon Ramsay. You can make meals that last a week, freezable meals, and comfort food instead of going to the cafeteria and wasting swipes.

College is a time where you're almost expected to be broke. Even if you have an off or on-campus job, you still seem to have no money to have fun with your friends on the weekends. With these gifts, a college kid is sure to be appreciative (and out of your hair)!