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It’s that time of the year again – graduation is coming! After prom, after finals, after all the tearful goodbyes and promises to stay in touch (how many of us have stayed in touch with high school friends? Let me know in the comments – I’m really curious, I think I only stayed in touch with 2!), it’s time to get ready for “the real world.”
Whether the real world is college, a gap year, or straight to work, your high school graduate is going to need some stuff! I might be many years removed from high school graduation, but I remember being very unprepared for dorm life. From laundry etiquette, to showering with strangers, to living in cramped quarters – it was all new! I wish someone had prepared me with some life lessons – or at the very least, some stuff to make dorm/roommate living more tolerable!
If it’s been a while since you were in high school too, and you’re not sure what to get your high school grad, here’s a helpful list of 5 affordable gifts for high school grads.
By the way, who remembers that Vitamin C song ‘Graduation (Friends Forever)’? As I was writing this, I got the song stuck in my head, so I’m just going to leave the video below for you to enjoy. You’re welcome!
Shower Caddy
If your high school grad is off to college, chances are s/he will be living in a dorm with many other people. Make showering a little less awkward by getting them a handy, waterproof shower caddy like this. You don’t want anything too big, and this is the perfect size to bring along anything your high school grad could need. Plus, no big deal if it gets wet – the water won’t hurt it and it will eventually dry without getting soggy! (Just don’t forget the shower shoes, like flip flops!)
Shower Robe
It didn’t take me long to realize it’s impossible to change into clean clothes in a small shower stall – but I wish I had purchased a robe before finding this out! Robes are indispensable in college not only for the showering situation, but also when your high school grad feels lazy but obviously must be clothed around his/her roommate. Win-win.
Buy thisbeautiful shower robe here.
Coffee Tumbler
Now, if you’re going to get your high school grad this gift, you might want to do a little recon and ask him/her or their parents what kind of tumblers are popular. Among my age group, people really seem to like the Yeti coffee tumblers (although I’m partial to the Starbucks location tumblers myself – here’s Arizona’s!)
It doesn’t really matter what type of tumbler you get your grad, because inevitably your grad will buy 2-3 more over the year as the tumblers break, get lost, or become overrun by mold because your high school grad “forgets” to wash the dishes. Just think of it as a starter coffee tumbler!
Get this great Yeti cup here in various colors.
Easy Recipe Ideas
This gift is just perfect if you know your high school graduate isn’t a good cook (and really, when you rarely have an oven and are cooking in what feels like a shoebox, no one is going to be a very good cook!). Get this easy, small book for your high school graduate and pair it with a hefty grocery store gift card, and this gift will be among their favorites!
Buy this essential cookbook here.
A College Survival Guide
This book is excellent if your high school grad (or you!) is anxious about the transition to college/real life. Recently updated, this book covers everything from studying to roommate agreements (if you’ve never lived with difficult roommates, bless you, but your high school grad might not be so lucky!). It’s an overall awesome book for understanding how to take notes, keep healthy, and not let peer pressure get to them.
What do you think of this short list of affordable and practical gifts for high school grads? What do you wish you had when you graduated from high school? Let me know in the comments!
[…] school, and how there were a lot of things I didn’t even know I needed when I got to college. I gave you a list of affordable and practical gifts for your graduating high school senior, but is there anything I missed that you would have wanted for a graduation […]