Another good idea.. Flashlight and batteries! The first time the electricity goes out is ALWAYS fun when you don't have these.

In college.. I almost did. It was either that or my meal plan.

But ok, the one "extra" I have in the kitchen is a George Forman grill.. You can make a ton of stuff with it, and it's simple to use - I grill chicken, burgers, hot dogs, perogies, veggies, eggs, paninis, etc.

I'm pretty sure that with one of these grills, I wouldn't really miss an oven and stove if I didn't have them.

I posted pics of the quillow that my dad's wife made for me on your FB.

As for the gift, one of the things that Hypo wants but that we are waiting on (because all the "needs" are using up our budget) is a comfy chair for her dorm room, something like this one:

http://www.target.com/p/flip-chair-red/-/A-13991429

This one is a little more than your budget, but if you have coupons or can find something like that somewhere cheaper...

Another idea: a reusable water bottle (maybe with her monogram or NC State on it) with a gift card to the campus bookstore. Textbooks are SO expensive, so she could put the giftcard toward that cost. Or, since most campus bookstores carry so many items, she could use it to buy school supplies, snacks, a magazine, a college tshirt/sweatshirt, etc.

An off-brand or low end iHome is nice too. They all sit around with their ear buds but sometimes you want to listen to the music out loud. And it serves as an alarm clock too.

You might want to casually ask how the shopping for the dorm room is going. She may have received a lot of things for graduation already or done most of her shopping.

I know you said you really don't want to do gift cards, but let me tell you... as a recent grad myself, the one thing I was always in short supply of was money. A gift card to somewhere like Target or Macy's that she can use to furnish her new place will be very much appreciated.

This is what I was going to say...not just plain old garden variety towels, but NICE towels. Those little things are nice to have when you're away from home.

Skip, skip, skip the food/bev makers unless you know for sure that she's a big consumer of that food/bev.

Co-signed. They are NOT considered tacky. I don't know how many times I would ask for Kroger gift cards and people would insist on getting me stuff instead.

It's not too bad an alarm clock, either. ;)

I've never, ever heard of a steamer that really worked, so I wouldn't go with that. The crockpot has possibilities, but some college area apartment complexes don't allow them. I'd go with an easy cookbook and either a BB&B card or cash. When I was going off to college, that cash meant more to me than a lot of other items.

I still fondly remember the hot pots we all had in our rooms in both the dorms and sorority houses. They were the only allowable food-related appliances back in the day. In addition to boiling water for tea and making coffee, we all became skilled hot pot chefs. We boiled eggs and potatoes. Made ramen soup and canned soups and even heated up things like SpaghettiOs. Those were the days!

As a current college student, I LOVE MY MINI GEORGE FORMAN GRILL!!!

The iHome would also be great, they have ones with interchangeable colored covers now!

What about a nice piece of jewelry, like a sterling monogrammed ring? When I was going off to school I felt like I had to spend all my extra money on practical things, and everyone got me practical gifts, which were very much appreciated, but sometimes it's nice to get something you don't "need".

Or, if you know that she is an avid online shopper, get her an Amazon student/prime membership. It gives you free two day shipping and discounts for things you buy through amazon, which for me includes text books (much cheaper than the on campus bookstore, fun books, movies and lots of other things!

They are the only allowable food-related appliance at Barnard still. They have a kitchenette on almost every floor that everybody can use. Hypo has opted for a sauce pan to use in the kitchenette for her ramen.

My niece is in her fifth year of college, lives off-campus, and has always appreciated/asked for gift cards to specific stores. Her sister's a third year, also off-campus, and asks the same. We send them our extra coupons to clip from the newspaper, too.