Budgeting for College Dorm and what's needed?

[dreamin_disney]

Our only daughter will be leaving for college in August and living in the Dorms. Has anyone started buying stuff?
What are some things that my daughter will be needing? Mini fridge and microwave are allowed in the dorms. Any tips or advice? TIA!

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

Our daughter just started last August. Mini fridges and microwaves we provided by the college, NC State. She brought WAY too much stuff in my opinion. From what I saw during move in weekend the boys had basics like clothes, tv and laptop. Girls pretty much were turning their dorm room into an apartment with everything you could imagine... If I had to guess she spent at least $500-600 from her graduation money, we helped with the basics but she bought so much unnecessary stuff. I'm not sure of your current arrangement but don't forget the basics and toiletries once she's in school, they add up. Basically she has an allowance and we then see her about once a month and she gets a care package. Good Luck!!!

 

[Eastern]

Also check her school's website. There is usually a list of 'what to bring' on their residence life page.

 

[Southernmiss]

Our only daughter will be leaving for college in August and living in the Dorms. Has anyone started buying stuff?
What are some things that my daughter will be needing? Mini fridge and microwave are allowed in the dorms. Any tips or advice? TIA!

Have you visited the dorms? Our sons dorms at 2 different colleges have a standard mini fridge and microwave.


Twin xl bedding is standard. Extension cord with multi plugs, rolling laundry hamper, towels, cold meds, band aids pain reliever, stomach meds, thermometer, toilet paper, basic school/office supplies. Decent computer. Rug for cold floors.

Our boys took way more stuff than they needed and brought half of it home in December.

 

[piccolopat]

Make sure that you check to see what the school does NOT allow. If she will have a roommate, have them talk about bringing certain things that they can share, especially anything big and bulky. DD brought way too much when she went a decade ago. I would suggest bringing the bare minimum on move-in day. Dorm rooms are small and oftentimes aren't really designed efficiently. They can always buy more supplies locally or have things delivered from Amazon. Make sure your kid knows how to use the laundry facilities. My DD said it was sad to see kids not only not know how to do their own laundry but actually had a couple of kids ask who would do the laundry for them.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I lived in a single in a private dorm because my university didn't have enough space for all incoming freshman and they gave priority to in-state students. My mom went insane with buying stuff and so my dorm room was packed (I didn't do much of the buying). I did love my loft for the bed because it allowed me to put a futon below my bed so that I could have friends visit and it made a nice place to study instead of the desk. It really increased the space I had in the room and cost about $100 from a company on campus that came around and set up the lofts every year.

If she will have a roommate (likely in a dorm), keep that in mind regarding space and don't buy a ton until she is able to talk with the roommate and coordinate some items. If they plan to bring a TV, you only need one (though maybe that isn't much of a thing anymore given computers?)

 

[QueenIsabella]

It can really vary, so your best bet is to look at her chosen school's website. I'm not trying to blow you off--her first year, my oldest was put in specialty housing to fill an empty bed. It was very different from a standard dorm room. One school she looked at, the freshman dorms had a general-use kitchen in the basement, where anyone could go in and, say, make a batch of cookies (obviously, you needed to clean up after yourself). My DD is currently a senior, and this year she's in an apartment that has a washer/dryer in it. At her school, the only type of microwave allowed is a special fridge/microwave combo that they rent out--you can't just bring one from home. DD actually won a dorm fridge at a senior event in HS, and has never used it at school.

My general advice would be "less is more". You can always buy stuff later, if need be, but if she has too much, she has to store it/trip over it all year. It also helps to coordinate with her roommate--maybe one buys a rug, the other buys a vacuum, that kind of thing.

 

[trenty]

Check out dormco.com. They have packages with all the essentials. I used them for my freshman last year. I was worried that quality would not be good, but was pleased with everything except the towels. The package I ordered had only one towel anyway so it was not a big deal. I bought better towels at Marshall's. I bought this package: https://www.dormco.com/The_44_Piece_College_Dorm_Essentials_Set_Totall_p/top44-essentials.htm and added an egg crate bed topper.
After that, there was very little to buy: command strips, desk lamp, calendar, power strips . . .

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

One thing I found really useful my first year was a wax burner (if her campus allows). My campus didn't allow candles because of the open flames, but wax burners were allowed. Dorms smell funny, there's just no way around it with so many people living together. The wax burner helped!

 

[runwad]

I bet we spent close to $500 on dorm essentials. I will say in April Kohls had a "this is the lowest price of the year sale" and I bought her bedding; all in one bag xl twin set, pillows, and mattress topper. We didn't open them because I said if it goes cheaper at the back to school sales I'm taking it all back. Well it wasn't cheaper then, it actually was the lowest price of the year in April.ha That helped me to spread purchases out.

My DDs bed is a twin on the ground but high enough that you can stick 18 gal bins under, so we have about 4 of those that she keeps things like her shoes, food, and other misc items under the bed to allow more floor space in the room. Check out your dorms and pay attention to how high the beds are. We had original bought these risers but took them back because the bed was tall on its own.

Oh another thing we went out and bought was an actual alarm clock for whatever reason she didn't want to use her phone.

 

[bluezy]

Definitely check the school's website for a list of things to bring. And I agree with the PP who said that the boys show up with the basics (which is all they really need) while the girls show up with at least double the amount of stuff they need. When I dropped off my oldest son for his freshman year, I saw many parents of girls taking a bunch of stuff back to their cars to take back home because there just wasn't enough room for everything their daughter's brought and tried to cram in their rooms. I also stood in the hall and laughed to myself as I looked at my son's room and saw the boys had the bare minimum of "stuff" -- basically just bedding (that didn't match or even complement each other), clothes, computer, TV, microwave/fridge combo, and food; while the girls across the hall all had matching bedding, coordinating throw pillows, curtains, lamps, tiny white christmas lights draped along the perimeter of the ceiling, and accent rugs scattered around the room. My son never needed anything more than what he took to school that first day. If your daughter is going to a school that's close to home, I'd recommend just taking the basics at first and then see if she needs anything else and either drive it to the school or ship it to her.

Also, make sure you specifically check to see whether the beds are standard twin size or XL (should be indicated on the website). Of the 3 different schools I've dealt with, *NONE* of them used the XL size beds -- they were all standard twins. I see a lot of stores and websites that really push the XL bedding insisting that *every* college uses it. Not true in our experience. I'm sure some colleges do, but not all of them.

 

[tvguy]

Also check her school's website. There is usually a list of 'what to bring' on their residence life page.

This is the best advice.
Fridges and microwaves are a good example. When we toured colleges some do not allow them at all in the dorms due to lack of adequate electrical capacity. Others require that you rent a combo unit from them that is a microwave and fridge all in one, it is designed so that the microwave is off when the fridge is on, and the fridge is off when the microwave is on for safety reasons.
And others have no restrictions at all.

 

[Soarin4us]

Check the school's what to bring list, then (if you have boys) narrow it down substantially. My guys needed:
Xl sheets/comforter
Pillow-top for mattress
Pillow
Drawstring laundry bag
Power strip
Desk Lamp
Wastebasket
Mini fridge (university rents 'em but $65 at target is less than rental)
Swiffer, Lysol wipes, detergent

They did NOT use, from school list:
Bed risers
Microwave
Laundry drying rack
Ironing board/iron
Beanbag chair
Vacuum
Rug

 

[Eastern]

Stick vacuum, stapler, hole punch, extra set of sheets.

You could always bring whatever you think you'll need (if dropping them off) and then take the rest back. Dorm rooms are very small.

 

[Arkansan]

My DD's dorm has vacuums and things like pots and pans (cake pans, muffin tins, etc.) to borrow from the front desk in her dorm. (There is a shared kitchen with an oven and microwave in every dorm on her campus.) They need to leave their student ID and get it back when the item is returned. DD does have her own Swiffer and the dry and wet cloths to use it.

I would concentrate on making the bed comfortable. DD has a couple of different mattress toppers plus pretty nice sheets and a good comforter. They don't sleep a lot, so I want her to have a good quality sleep when she is able. She also goes to school 1,100 miles away, so spends some breaks on campus.

She has a school-provided loft and likes it. She likes her storage ottoman (from Target) as it holds things like sweatshirts and functions as extra seating. She has a nice dorm fridge. I bought her a "fridge cart" from The Container Store that makes it sit higher and has drawers underneath for her food and a few dishes. It makes the room look more "homey."

I think girls bring more "stuff" and clothing, but boys have more gadgets and technology. I saw quite a few 42" (or bigger) TVs and many gaming systems being brought in on boys' floors during move-in.

I started shopping for her during Sept. of her Senior year when all the colleges were back in session and Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond began their clearance sales. My other kids are in HS and I have begun buying things for them, as well, because they overlap some college years. She also got a 20% off your purchase coupon from B, B &B when she got her final report card. We used that to get some things once we knew which dorm she had been assigned. We also shipped some things to her through Amazon. What we are going to do with it over the summer is another question!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

My DD's dorm has vacuums and things like pots and pans (cake pans, muffin tins, etc.) to borrow from the front desk in her dorm. (There is a shared kitchen with an oven and microwave in every dorm on her campus.) They need to leave their student ID and get it back when the item is returned. DD does have her own Swiffer and the dry and wet cloths to use it.

I would concentrate on making the bed comfortable. DD has a couple of different mattress toppers plus pretty nice sheets and a good comforter. They don't sleep a lot, so I want her to have a good quality sleep when she is able. She also goes to school 1,100 miles away, so spends some breaks on campus.

She has a school-provided loft and likes it. She likes her storage ottoman (from Target) as it holds things like sweatshirts and functions as extra seating. She has a nice dorm fridge. I bought her a "fridge cart" from The Container Store that makes it sit higher and has drawers underneath for her food and a few dishes. It makes the room look more "homey."

I think girls bring more "stuff" and clothing, but boys have more gadgets and technology. I saw quite a few 42" (or bigger) TVs and many gaming systems being brought in on boys' floors during move-in.

I started shopping for her during Sept. of her Senior year when all the colleges were back in session and Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond began their clearance sales. My other kids are in HS and I have begun buying things for them, as well, because they overlap some college years. She also got a 20% off your purchase coupon from B, B &B when she got her final report card. We used that to get some things once we knew which dorm she had been assigned. We also shipped some things to her through Amazon. What we are going to do with it over the summer is another question!

My parents rented a small storage facility for my stuff over the first 2 summers. Depending on the location and size of the city, they can fill up way before move out so my parents reserved it early in the year.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Just a couple of things that haven't been mentioned yet:

box fan for window if your dorm does not have AC
DS brought his small tv and gaming system
printer (only one needed in the room)
umbrella
flashlight
rain boots or LL Bean boots for walking around campus when it rains
a couple of microwavable plates, mugs/bowls, silverware
small sewing kit
screwdrivers, mallet (these were really popular on move in day)
power strip with a long cord (was already mentioned, long cord was important b/c DS's dorm didn't allow extension cords and the outlets were not in convenient spots.)

DD will be going to college in the Fall as well. Girls often want to coordinate their bedding with their roommate, so I'm going to hold off buying a comforter until I know what she wants to do.

 

[dreamin_disney]

It can really vary, so your best bet is to look at her chosen school's website. I'm not trying to blow you off--her first year, my oldest was put in specialty housing to fill an empty bed. It was very different from a standard dorm room. One school she looked at, the freshman dorms had a general-use kitchen in the basement, where anyone could go in and, say, make a batch of cookies (obviously, you needed to clean up after yourself). My DD is currently a senior, and this year she's in an apartment that has a washer/dryer in it. At her school, the only type of microwave allowed is a special fridge/microwave combo that they rent out--you can't just bring one from home. DD actually won a dorm fridge at a senior event in HS, and has never used it at school.

My general advice would be "less is more". You can always buy stuff later, if need be, but if she has too much, she has to store it/trip over it all year. It also helps to coordinate with her roommate--maybe one buys a rug, the other buys a vacuum, that kind of thing.

Thanks. I guess as it get closer we will know more. I know towels, sheets, blankets, pillow and shower cast for sure. I'll hv to find out about the fridge. I do want her to have her own. At work we have one but there's always one that takes over taking up all the room and leaves a mess and me and the other coworker hardly ever have room for our stuff. Plus there might be times I leave her with prep meals

 

[dreamin_disney]

My DD's dorm has vacuums and things like pots and pans (cake pans, muffin tins, etc.) to borrow from the front desk in her dorm. (There is a shared kitchen with an oven and microwave in every dorm on her campus.) They need to leave their student ID and get it back when the item is returned. DD does have her own Swiffer and the dry and wet cloths to use it.

I would concentrate on making the bed comfortable. DD has a couple of different mattress toppers plus pretty nice sheets and a good comforter. They don't sleep a lot, so I want her to have a good quality sleep when she is able. She also goes to school 1,100 miles away, so spends some breaks on campus.

She has a school-provided loft and likes it. She likes her storage ottoman (from Target) as it holds things like sweatshirts and functions as extra seating. She has a nice dorm fridge. I bought her a "fridge cart" from The Container Store that makes it sit higher and has drawers underneath for her food and a few dishes. It makes the room look more "homey."

I think girls bring more "stuff" and clothing, but boys have more gadgets and technology. I saw quite a few 42" (or bigger) TVs and many gaming systems being brought in on boys' floors during move-in.

I started shopping for her during Sept. of her Senior year when all the colleges were back in session and Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond began their clearance sales. My other kids are in HS and I have begun buying things for them, as well, because they overlap some college years. She also got a 20% off your purchase coupon from B, B &B when she got her final report card. We used that to get some things once we knew which dorm she had been assigned. We also shipped some things to her through Amazon. What we are going to do with it over the summer is another question!

Thank you. She is our only child so this is all new. im sure next year will be a lot easier lol! This weekend Shen we visit the final school we will know which school she chooses

 

[kymom99]

My son and his future room mate have decided to have 2 fridges. The school provides one and the other boy has one someone gave him. We figured that way they can either keep their food separate or at least have more room for their food. The other boy is an eater! Ha ha!