Budgeting for College Dorm and what's needed?

[MumziMom]

Highly recommend reading the housing contract. Everything will be spelled out. In my daughter's college, any mattress toppers needed to have a specific fire proofing - not my son's college. His college required rental of an attached fridge/microwave - not my daughters. Both colleges required any heating appliances to have automatic shut offs. Coffee pots, tea pots, whatever. Absolutely no toaster ovens allowed. It really depends on the contract.

I recommend getting basics, and purchasing an extra set of twin xl sheets when they go on clearance. Anything beyond the basics, I'd recommend giving her an allowance and letting her spend it in her own way. Anything she didn't spend, she could keep. This encouraged my daughter to hold back a bit, and she was glad because space was very tight. Be on the lookout for Command Hooks, if they are allowed they are really amazing.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Highly recommend reading the housing contract. Everything will be spelled out. In my daughter's college, any mattress toppers needed to have a specific fire proofing - not my son's college. His college required rental of an attached fridge/microwave - not my daughters. Both colleges required any heating appliances to have automatic shut offs. Coffee pots, tea pots, whatever. Absolutely no toaster ovens allowed. It really depends on the contract.

I recommend getting basics, and purchasing an extra set of twin xl sheets when they go on clearance. Anything beyond the basics, I'd recommend giving her an allowance and letting her spend it in her own way. Anything she didn't spend, she could keep. This encouraged my daughter to hold back a bit, and she was glad because space was very tight. Be on the lookout for Command Hooks, if they are allowed they are really amazing.

I I'm going to look up the contacts and see whats allowed. I'm off to look up command hooks.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I can't believe it's almost time!!! I am making my list and will take DD shopping as I start to see sales. I'm definitely getting mini fridge, laptop lock, safe that connects to bed, bath stuff, bedding etc. I need to confirm microwave is allowed and what size on micro and fridge. As a freshman she gets to move in a week early and do orientation activities.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I've been so caught up thinking about the big things needed for DD's dorm room, that I forgot about the little stuff. I came across a list of stuff and I thought oh boy! Theres more than I thought-lol!
little stuff like:
-school supplies pens, pencils, paper, staplers etc of course
-frebreeze, cleaning wipes, landry stuff
-first aid kit, tums, pepto, cold meds, allergy meds, nueospuron, benodry cream etc
-sewing kit, flash light,

dorm food
-paper plates, bowl, sppons, forks, cups, sandwish bags, bags for trash
-granola bars, fish crackers
-cup o noodle soup
etc

I know I will buy her bottled water and Gatorade to keep under her bed. She will have a mini fridge with a lil freezer. hope to buy her fruit, lunch meat and stuff she likes. I will take a a few meals she can pop in microwave. School has a farmers market so she can buy some fruit and veggies until my visits. She also will be on meal plan for 10 meals a week plus $350 dining dollars per semester.

How is everyone doing getting ready to send their freshman off?

 

[kymom99]

Well, my sons intended roommate backed out and is going to another school. Sure changes things. Now we have to wait until he finds out who his roommate is so we can coordinate. A group of boys asked him to share a suite with them but he said a suite costs too much. He also felt they wouldn't be good roommates for him. So proud of his maturity.

I have bought a mattress topper and a few misc. items. My son will buy his own laptop.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Well, my sons intended roommate backed out and is going to another school. Sure changes things. Now we have to wait until he finds out who his roommate is so we can coordinate. A group of boys asked him to share a suite with them but he said a suite costs too much. He also felt they wouldn't be good roommates for him. So proud of his maturity.

I have bought a mattress topper and a few misc. items. My son will buy his own laptop.

Here a suite is a freshman dorm. Two per room. 2 rooms share one bathroom so 4 girls to one bathroom. Its a private bathroom with one toilet, sink, shower. I think the shower and toilet is sectioned off with a door and then sink. Cant remember but its really nice and you need your key to access it. Hopefully there's no issues. I need to find out if they provide toilet paper. The other school did provide toilet paper to the dorms but those were shared by 10 people, 2 stalls, 2 showers with high school style doors :/

She will get an email in July to pick out a room. Not sure how it works with being pairs with a roommate. School starts late August

 

[kymom99]

Here a suite is a freshman dorm. Two per room. 2 rooms share one bathroom so 4 girls to one bathroom. Its a private bathroom with one toilet, sink, shower. I think the shower and toilet is sectioned off with a door and then sink. Cant remember but its really nice and you need your key to access it. Hopefully there's no issues. I need to find out if they provide toilet paper. The other school did provide toilet paper to the dorms but those were shared by 10 people, 2 stalls, 2 showers with high school style doors :/

She will get an email in July to pick out a room. Not sure how it works with being pairs with a roommate. School starts late August

Here the suites are a higher tier of room. It's doubtful the other boys will actually end up with a suite since upper classmen get first priority. My son applied for a basic 2 person room with a bathroom down the hall. He is hoping to get a room with a sink. He is going to modify his application once his friend withdraws his housing application to request what they call a Living Learning Community. This would put him on a floor with students in his major. That way at least some of the kids might become familiar.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Here the suites are a higher tier of room. It's doubtful the other boys will actually end up with a suite since upper classmen get first priority. My son applied for a basic 2 person room with a bathroom down the hall. He is hoping to get a room with a sink. He is going to modify his application once his friend withdraws his housing application to request what they call a Living Learning Community. This would put him on a floor with students in his major. That way at least some of the kids might become familiar.

I hope things workout for your son and he gets good roommates . My daughter will also be living in a Living Learning Community

 

[dreamin_disney]

Hubby called housing and was told fridge and microwave is allowed in the freshman dorm rooms. Fridge size is 32' and the one I was looking at is 34' I'm going to call and see how strict they are on size. Hubby said a 700wtt microwave would be good. I have no idea on watts except the one we have is 1200watt . Getting a 700 watt whats the difference...will it take longer to cook stuff? is it just a smaller microwave size for smaller items?

I also need to call and find out if they provide toilet paper (the other college did). I told hubby I will make a list of other question I have before I call. I know I need to find out if any laundry soap is allowed or specific type liquid or pods. Plus is the machines take coins, school card or credit card

 

[sksjasams]

Hubby called housing and was told fridge and microwave is allowed in the freshman dorm rooms. Fridge size is 32' and the one I was looking at is 34' I'm going to call and see how strict they are on size. Hubby said a 700wtt microwave would be good. I have no idea on watts except the one we have is 1200watt . Getting a 700 watt whats the difference...will it take longer to cook stuff? is it just a smaller microwave size for smaller items?

I also need to call and find out if they provide toilet paper (the other college did). I told hubby I will make a list of other question I have before I call. I know I need to find out if any laundry soap is allowed or specific type liquid or pods. Plus is the machines take coins, school card or credit card

Usually fridges are measured in cubic feet - for example 3.2 cu ft or 3.4 cu ft, so be sure you understood what measurement they were telling you.

Regarding the micowave, yes to both - a 700 watt microwave is smaller and it will take longer to cook stuff.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Usually fridges are measured in cubic feet - for example 3.2 cu ft or 3.4 cu ft, so be sure you understood what measurement they were telling you.

Regarding the micowave, yes to both - a 700 watt microwave is smaller and it will take longer to cook stuff.

oops ! yes your right. I meant 3.2 cu ft. but the one I wanted to get is 3.4 cu ft

 

[DaisyJ]

Hubby called housing and was told fridge and microwave is allowed in the freshman dorm rooms. Fridge size is 32' and the one I was looking at is 34' I'm going to call and see how strict they are on size. Hubby said a 700wtt microwave would be good. I have no idea on watts except the one we have is 1200watt . Getting a 700 watt whats the difference...will it take longer to cook stuff? is it just a smaller microwave size for smaller items?

I also need to call and find out if they provide toilet paper (the other college did). I told hubby I will make a list of other question I have before I call. I know I need to find out if any laundry soap is allowed or specific type liquid or pods. Plus is the machines take coins, school card or credit card

Your daughter should be asking these questions, not you.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Your daughter should be asking these questions, not you.

since Im paying for it we are asking. Her job is to focus on Ap exams and finals.

 

[KKB]

TCU dorms supply a mini-fridge combo.
We flew on SWA--so 6 checked bags (3 of us flew) plus 3 carrys ons & her backpack.
Anything else had to be bought.
We spent about $500 at Target.
You can find endless lists of dorm essentials by Googling.
(I would be surprised if 2 fridges were allowed; DO check list from college of "allowed" & "not allowed" items. There's no way the girls would have had room for 2 fridges--but girls do seem to have more stuff!

 

[kymom99]

TCU dorms supply a mini-fridge combo.
We flew on SWA--so 6 checked bags (3 of us flew) plus 3 carrys ons & her backpack.
Anything else had to be bought.
We spent about $500 at Target.
You can find endless lists of dorm essentials by Googling.
(I would be surprised if 2 fridges were allowed; DO check list from college of "allowed" & "not allowed" items. There's no way the girls would have had room for 2 fridges--but girls do seem to have more stuff!

My sons future university provides a fridge but allows a second one. I plan to get him one since we don't know his room mate and figure they both will be more comfortable with their own

 

[dreamin_disney]

TCU dorms supply a mini-fridge combo.
We flew on SWA--so 6 checked bags (3 of us flew) plus 3 carrys ons & her backpack.
Anything else had to be bought.
We spent about $500 at Target.
You can find endless lists of dorm essentials by Googling.
(I would be surprised if 2 fridges were allowed; DO check list from college of "allowed" & "not allowed" items. There's no way the girls would have had room for 2 fridges--but girls do seem to have more stuff!

My DD's dorm the beds adjust so things can be stored underneath otherwise there's not much room. I agree that two fridges will take up a lot of space unless its place under their adjustable bed. Its more expensive for those that have to fly in. luckily we only live 2 hours away(without traffic). I figure we will take what we can (fridge, microwave, some clothes/shoes, bath stuff and some snacks). Plus will buy a few things at walmart near the college and We can always drive out there another time. DD just got a roommate request and so far seems to be a match

 

[dreamin_disney]

My sons future university provides a fridge but allows a second one. I plan to get him one since we don't know his room mate and figure they both will be more comfortable with their own

I agree. My DD just got her roommate request so they are just asking each other questions and getting to know each other. Hopefully they discuss topic of microwave/fridge misc room/bath supplies

 

[elizondoguillermo543]

Here's my best advice: Buy only what you NEED for now - do not buy anything until she gets there and finds out what her roommates already have or will be bringing. She'll be able to borrow from them if they've got something and don't mind sharing. If she needs something, like sheets for instance, you can always get those at Wal-Mart or Target before school starts. They didn't have dorm rooms when I was in college (and I went way back), but I know that Ikea has some beds that are made to go with bunk-beds - I think they are called Stockholm. They're actually pretty nice for the price, I've checked them out at Ikea several times. If your daughter is taking up residence in a suite style dorm, she'll need a microwave too. I learned this the hard way when my son was living in one last year. The room he got didn't have one and you can't use microwaves in the common areas of those dorms either. There wasn't a fridge allowed either, but that isn't a big deal since most kids would rather buy their own anyway because it's cheaper than eating on campus all the time and who wants to be known as "fridge girl" anyway? If she's in a dorm that allows microwaves, then you'll be able to find what you need at Target without too much trouble. We've got one that's nothing special, about $29 or so and it does just fine for heating up leftovers and do-it-yourself popcorn. As long as she brings along her own linens (sheets, pillows, blankets), towels and toiletries (Bath & Body works stuff is nice) you can skip buying those things for now. She might need extra hangers though if her closet isn't already equipped with them - I think they're hanging on pegs sometimes these days rather than the old wire bar thingy. Get some good luggage also because she'll probably be taking trips home, her school might have some sort of program where she can tag along on a weekend trip to another college or something like that. You don't want her dragging her stuff around in Walmart bags all the time! Some colleges also offer storage at the end of each semester for parents who need to ship their kids extra stuff like winter coats, etc. I've never had to use it but one year I was tempted to because my son's dorm didn't allow microwaves and I thought he was going to starve all year if he couldn't heat up his food. The last thing you'll probably need is help unpacking so bring along your best friend or your spouse - they'll get more out of it than any dollar amount would be worth. I remember ours coming by and taking over for a few hours one day and it was the best money we ever spent because my son let us put up all his little things like posters, pictures etc once he saw that Mom & Dad could hang stuff on the wall without messing everything up!
There's usually a lot of dust and hair in dorm rooms. A vacuum is necessary to clean the dorm room. Vacuums might be stashed away in closets, so keep an eye out for them when you do your walk-through. It pays off to get one that is good quality and prices can vary widely on models, so shop around before making a decision. You may want to have both carpet heads designed for different floor types as well as hose attachments for cleaning upholstery with brushes or dusting furniture with soft cotton cloths.
If you have any other specific questions about this, leave a comment to this post and I'll answer as soon as I can.
Best wishes to you and your daughter with her move! It sounds like you're doing everything right so far.

 

[Marionnette]

Paragraphs would be nice, especially when you're bumping a 5-year-old thread. The OP's daughter is probably working on her post-graduate degree at this point.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I sure hope by now the OP kid has graduated from college by now.