Dorm Room Budget

[StitchBuddy]

How much money did you budget for setting up a dorm room the first time?? Buying the basics??

 

[HopperFan]

We didn't set an actual budget for either kid.
(1) We built the list of items normally needed from online lists we found.
(2) We scratched off what did not apply (ie. DD dorms were actually apartments so she did not need a mini-fridge, she had a full kitchen).
(3) We checked off all items that we already had and could be taken from home. Surprised at how much we already had for them to take.
(4) We discussed items that were "luxury" items and would they really need or use them. This eliminated some.
(5) What was left we kept noted and shopped sales for the year before they went getting most everything on clearance or sale.
(6) A few items relatives said they wanted to buy, like aunt & uncle bought DS his mini-fridge for graduation.
(7) We also found with DD going in to an apartment, she knew her roommates and they coordinated so there weren't 4 toasters etc.
In the end we really put out very little cash for dorm items.

 

[scrapquitler]

How much money did you budget for setting up a dorm room the first time?? Buying the basics??

We probably spent about $400, which included stocking up with cleaning products, first aid kit, toiletries and the like. Our biggest expenses were a shelving unit from IKEA ($80), and a good memory foam topper for the mattress ($100). I did buy new towels, two sets of sheets and a mattress pad, but beyond the things I listed, she used mostly things that she already had at home.

A micro/fridge combo is provided in every room at her school, so those were not a consideration for us.

 

[powellrj]

I spent about $500 for DDs room. She moved into a suite with 4 girls who share a bathroom. 2 girls came from across the country so it was easier for us since we are just an hour away to buy most things for the room. We bought all the bathroom supplies like shower curtain, bathrugs, plunger and cleansing supplies. We also bought a mini fridge and a small flat screen TV. I had bought her bedding last year when she was a senior at the end of season mark-down so that was a huge budget saver. We hit the Target 75% and 90% off sales. We had an extra printer that they use. Its worked out because one of the other moms supplies nice TP for them which is nicer than the school has and its been a savings for us!

 

[Ranger111]

We just went by the list the college put out....Basically...we had to buy a laptop ($380). Microsoft Office for the laptop ($50 college student rate). A $10 hot pot (for boiling tea water) from Target and "special sheets" because the residence hall mattresses were all twin "extra long."

Other than that, just took towels from home. No TV (they usually prefer to watch it in the residence hall lounge with a large group, if they watch at all, which is hardly). No fridge. Cell phone served as clock/alarm clock.

The university supplied basic cleaning products. The hall has basic first aid supplies. If you are a "Boy Scout" type, you could put together an emergency kit, I guess.

As much as I dislike supporting Red Cross::

http://redcrossyouth.org/2014/08/24/college-dorm-preparation-from-the-red-cross/

http://www.redcrossstore.org/category/id/1

So, if you subtract out the computer equipment, maybe $50-$60. We never heard any complaints about needing/wanting anything else.

 

[tvguy]

Really depends on the dorm and how far you are from home.
When my kids were both close....within 200 miles of home......their dorms were fully furnished, and had no room for additional furniture, so they took computers (desk top for my son, lap top for my daughter), bedding, towels clothing , bathing supplies and office supplies.

When my daughter was 5,000 miles away for a year in England, she took a laptop. She took a large suitcase for sheets and a pillow and as many clothes as she could stuff in. She bought a bedspread there, and she managed to get everything she took and everything she bought over a year in 2 large suitcases coming home.

 

[Kellydelly]

I don't think that is something I will have a budget for, we will just buy what the kids need and try to be frugal about it. I am the queen of cheap, so I will be shopping sales.

 

[Ranger111]

Just thinking about this and laughing at all the people we saw driving in on move-in day.

My daughter's university was a 22-hour drive away. All her supplies fit in the trunk/backseat of my Camry.

We saw parents driving up to the dorms in U-Haul trucks, or driving large SUVs and towing large trailers full of junk...they really don't need all that much.

 

[rbork]

I completely agree with the above poster. No need for a packed uhaul and big expenses if your moving into a traditional double furnished dorm room. Dropping off our son 900 miles away this summer in Melborne FL for college. Basically bringing a laptop and a some clothing in a suitcase from home. He can pick up anything else he needs from Walmart for $200 or less on the way. Hope he budgets his expenses well. Oh, and he is an Eagle scout....anything other than a tent in the woods is luxury for him. lol

 

[dpswift]

For DS we just bought the basics. He was going into a school owned apartment. So he got sheets, comforter, pillows,cooking and eating utensils, and a britta water filter. Everything else we had. However I have seen many people go threw the line at Target in the $1000 range. One family spent about $700 but they live in England.

 

[jen73]

we probably spent about $700...didn't really have a set budget but I am usually good at finding things for the best price, for us, anyway. We WERE the parents with the FILLED up suburban but no UHaul. Figured we didn't need one cuz of the suburban! Lol..The bigger expenses was the memory foam mattress we got from Costco. We bought her a small single serve Keurig maker when Target had a gift card with purchase deal. I also splurged on getting her a refrigerator cart (basically a cart with 3 compartments on the bottom and you set the fridge on top, it has wheels that lock) and a trunk, both from The Container Store on their college night (an additional 20% total purchase for college kids and parents). DD is not a shopper, and it was just easier for all of us to send her with what I could get for the best price and she has it stored under her bathroom sinks in bins.

I think it just depends on how much your child needs. The parents we saw with uhauls had sofas and the bigger tvs. Those are BIG with the guys..gotta set up your gaming situation...lol

One of DD's suitemates had ALL of her stuff shipped from Colorado (college is near Austin) and wow, I can't imagine how much of an expense that was!!

 

[elgerber]

Just thinking about this and laughing at all the people we saw driving in on move-in day.

My daughter's university was a 22-hour drive away. All her supplies fit in the trunk/backseat of my Camry.

We saw parents driving up to the dorms in U-Haul trucks, or driving large SUVs and towing large trailers full of junk...they really don't need all that much.

We will need a trailer when we bring dd home this spring. She has a chair that was unassembled when she moved up, but it's assembled now. You may say they don't need much, but their rooms are so small, they have to loft their beds just to get most of their stuff in the room. You can sit on a bed when it's lofted, so they have chairs. She sits in it constantly so I don't consider it junk that she didn't need.

 

[Ranger111]

We will need a trailer when we bring dd home this spring. She has a chair that was unassembled when she moved up, but it's assembled now. You may say they don't need much, but their rooms are so small, they have to loft their beds just to get most of their stuff in the room. You can sit on a bed when it's lofted, so they have chairs. She sits in it constantly so I don't consider it junk that she didn't need.

If your kids want that stuff, "buy all means" If it helps them along, great.

Just saying there is a lot of difference between needs and wants. Back in the buggy whip days, when I hit the hallowed halls, most people arrived with a box and a backpack. All rooms had chairs (nothing to write home about), beds, etc. We managed to make do quite well. To be honest, except for sleeping, did not spend that much time in the dorm room -- and moved off-campus as soon as we completed freshman year.

My daughter, the same way. The standard dorm room furnishings were fine with her. She and friends seemed to have no trouble with relaxing on the bunk beds, and the few times I was allowed to visit everyone seemed to make do quite well with the standard furnishings...those year 2010 "digital age" students were adapting quite well to the old concrete block dorms built in the early '70s.

As you said, a lot of those rooms are quite small and if you start putting in a bunch of stuff like hauled in chairs, bookshelves and entertainment centers, the room quickly become a bit of an obstacle course.

Adaption is a part of life. They can adapt to the standard...but if it makes your kids happy and you can afford it, buy/send what you want.

But, for people who are trying to live within certain means, do not feel as if you are selling your kid short if all you send them with is sheets, blankets, towels and pen and paper. They will be fine.

 

[pigletto]

I'm suspecting we will spend in the $300 to $400 range maybe? I already bought her bedding on clearance from Bed Bath and Beyond and her shower caddy. That came to about $50. We're collecting little things as we go and throwing them in a box (extra toiletries on sale etc). The only big item she will need is a mini fridge. I'm not including her laptop/printer in the above budget because that will be her grad gift.
I am on the lookout for deals all the time now for the items I know she will need. We still need sheets and towels, school supplies, mattress topper, maybe a small throw rug, lamp, power bar etc.

 

[FFMatt12]

Oh, and he is an Eagle scout....anything other than a tent in the woods is luxury for him. lol

I completely second that, as an Eagle who just graduated college, I believe that I faired much better than some others that I knew going away for the first time to college. I was far more independent and knew hot to get by with less.

 

[lauradis]

dd lives off campus 1hr away, in mini one bedroom apt with bf. Most of the stuff she needed she took from our house. We did buy cleaning supplies, cookware, second hand lazy boy.
MIL took her shopping and got whole bunch of kitchen stuff.
my mom ordered her towels online and had them shipped to her house.
Her uncle took her grocery shopping and stocked her with too much food.
Her bf uncle showed up with a new grill and patio set.

It was kind of comical, DH and I where expecting to do all these things and family members just keep calling her and asking what they could do to help.

 

[mountdew1]

Not that much for living on campus. A set or two of extra long twin sheets ($60ish total), small smattering of dishes/utensils (one bowl, small plate, fork, knife, spoon - $10), shower sandals ($3), laundry bag (skip the basket, takes up too much space empty $5), shower caddy/tote ($10) most everything else should come from home. Some people swore by adding an egg crate topper (never used it), others added rugs, extra lights, etc. It really depends on the dorm and room mate they will have. My dorm rooms had cinderblock walls (couldn't mount anything) built in cubby and shelving/desk with lights. Bunking or lofting the beds gave us room to add a tv and few bean bag chairs, but not much else. Check with the room mate to see what they they will bring. If they have a tv, then you may only need to bring the fridge, or vice versa. Some school have a special set of allowed electronics (mini fridge/microwave combo for instance) others could care less. Depending on what the floor is made of you may want to bring a broom/mini vac, but odds are someone else on the floor will have one to share. Anything else is really just personalization. We decorated our room with christmas lights and empty cereal boxes (don't ask) so it was cheap, other people loved to load up on the Target/Urban Outfitters fancy schmancy lights and tapestries.

 

[2Kds2K9]

We spent about $500 for each kid. Both went to schools several hundred miles away so we did the shop and ship at Bed Bath and Beyond. I think that's what it was called. Anyway, went to our local bb&b and picked out what they wanted then we picked it up and purchased it at the bb&b close to their school. Two things I liked about this were we didn't have to haul all that stuff and that we were able to go through it before we purchased it. We were able to get in the dorm room first and take an inventory of what they really needed and if they needed additional items. Ironically, the day after they made their picks at the store, we got 20% off entire purchase coupons. Used those when we picked everything up at their school.

Good luck.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I gave my DS 300.00 and told him to make it work. LOL He asked me if he could keep what was left afterwards and I said yes.

He bought bedding after confirming he was going to have an XL Twin bed, a broom and dust pan since the floor didn't have a rug, plunger for the toilet and a shower curtain which he had me return once he learned there was one in the dorm room (he's 4 hours away and they don't have a target in the town he's at so he couldn't return it).
Everything else he brought from his room at home. The dorm room had a small microwave and dorm fridge so he didn't need to buy those.

When we got there and saw how little space he was going to have, I was glad we didn't have much. I have no idea where folks who brought the futons and big TV's thought they were going to go.
We brought our sons smaller flat screen TV that he uses as a 2nd computer monitor and had to bring it back home since there was no place for it.

I didn't count toiletries or actual cleaning products in that total. I put 100.00 in his checking account every other month to cover that sort of stuff - knowing him he's not cleaning much. And he has a car so he can hop into town and pick up stuff easily.

 

[bittybabygrower]

Our DD is 5 hours away and only comes home a few times. I bought a lot of her stuff at Black Friday Sales so I saved a ton of money, especially at Kohls! She and her 3 roommates figured out who was bringing what. Each dorm has a fridge and microwave. We also bought her a trunk to store clothes in and it locks to the bed frame and she and her roommates put their laptops and DD's professional trumpet in it if they are coming home and don't need this stuff.

Things we bought:
X long twin sheets 2 sets
Comforter
Blanket
Throw
Extra pillow and back rest pillow
Fold up chair (they have a big room)
Cube to put shoes in and use as footrest
Medication/First Aid box
School supply
Printer and team of paper
Eating utensils and plate
Small ice cube trays
Large 31 tote for storage
Collapsible laundry tote
Small tabletop fan
Halogen clip light ( the can't have exposed light bulbs)
Decorative lights ( they strung them on the bunks)
Extension cord
2 power strips
Extra phone cord ( long!!)
Ethernet cable, college wifi can suck and some put a cap in bandwidth before midnight.
She and one roommate are in band and had to have an iron and small ironing board for their uniforms.

And you'll make a trip or two to the store after you get there lol