Shopping for College Dorm Room, College Freshman necessities

[Green Tea]

I found this shower caddy at Amazon - gets great reviews - supposedly very highly rated and mold resistant

http://www.amazon.com/Saltwater-Canvas-Blue-Mesh-Tote/dp/B002L35OB4/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_3



I agree with doing it a little at time. It can be so overwhelming!

Thank you for that link. I ordered the same bag after seeing it. I actually found "irregulars" on the Saltwater homepage for a good price. It looks a little smaller than I had anticipated, but I'm heading to the store to fill it with favorites to test it out. I think it will be perfect for dorms.

 

[Green Tea]

One thing I got my oldest was a small tool kit from Ikea. It had just a few standard tools but it came in handy when he ended up buying shelves and things after I left. It was still with him through 2 apartments after graduation so I guess it was one of the more useful things I got before freshman year.

 

[JBurke]

My DD is going off to college in August.
Anyone have a good websites for college room stuff, besides BBB, Target?

 

[DVC Daisy]

No argument posts please - this is just for people like me who can appreciate the task of getting their son to school with min headache. It can be very different getting a son off to school as opposed to a girl!


DS is just entering his Senior Year & so this will be our 4th dorm move in. It is so true about the boys being about what they want/need. His Freshman year he did not shop for one single thing! After getting to know a lot of Mom's from his school, as well as knowing Moms here, it seems like it is a common theme with the boys. I don't think they like shopping & don't want to plan for moving away. They want to have fun, hang with their friends, work, watch sports, etc. oh wait - kinda like their Dads

So - unless you want a call at 1:00 AM, saying I need deodorant, mine ran out yesterday or whatever, I found it was easier (shhh...and fun) to just get his stuff for him. The other Moms' I am friends with did that as well. But that is just how I roll I guess. Please, no comments on making him stand on his own two feet. I still shop for DH! They both get the scary spiders & carry heavy stuff for me

So, after a start of frustrated calling (me) & sending photos of bedding while shopping & asking if he liked this bedding, etc. and getting lots of "no"s, I finally came home with stuff that was just duplicates of his room at home. He was thrilled & declared he loved it all so, that just sorta became my theme while shopping.

So - hints for boys (at least the ones I know):

Stock up. So, when he calls about the deodorant, you are ready & can say "there is more in the bottom drawer of the rolling thing" or whatever. I sent enough toothpaste, deodorant, contact stuff, laundry det, etc. for the 1st Term.

Send a wide variety of meds. I got a small rubbermaid box & filled it with travel size, compact, or concentrate size meds. Everything. When they get sick, and you are far away, it is so helpful to be able to say, look in the box, there is a small bottle of chloraseptic concentrate. Totally agree with figuring out where they should go if they are sick. A lot of campuses have regular Doctors within walking distance & they can use your insurance. In our experience, this is a FAR SUPERIOR choice then the campus clinic!

Buy gray towels! Ewwww. Don't ask. And if they don't know how, make sure & have them start doing their own laundry NOW!

I purchased a desk drawer organizer & just filled it with paper clips, pens, etc. put Seran on the top & we just took that off & popped it in the drawer & instant stocked desk!

A small tool set, or a couple of basic tools is an absolute must. It will also make you instantly popular on move in day.

A really great idea is to get one of those UV toothbrush holders. Kills the icky germs & it seemed like Freshman year was like sending them off to school again, exposing them to many new germs.

And treasure every moment - they are MOVING and don't be surprised if move in day itself is stressfull. For some of the kids, they are more nervous than they may show and you might have some fireworks. I know more than A LOT of mothers of sons that end ended up fighting with their DSs on move in day. It will turn out ok. promise.

 

[Gina]

*hugs DVC Daisy*

As a mother of a boy, THANK YOU. What a great post! My DS is only heading into his Junior year of HS, but I'm already trying to think about this stuff now. Budget-wise, I have to be able to spread it out, and it's not like towels or tools will go bad or anything if I get them early!

And speaking of towels, I love the gray towel suggestion. Will probably end up going that route. And I love the prestocked desk drawer organizer idea! Brilliant!

Thanks again.

 

[Magix]

Thanks for all the great advice here! I'll be moving MYSELF into a dorm room in September. I'm 43 (will be 44 by then) and lived at home when I got my bachelor's degree, so this is all new to me. Add to that, the fact that I'll be going to school in the UK and it's quite stressful to figure out what to bring, what to ship and what to buy there. But, at least the lists from this thread have already helped me with ideas for WHAT I need. Trying to keep my lists minimal, but it's great to have notes from others who've stocked a dorm room before!

 

[DVC Daisy]

Gina - I am so glad my post helped someone! Getting a boy off to college can be so different than a girl. My Neice loved shopping, decorating, etc. my DS - not so much LOL.

I will keep my thinking cap on if I come up with anything that I missed & post if I think of anything else.

Budget-wise, you have some time, so shop this years sales after the kids go back to school. You should be able to get some great deals. I have found dorm things on clearance as late as Jan at Bed, Bath & Beyond, so just keep your eyes open. Target has great school supplies sales before they move the Halloween stuff in too - so you can watch for those.

Oh - and don't forget Black Friday for towels! I got ours super cheap at Kohls. Walmart and Target both have had steals on things like small microwaves ($25), coffee pots, etc. too on Black Friday.

Any questions, ask away! And the gray towels - lets just say I learned about that one the hard way

Such an exciting time. Oh & I loved roaming around looking at all of the Freshmen girls dorms on move in day when I had a break. Great way to meet some other kids (& parents) and the girls always seem to want to show off how they decorated

 

[luv2mickey]

No argument posts please - this is just for people like me who can appreciate the task of getting their son to school with min headache. It can be very different getting a son off to school as opposed to a girl!


DS is just entering his Senior Year & so this will be our 4th dorm move in. It is so true about the boys being about what they want/need. His Freshman year he did not shop for one single thing! After getting to know a lot of Mom's from his school, as well as knowing Moms here, it seems like it is a common theme with the boys. I don't think they like shopping & don't want to plan for moving away. They want to have fun, hang with their friends, work, watch sports, etc. oh wait - kinda like their Dads

So - unless you want a call at 1:00 AM, saying I need deodorant, mine ran out yesterday or whatever, I found it was easier (shhh...and fun) to just get his stuff for him. The other Moms' I am friends with did that as well. But that is just how I roll I guess. Please, no comments on making him stand on his own two feet. I still shop for DH! They both get the scary spiders & carry heavy stuff for me

So, after a start of frustrated calling (me) & sending photos of bedding while shopping & asking if he liked this bedding, etc. and getting lots of "no"s, I finally came home with stuff that was just duplicates of his room at home. He was thrilled & declared he loved it all so, that just sorta became my theme while shopping.

So - hints for boys (at least the ones I know):

Stock up. So, when he calls about the deodorant, you are ready & can say "there is more in the bottom drawer of the rolling thing" or whatever. I sent enough toothpaste, deodorant, contact stuff, laundry det, etc. for the 1st Term.

Send a wide variety of meds. I got a small rubbermaid box & filled it with travel size, compact, or concentrate size meds. Everything. When they get sick, and you are far away, it is so helpful to be able to say, look in the box, there is a small bottle of chloraseptic concentrate. Totally agree with figuring out where they should go if they are sick. A lot of campuses have regular Doctors within walking distance & they can use your insurance. In our experience, this is a FAR SUPERIOR choice then the campus clinic!

Buy gray towels! Ewwww. Don't ask. And if they don't know how, make sure & have them start doing their own laundry NOW!

I purchased a desk drawer organizer & just filled it with paper clips, pens, etc. put Seran on the top & we just took that off & popped it in the drawer & instant stocked desk!

A small tool set, or a couple of basic tools is an absolute must. It will also make you instantly popular on move in day.


This is exactly what I was looking for this am. I sent my daughter off to school last year and what a different experience, but I new it would be. I have to laugh because he acts like its torture to even discuss planning his dorm room, when I asked him if he wanted me to just go buy his dorm stuff or did he want to go shopping with me his reply was "Please don't make me go!"
I do know his room will be cheaper to outfit then my daughter, he would die if I bought him PB Teen anything!

My real question is, what did you do about bedding my son insists he only needs sheets and a blanket did you buy a comforter set? I'm afraid it might be to bulky for him and he won't want to deal with it.

 

[DVC Daisy]

This is exactly what I was looking for this am. I sent my daughter off to school last year and what a different experience, but I new it would be. I have to laugh because he acts like its torture to even discuss planning his dorm room, when I asked him if he wanted me to just go buy his dorm stuff or did he want to go shopping with me his reply was "Please don't make me go!"
I do know his room will be cheaper to outfit then my daughter, he would die if I bought him PB Teen anything!

My real question is, what did you do about bedding my son insists he only needs sheets and a blanket did you buy a comforter set? I'm afraid it might be to bulky for him and he won't want to deal with it.

Sounds exactly like my DS, which is why I kept getting the "no" answer every time I would text him a picture of a bedding set.

I think that is why he liked what I got, which was basically as close to what he had at home that I could find. At home he just sleeps with the bottom sheet, a blanket and the comfortor part of the set. So I think when he saw that it looked the same, it was ok . Because he knew it would not "require" a top sheet, pillow shams, etc. Guys are weird.

Anyway, what I did was I got just the comforter, 2 pillow cases, and 2 bottom sheets. Target had all the pieces sold separately in their dorm stuff. He took a blanket from home.

Nifty trick that I did, that all the boys in his suites have done since I did it, was I just double sheeted the bottom sheet & so when the top one was he could just pull it off & presto, a new sheet Gross, but better than all of the alternatives that ran through my mind

So, he now uses a bottom sheet (2), comfortor, blanket & 2 pillows. And yup, all of the boys (no idea what the girls do) seem to have 2 pillows.

I hope that helps.

 

[Gina]

Guys are weird.

Truer words have never been spoken.

I'm already starting to learn how true all this is, even though I have 2 years before college. DS is heading to engineering camp in a few weeks at his 1st choice college, and he has to have the standard twin XL sheets for the dorm bed. Since he'll eventually be taking these to college, I wanted to make sure he likes them. How can boys be so picky yet care so little all at the same time???

He hates regular sheets. I tried microfiber, he hated those too. Only likes flannel. But seeing as we live in SE Texas and it's 3,692 degrees right now, I'm trying to wean him from flannel. I had him feel some jersey ones (you'd have thought I was asking him to have his nails done ) and he decided he could live with those. Then all I asked him was what color he liked (out of only two choices, so no major decision there!) and he acted like his brain would melt down and pour out of his ears. Boys!!

Nifty trick that I did, that all the boys in his suites have done since I did it, was I just double sheeted the bottom sheet & so when the top one was he could just pull it off & presto, a new sheet Gross, but better than all of the alternatives that ran through my mind

I think that's brilliant!!

 

[DVC Daisy]

Truer words have never been spoken.
How can boys be so picky yet care so little all at the same time???

He hates regular sheets. I tried microfiber, he hated those too. Only likes flannel. But seeing as we live in SE Texas and it's 3,692 degrees right now, I'm trying to wean him from flannel. I had him feel some jersey ones (you'd have thought I was asking him to have his nails done ) and he decided he could live with those. Then all I asked him was what color he liked (out of only two choices, so no major decision there!) and he acted like his brain would melt down and pour out of his ears. Boys!!

wow, did you nail it!

Your post made my day - cracking up because that is exactly my DS.

 

[kingdomkeeper]

I also have a boy who is going off to university this fall and really could not give two hoots what his bedding looks like, but I care about it and would feel like a bad mother if I sent him off with miss matched stuff. Now my question for all of you is about the mattress topper that I have been STRONGLY advised to buy otherwise it will apparently feel as if he is sleeping on the floor. A friend told me to make sure it is memory foam . Do any of you have any suggestions or recommendations as I have never bought one of these before so I am completely clueless. Thanks.

 

[Tistal]

two things: printer paper and printer ink

I can't tell you how many students are out of both three weeks into the semester.

 

[Green Tea]

Funny on the printer paper/ink comment. I sent my first child off with a printer but next time I don't think I will. With free printers all over campus, it doesn't seem like something to give up space for.

 

[nsmith]

How can boys be so picky yet care so little all at the same time???

This is soooo true with both my husband and my son. They would rather wear old ugly shoes/cloths/ than just use the new ones i purchased because they don't like strips or the fabric or the color, even with underwear. My DS will not wear any color but grey or black, WHAT NAVY BLUE ARE U KIDDING ME!!! rather wear the ones with holes and worn out elastic. LOLOLOLOL

However my daughter is exibiting the same "I don't want to talk about college, purchase dorm supplies" because she is VERY anxious about moving away
(2.5hrs) So maybe the I dont care boys are also just anx.

 

[addicted2dizney]

I am cherishing every minute of picking out dorm supplies with DD... everything needs to be matched and "perfect" for her. We already have 3 bins full and about 75% done with her shopping. I'm taking it all in since my DS will be heading out in 2 years and I'm sure his choices will consist of... "um.. I like blue".

I've found some great deals at TJ Maxx and Homegoods... BB&B for the basics (with the coupons!) and Target too...

 

[Leigha]

Where have you found the most comprehensive list of things to take? I'm afraid we'll forget something important!

Also, how do you raise a bed? My daughter wants to raise hers but I don't think they have that kind of bed. They're not opposed to it apparently but I'm not sure how to go about it.

 

[Gina]

I am cherishing every minute of picking out dorm supplies with DD... everything needs to be matched and "perfect" for her. We already have 3 bins full and about 75% done with her shopping. I'm taking it all in since my DS will be heading out in 2 years and I'm sure his choices will consist of... "um.. I like blue".

If you can get that much out of him, you'll be doing good!! DS & I went and got the twin XL sheets he needs for engineering camp at college in a couple of weeks, the same sheets he'll be taking to college in 2 years. He went with gray. Boys are so exciting, lol. But after DVC Daisy's explanation of why gray towels are a good idea, I figure that will work for sheets too, so I'm ok with it!

Also, how do you raise a bed? My daughter wants to raise hers but I don't think they have that kind of bed. They're not opposed to it apparently but I'm not sure how to go about it.

All you need to raise the bed are bed risers. Walmart has them cheap in black or white:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whitmor-Bed-Risers-Black-Set-of-4/15104328

 

[RitaE]

If you can get that much out of him, you'll be doing good!! DS & I went and got the twin XL sheets he needs for engineering camp at college in a couple of weeks, the same sheets he'll be taking to college in 2 years. He went with gray. Boys are so exciting, lol. But after DVC Daisy's explanation of why gray towels are a good idea, I figure that will work for sheets too, so I'm ok with it!







All you need to raise the bed are bed risers. Walmart has them cheap in black or white:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whitmor-Bed-Risers-Black-Set-of-4/15104328

Don't buy the WalMart risers until you check with the school. All the schools my sons have been involved with have restricted the students to using the school supplied risers.

 

[Gina]

Interesting! One more thing from this thread to add to my notes. I wonder why schools would care what risers you used??