<p>In the fall I will be going to college on the opposite side of the country from where I live. Therefore I will have to buy a lot of things for my dorm once I get to campus. I would like to know what about I should budget for/save to cover these expenses (bedding, toiletries, school supplies, etc.)?</p>
<p>Check the prices where you are, and start drawing up a budget. Some things you might want (or need) to get new, but others you can pick up on the cheap at a second-hand store. Some things you absolutely will need to have sooner or later, but a lot of the stuff on those “get for school” lists you won’t need immediately (or possibly ever) so don’t feel that you must go wild and buy it all right at once.</p>
<p>Not to mention of course that your roommate might show up with X, Y, and Z and be willing to share.</p>
<p>Be very careful about planning to buy certain things when you get there…a lot of stores (especially stores like Target/Bed Bath and Beyond/etc.) get really cleaned out move-in weekend.</p>
<p>A great option at some stores (Walmart and BBB are known for this) is the option to buy things online and pick them up at a store near where your school is. 
and that will help you avoid the above issue. Just a tip :)</p>
<p>^^^ That is good advice. But first make certain that these things are indeed items that you will need immediately, and that you know for dead certain that you will use. </p>
<p>Don’t get caught up in a shopping-for-my-dorm-room frenzy. Remember, you will have to ship it home or store it at the end of the year. And in four years, you will have to ship it, or sell it, or give it all away. For example, many students get by with just one set of sheets and a couple of bath towels. If you are like that, then you probably can pick them up in your home town and just mail them to your college. Heck, if they are flimsy enough, you might have room for them in a suitcase.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses
so how much would be a good amount to budget for? I was thinking around $500 but I’m not sure if that estimate is high or low</p>
<p>That depends on what would you need in the new school location. If you are moving from CA to New England, the winter clothing may cost you more than you expected. If you can live with the small screens of laptop or tablet, then you do not need a large desktop monitor for the dorm. The printer may cost very little, but the ink/toner cartridge may costly.The quality of the blanket or quilt maybe a cost factor. </p>
<p>In general, we packed 6 suit cases for D to go to school in Chicago, we ended up paying more than 500 for small stuff and supplies in Target and Wal-Mart, car rental costs not included. And we already bought the sheets before left home.</p>
<p>Amazon Prime has a free 30-day membership, which gets you free two-day shipping.</p>
<p>You really need way less stuff than you think you do. My son went from the west coast to Boston with four large duffle bags (and a full carryon) and came back four years later with the same four duffle bags and shipped two boxes of books.</p>
<p>You <em>need</em> a laptop (don’t bother with a desktop or a printer), your cell phone, sheets, blanket, towels, and some clothes. Buy as few clothes as possible before you go and wait to buy more when you get there. Bring a few weeks worth of shampoo and soap, to give you a chance to settle in before you HAVE to go shopping. You’ll need a reasonable first-aid/remedy kit. Wait to buy winter clothes; you have plenty of time. </p>
<p>And good luck.</p>
<p>You need much less than you think you do. The absolutely essential list: bedding, computer, printer, laundry basket, hangers, basic school supplies (pens, pencils, notebooks, binders, whatever you need in that area). </p>
<p>I never bought XL sheets; I just used the normal twin ones (Laura Ashley). The mattresses are so thin that they fit on your bed.</p>
<p>What is the climate like where you’ll be at school? That will be a factor in your clothing budget, and perhaps your bedding needs. </p>
<p>Remember that you don’t need to buy everything new for college. My S’s went with sheets and towels they’d been using at home. You probably own most of the clothes you’ll need for college, at least in the short term unless you’re moving from a very warm climate to a cold one, in which case you’ll need some warmer clothes. The only ‘extra’ my kids took was lots of socks and underwear so they wouldn’t have to do laundry right away.</p>
<p>As suggested above, for things you need to buy, shop close to home and arrange so you can pick up the items closest to your college. Bed Bath and Beyond is great for that. But do your shopping early, because even online they run out of the items that are priced well.</p>
<p>I would recommend you don’t bother to pack your pillow from home, since it’s bulky, but also very inexpensive to replace at school. Even in places with cold winters, dorms may be overheated. One of my S’s never used a blanket at all through the winter.</p>
<p>Also remember that if you don’t have “everything” right away, you may be able to ask family to purchase the missing items as holiday gifts a few months after school starts. By then you’ll have a better handle on what items you really want and/or need.</p>
<p>Also, take a good look at this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/926984-10s-what-did-you-send-college-your-child-never-used.html</a></p>
<p>Printer? Really? Even when my kids were in college (yes, they graduated 6 years ago), they didn’t need a printer. The school had printers everywhere and most profs accepted emailed papers.</p>
<p>^Depends on the school. I used my printer a lot in my undergrad, but now we get printing credits every semester that are paid for by part of our tuition. I haven’t used my printer once since I started grad school.</p>
<p>Some college students find it very convenient to own a printer. But it’s something that roommates can share. </p>
<p>If your roommate lives near the school and will be arriving by car, it’s probably more convenient for that person to supply the printer (which would be a difficult thing to carry on a plane and expensive to ship). You could offer to pay for the ink cartridges (which are the main expense anyway) or to pay for something else (like renting a little refrigerator).</p>
<p>Fine - printer depends on the person and the school. Some schools charge per page and it quickly gets more expensive than printing out at home. Some don’t have 24 hour access to printers, or the last thing that you want to do as you’re writing a paper at 3 am is to make a 25-minute round trip to the library to print out. </p>
<p>I have a very difficult time editing effectively on-screen, so I really do need to print things out. But roommates can share, and some printers are really cheap ($50 plus ink).</p>
<p>Ya, its the ink that will kill you.
You can get a " free" printer & spend an arm and a leg on ink.
My daughters freshman dorms had printers in the common room.</p>
<p>^The 23" desktop LARGE monitors are for editing docs, the 10" netbook is not good for anything but occasional use on the run or the classroom.</p>
<p>Yes, you can share printers, but my D’s school won’t let you network your printer into the school network, so you have to plug and unplug at least two connections to “share” the printer. An alternative is to start your own WIFI network without the internet connection. This way, several roommates can share a large laser printer.</p>
<p>Amazon Prime is really worth it and you can save a bundle on shipping costs. $500 sounds good, but remember there are many things you can buy used (such as books), and others you can bring from home (if you already have a laptop, a backpack, etc) and that will save you $$$</p>
<p>Alot of teachers ask the kids to e-mail them their papers or dropbox them on the university system. Unless you know about current conditions at the college, I’d wait on the printer until the ‘new’ student has a feel for need. In 2007 my first needed a printer, by 2008 printing was part of the tuition and by the time my second went off to college in 2011 he e-mailed or dropboxed almost all his papers.</p>
<p>There are still other items you will likely need including a lamp, dustbuster, possibly a mirror, possibly a fan, rain gear if you don’t already have, some kind of storage units beyond the dresser/desk drawers…both d’s used open cube containers as well as large plastic storage for under the bed and smaller tiered that can be used as night table, alarm clock in addition to your cellphone. wastebasket… with older d, she brought the small fridge, roomie brought the microwave and tv, with younger d, she also brought fridge-actually it was the same fridge, one roomie brought giant TV and other, microwave. You generally also need some cleaning supplies, laundry detergent. It really to a certain extent depends on what comes with your room and how the dorm is configured and what you and your roommate can split.</p>