BBB hint - watch for the coupon for 20% of entire order (or consider a bed-in-a-bag, needs only one coupon).
Less is More. My kids only got one set of XL sheets (plus maybe extra pillow cases from home). I may have even sent them with old towels so they could leave behind if needed at move-out day.
Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Target are all good. Another place that was good for organization was Ikea.
Hint: If you live near a university, contact your Salvation Army, Goodwill, thrift store to ask if the store picks up items from dorms during spring move out in April and May. If you are a bargain hunter, these are the places to look for used refrigerators and microwaves.
My girls wanted to recreate their college bed into their home bed, which meant we had to get at minimum 6 in+ topper to make the dorm bed acceptable. When that didn’t work, I had to buy a mattress. So, do not get me started on what I had to spend on their beddings.
My son cared what his dorm room looked like, but was not interested in doing the shopping! The compromise we arrived at, which worked extremely well, was that I went online and picked out about half a dozen bed-in-bag options that I thought he might like, and then made him take 5 minutes to look them all over and choose one. This way the ultimate decision was his, but he picked from options that I had already vetted for price and suitability.
Sometimes I’m convinced that my roommate and I are the only two females in the world who just did not give two licks about what our living space looked like- and she was an artist!
What are these fast-drying towels and where can I buy them??
@b1gg - LOL, I sometimes use that technique when getting my husband to pick things for the house / yard.
The Neurotic Parent wrote this very amusing post the summer before my son left for college.
The mattress shopping advice was my favorite, but I posted the link in case anyone wants to read the full article.
“Forget the memory foam topper, feather bed and bed bug protector. Face it, no matter how many bedding enhancers you invest in, that saggy, smelly dorm cot will just never be comfortable. Instead, just spring for a brand new mattress, which will cost $89 compared to the $400+ needed to alter the yucky one in the dorm. But remember to get Twin XL. Even though kids manage to fit into normal-sized beds at home, the colleges have conspired with BB & B to scare you about the dire consequences of too-short sheets and force you to purchase all new bedding.”
http://theneuroticparent.com/2014/06/college-essentials-wont-find-bed-bath-beyond.html
I compared prices at BB&B and Costco, and found Costco less expensive, even after factoring in the 20% BB&B coupon. Costco was good for the memory foam topper, pillows, towels, hangers, Command hooks, a safe (second non-Mac laptop), and an iron that was used by others on the floor, but not by my son. Apparently someone on the floor had an ironing board and my son had an iron, so they were all set.
I noticed that Costco sold XL sheets last year but did not have them the year before when my son headed off.
I also purchased an inexpensive B&W laser printer. Given the quantity of paper used, I suspect that many on the floor used it for printing.
Check school’s electric requirements. Son’s school had specific rules about no spider lamps (whatever those are), no extension cords (so I bought surge protectors with long cords), and something else I cannot recall at this point.
Yes, BB&B will sell just about everything, so if you want the ease of one-stop shopping, that is the way to go, but if you would prefer to pay the least possible, shop around. I have not set foot in a JC Penney in 40 years, but found all cotton XL twin sheets there at a reasonable price (online). I think the rug came from Wal-Mart, again, online.
Generalizing, I think boys care a bit less about how things look.
DS does not notice aesthetics, but can distinguish high thread count from low. So will budget for the basics of good quality. He’d be happy for me to buy for him, but I’ll probably make him do the shopping. I make him do most things for himself these day … I mean really, he’s almost grown.
I have one S and one D - two completely different experiences.
S didn’t care about his dorm room. I did all of his shopping, and didn’t spend a lot of money. It’s easy to find bargains when you don’t have to color coordinate everything and aren’t design specific.
D went all out - bedding, lamps, pillows, accessories from West Elm, Anthro, and PB, a beautiful wool rug, more container/storage systems than I can count, Keurig, electric broom, microwave, and all the typical stuff. On the plus side, her room is functional, comfortable and looks great (that is, if her room is actually clean enough to see anything). On the downside, we spent thousands and it’s a lot to move each year. Funds for D’s room set-up came from a combination of Bank of Mom, graduation money and D’s summer earnings.
The single best purchase IMO was the under the bed storage system for D’s room. It’s amazing how much stuff it holds.
Both my S and D were pretty relaxed about everything. The important thing to remember is “less is more.” Too much “stuff” makes their new shared living spaces that much smaller than their former space at home. Both kids gradually accumulated and purchased more things as they needed it, particularly when moving from dorm to apartment.
I bought two huge plastic boxes on wheels from Ikea. Meant to hold extra set of sheets, toiletries, etc. Son doesn’t even think to look in them…
I still think they are the best thing as they hold everything he brings home in May until he returns in August.
DS didn’t have much stuff…that worked out great… less to deal with at the end of the year. DH flew with DS to college dropoff, so they had a few suitcases. (and a tenor sax). Then there were also 2 big shopping bags stashed with the nearby relatives from our trip to BBB and a drug store ta few months prior.
REMINDER - Everything that goes into the dorm room need to come home (or go to storage) 9 months later. If the student uses and appreciates the extra gear, it may be worthwhile. But it’s ok to defer on some items til sure it is needed.
I called son from BB and B and it was like pulling teeth to get them to say light blue or dark blue or whatever the choices were. We didn’t have stretchy twins and certainly not extra long ones at the time. (We’ve since replaced a bunk bed with a pair of extra long twins.) My youngest later in college decided to push two twins together and cover them with one sheet. He figured out how to get to the store and buy what he wanted. We did go shopping together to get what you needed to make a pie. He made a few a year every year. They used towels from the house.
@whitespace My daughter only wanted these types of towels when she left for college and requested them again last school year. We found them at REI. They are light weight and quickly absorbs water.
I always purchased the X Large Towel - 54" x 25" for $26.50 each. If there is not an REI store in your area, you can purchase them online. The wash cloths also came in handy.
I spent a good bit of money on bedding and towels because these things were important to my daughter. She did not seem to care that much about decorating her room.
Fast drying towels are sold at Target in lots of different colors.
My son’s advice.
Put everything you THINK you need in your dorm room in one place (like your living room). Take HALF of that with you. You probably won’t use half of what you take.
The first year he was in college, we used our van to move him. By the time he was a senior…everything fit in a car…easily. And he did care what his room looked like.
We flew DS#1 to college, so it was cheaper to do much of the shopping there (Big Lots, Wal Mart, Target) than to haul it with us. Also ordered stuff from Overstock.com and had it delivered in advance to the residential college, Saved a lot of $.
We drove DS#2 to college so could take more stuff with us, though we did do a WalMart run for the things he forgot to pack. (Pillows, etc). I’ve told this before but will repeat-- my final mommy goodbye was to make their dorm beds up when they moved in. I put an envelope with a sweet note and a $20 bill in it under the bottom sheet. Not sure if DS#2 ever washed his sheets- we never heard a word about the note or the $20.
I shopped online for the sheets/comforter/towels for DS13. I picked out the bedding and showed him the pattern/color options. He picked out one of the patterns. He has used those sheets/comforter/towels since august 2013. He has not lived at home in the summer. They still are fine. I know that because I did take them home to wash them at the end of last summer. So this will probably be a 1 time purchase for you. BTW other than a desk lamp there was no decorating involved…
College is a ways off for me, but this thread is going to be so helpful! Thanks to those who have contributed.