Smart Dorm Shopping: Spend Now, Save Later

Kitting out a dorm room can be a daunting task, especially when, as a soon-to-be freshman, you have no idea what your new room is actually going to look like. The urge to be super selective when shopping for college supplies may cross your mind — particularly when you consider the bill for tuition — and we're all about saving money, but we also strongly believe that investing in a few quality pieces can always help you save in the long run.

Take it from Shoestring's summer interns — Alexa, a college junior, and Erica, a college senior, veterans of prep school move-ins and sleep-away summer camps — who are just as good at dorm shopping as they are at reciting Geoffrey Chaucer and Tennessee Williams from memory.

Creating a shopping list for big-ticket items that will last you all the way from the freshman dorms to your first big city apartment might seem unattainable and unaffordable, but we've created a list of the top things that are well worth the money. Value over sticker price is our mantra, and here's how you can make it happen for less than $700.

THE BARE NECESSITIES

As overworked college students, we can positively tell you that it is absolutely imperative to make the most of every hour of sleep you can steal from your taxing weekly schedule — and the best way to do that is to invest in quality bedding and a comfortable mattress topper that will ensure your beauty rest and last you through all four years of school and beyond.

Extra-Long Sheets
Well-made, extra long sheets don't have to be designer — we recommend searching Target for jersey knit sheets that keep you warm in winter and cool in the spring, and which can usually be found for less than $20. (Just pick up one or two sets and force yourself to do laundry!) Another great resource for high-quality, bargain-priced sheet sets and bedding is SmartBargains.com.

Comforters
Many people purchase a new comforter each year of college because washing and wear ruined their bargain finds. However; if you spend the money on a well-made, washer-friendly comforter as a freshman, it can last through your entire undergrad experience — maybe even carry you comfortably into the "real world." The Shoestring interns recommend buying a full size comforter instead of a college-sized one, which will get you more use by transitioning to summers at home or into an apartment with a bigger mattress later on. They also point out that a larger quilt or comforter will hang longer off a lofted college bed, potentially hiding must-have storage units underneath. (Alexa picked up a Martha Stewart comforter at Macy's when she was a freshman and, three years later, it still looks brand new!)

Room Service
Nutritious food and water are just as important as sleep for any student, and may be even harder to find if your school has less-than-fabulous dining halls. (If you're as picky as we are, you'll be over the main dining hall by Halloween.) Before you send your student to school, make sure you both totally understand the college's dining options. If you have a student like Erica, there may not be anywhere on campus that she can buy coffee on her meal plan — and, since many students like Erica are night owls and claim to do their best studying at night, they'll need caffeine every morning to get their money’s worth from that 8 a.m. class. After checking out the school's dorm safety regulations (readily available on every university website), consider purchasing a coffee maker and travel mug. This one-time investment will save up to $4 a day at Starbucks or the on-campus coffeeshop. Over four years, that's a textbook waste of expenses.

Also, depending on where your school is located, the tap water may not be safe to drink. Buying cases of bottled water is harmful to the environment, and any economics major can tell you how exponentially harmful that can be to your budget. We recommend purchasing a Brita water filter (which come in many space-saving sizes), a reusable mug and Nalgene-like bottle. Buy them before heading to campus, or pick one up on sale at the college bookstore to show school pride.

The other important investment items that should be on any dorm shopping list, regardless of your dining plan, are a microwave and a mini-refrigerator. Although many schools ofter a renting program, consider the fact that these items are usually old and lower quality — and, based on our interns' experiences, by the time you've rented them for four years, you could have bought your own for a lot less money. Small appliances like these are a bullet through your budget, but they also have long-term value in both use and potential resale: you could use them in your room in a shared apartment after graduation, you could sell them to another student before leaving campus, or pass them down to a school-bound sibling or friend. Make sure to communicate with your potential roommates — if you split up the list or the cost, you save everybody both time and money, leaving the all-important allowance for pizza and beer.

LESS NECESSARY NECESSITIES

Creature Comforts
Consider investing in a few other "softer side" items that will definitely enhance your first experience living away and will make your dorm room more homey and comfortable. A reading pillow, lovingly called a "boyfriend pillow" by many lonely undergrads, will help students to study comfortably. If you're an English major like Alexa, spending long hours getting through Melville, Milton, Shakespeare, you won't want to be sitting at your desk. Reading pillows or other large shams like body pillows allow for studying that doesn't strain the neck. If you plan on spending lots of time at your desk, purchase a nice desk lamp. Both Shoestring interns made the mistake of buying cheap desk lamps that shorted out or broke within a semester. Spend a little more money and buy a classic style once.

Tuiton-Enhancing Technology
Laptops, gadgets, and media are such an integral part of every student's life, and though they'll mostly be used for scholarly purposes, it's also important to be able to unwind on a Saturday afternoon with a free movie on Hulu or Skype family and friends when you're feeling homesick.

Buying a pair of quality speakers to plug into your computer (or a nice MP3 dock) will help you relax by audibly playing your favorite Lil' Wayne song without stressing out your computer. Also, having speakers never hurt on the social side, either, and they definitely will be useful in the years to come when having group study sessions or get-togethers at your pad.

When talking to your roommate, consider purchasing a television. Shoestring's interns never actually bought their own TVs, but their roomies have — and while they're definitely not a necessity, sometimes you just want to watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians after three hours of calculus and some dudes on your floor are watching sports in the common room. Save money by skipping on the DVD player; any relatively new laptop can play DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, and a simple S-video cable (available on the cheap at any tech store) can connect your laptop to a computer screen. Consider a Netflix subscription, instead: for less than $10 a month, you can watch pretty much any movie or TV series you want, and $120/year is far less than weekly movie tickets at the campus flick.

Come, Sit Awhile
No doubt, even in the least spacious of singles, you're going to have friends over, and one way to make sure those wonderful frat brothers don't spill "grape juice" on the nice comforter you've invested in is to buy one or two folding chairs, often found for less than $30 a piece. Most styles can easily fit behind or under a bed, or, if you're lucky, the'll squeeze in nicely between the fridge and the desk.

BOTTOM LINE

Be a Budgeteer
When heading out on your dorm shopping expedition, keep a detailed list of the items you absolutely plan on buying and the highest price you’re willing to spend for each item. Always consider quality over sticker price: sure, you can get a plastic shower caddy for $5, but if you spend $20, you won't have to replace it each year — trust us, those cheapies in any category always find a way to break when you need them most.

Practice Communal Communication
Before you shop, make sure all your roommates have chatted via Facebook (or whatever social media site will be popular in a week) about who is purchasing what. As long as you stay on budget, don't prevent yourself from splurging on fun items: the first few weeks of college are often frustrating and emotional, and little things like funky plates and cups can be unexpectedly comforting.

When you buy high-quality items and take good care of them, your shopping list will shrink and shrink each year!

Story: Copyright 2010, Shoestring LLC. Image: Alexa Trearchis.