How Much Did You Spend Outfitting Dorm, Clothes & Misc. Items for Your Child?

Parents Forum
1

<p>I did a Google search, and of course CC popped up with the question from 2010:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I am a planner & budget nut that is trying to come up with a budget in order to spread the costs dorm shopping over a longer period of time for my class of 2015 daughter. . When I ask how much, please include bedding, bath, kitchen items, storage, and miscellaneous items like Ethernet cord, surge protector, lamps, fan, bike, command hooks, safe, fridge, flashlight, and tool kit, All schools on BHG's list have XL beds, except one, which has both. </p>

<p>Oh, and before anyone asks, yes BHG is going away to school, we're full-freight, and already have one acceptance to a safety school in hand.</p>

<p>We'll also need to purchase a new wardrobe that does not include 4 years of uniforms and dance attire. So, for those that had kids at uniform schools, please add in how much you spent on clothing. All schools of interest are in the midwest, east or mid-Atlantic. </p>

<p>Can you be somewhat specific in what you purchased or grabbed from home along with cost of item (guesstimates are fine).</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>My first was a boy and we didn’t spend very much at all. He took extra pillows and comforters from home and we bought some new sheets and towels (his dorm had regular twin beds, BTW–everyone expects XL now but they are not at all schools). He has shared the cost of some things with roommates (i.e., mini fridge) and because some of his roommates have come from locations closer to the school, they have brought things like a couch, TV, and so on. </p>

<p>So I would say maybe $500 the first year, and a few hundred dollars on toiletries, etc. each year since. He didn’t need too much in the way of clothes but we have taken care of those things as they have come up (i.e., needing a suit last year for a conference).</p>

<p>One thing to note–I am a sale shopper and although it is tempting to “stock up” on stuff well in advance, I wouldn’t do to much of that, especially with a girl. It seems the new thing is to coordinate the room decor after finding out who your roommates will be. Some kids really go all out!</p>

3

<p>BHM I do not recall exactly how much we spent getting my older daughter ready for college two years ago, but I do recall a friend of mine coming home from shopping and telling me she spent $3500 and that was just on that one day! We bought all of the items on your list except the bike. We also got a printer for I think $100? Additionally, we bought a cord and lock so that my D could lock her safe to her desk so that nobody could walk off with it ( she was able to attach it to the legs of her desk and hide it under her bed). We also bought a TV, rain boots, snow boots, a warm raincoat, winter coat, gloves, and a fall jacket with three zip out layers. We also bought her clothing. I want to guess that the clothing ( including boots etc) costs alone came to at least about $800. The coats and boots were close-outs from the previous year so that helped save a little money. We purchased all of her toiletry items at home ( Costco) and stocked up on them throughout the year. Every time she came home or we visited her she took items with her and always had backups. The bedding, mattress cover, bed bug thing that was recommended, sheets, small alarm clock, shower gear, etc were bought at BBB with the 20% off coupon. We also got her a small keurig ( sp?) and buy the k-cups here and she takes them with her. </p>

<p>Her roommate bought the area rug and we bought the floor lamp. Her roommate also had a refrigerator for them to share, which bothered me ( my D and her roommate still live together and are good friends) because I thought it was too small and it did not have a microwave, but my D was fine with it so I kept my mouth shut. They were only allowed a microwave if it was attached to the refrigerator. H and I wanted to rent the schools micro- fridge for $200 for the year but we lost that battle. </p>

<p>This year she is moving off campus which means window treatments, pots, dishes, and new bedding. We are in the midst of shopping now. The five girls just agreed to spend $65 each ( per semester) to allow the landlord to get them special garbage bags that don’t rip when exposed to animals and bad weather, otherwise if they got their own garbage bags they would have been responsible for cleaning up each time the bags were ripped ( which supposedly has happened and it’s not pleasant). I guess they don’t use garbage cans where she goes to school? </p>

4

<p>My first was also a boy and so we spent very little. We used sheets and pillows that we had around the house. I had several plastic drawer sets that I just emptied out and gave to him. We happened to have a dorm size fridge we had “inherited” when H had moved offices and the new one had a full size fridge. So we just stopped at Target and got some supplies: laundry detergent, toiletries, etc. I gave him some money to buy some clothes at Kohl’s along with the coupon and Kohl’s cash that I had which he used for “wardrobe enhancement”. I think he spent about $300.</p>

<p>H also happened to be upgrading his laptop at work so we had his old laptop cleaned and gave that to S for school. He had to wait until the end of October for it but he said he didn’t have any trouble finding school computers to use until then. </p>

<p>The biggest expense revolved around his bike. His freshman dorm was on the outskits of campus so he wanted to bring his bike to school. I purchased a new seat since the old one was more for trail riding. Also an expensive bike lock, an attachment for his phone, a rack that he could use to carry his book bag, a couple of flashing lights for the front and back for riding after dark and cover he could use to keep it dry. All in all, I spent about $200-$250 of bike accesories. He did use the bike every day though.</p>

5

<p>Too much, each and every time. </p>

<p>My kids went to a private K-12 with uniforms, so they needed a good number of clothes. I wanted them to have 2-3 weeks of warm and cold weather clothes & towels so they wouldnt have to do laundry that much.</p>

<p>When S2 moved into an unfurnished apt, then we had to buy all kinds of things…bed, sofa, table/chairs, etc.</p>

6

<p>Not much at all, especially for S1. This year he moves into an unfurnished house with a couple of roommates so we have purchased a mattress. He seems to think they’ll share the cost of rounding up some used furniture. I’m in observation mode.</p>

7

<p>Kid 1, thousands. Kid 4, maybe $100, maybe even less. He shopped the house Kid 5, maybe nothing.</p>

8

<p>no matter how frugal we are, we find ways to go OVER the set limit sometimes & other times we were able to also SAVE / able to get things free or at no cost from friends & relatives.</p>

<p>Savings: GREAT mattress topper ( memory foam+gel top) for $79 at Sams club.
IKEA has foldable storage cube (5.99), desk lamp ( 8.99) & many light weight items.
Get a good snow boots or rain boots.
Hold off on sheets set ( 9.99 - 12.00 from TJ Maxx & Marshalls) or blankets( from 29.99up) until she can choose her own.
Friend will give my D a microwave & relatives gave her new jackets etc.
We also buy clothing from local thrift stores so this helps a bit.</p>

<p>Older D live in apartment so we bought foldable tables & a few other small pieces of furniture but that’s a whole other story.</p>

9

<p>My D just graduated HS and will be going off to college in the Fall. She attended Catholic school K-12. Being a competitive gymnast who trains 20+ hrs a week year round, I can honestly say she lived in either a school uniform or a leotard. She knew her college back in July of last year. I did a lot of shopping on Black Friday, including towels, memory foam cover for bed, bath mats (in beige, a color that goes with everything). Kohls has great prices on these things on Black Friday. I also bought a comforter and duvet cover from Overstock.com. These were all Christmas gifts from us, in addition to clothes & shoes because kids who have been at Catholic school really have limited shoes too. Grandparents gave her printer & the other gave her a Kuerig. So after Christmas, she had a lot of dorm stuff already. After HS graduation, we have started filling out the rest of thestuff she has needed. I have probably spent about $500-$600. I have made her pay for her refrigerator & safe rental for the year (that was her contribution from her graduation money). I can honestly say that I am done all the big stuff for her room. All that is left to buy is the food/snacks to munch on & cleaning supplies (which should be split with her suite mates). </p>

<p>In regards to clothes and stuff, the one thing we did that really made a big difference was that we went to the college one day and we were walking around and I told her to look how the kids were dressed to get ideas if there was anything that she likes. One thing that we both noticed is that every girl seems to own a nice pair of leather boots, like riding boots. The other girls on the college gym team say they wear sweats all week long, so they do like to dress up on the weekends. I’m sure once the school year starts I will be getting ideas for her birthday (Sept) and Christmas, as far as clothing is concerned. Until the weather breaks, I’m expecting her to wear Nike Pro shorts, she only has like 30 of them! ha ha</p>

10

<p>I would say a minimum of $2,000 for all the needs. I spent about $500 for dorm stuff. Another $500 over the year for snacks, toiletry and supplies. Rain boots, snow boots, shoes, and clothing can add up if you don’t have much. She can buy clothing as the seasons draw closer to spend out the costs. </p>

11

<p>Prob $200 by the time I add up all the little purchases? (XL sheets, allergy covers, mattress pads, drying rack, can opener, bedside organizer, stick vac, desk lamp …). We already owned the mini fridge, microwave, blankets, towels, etc. now, if you want to add up all the laundry products and toiletries that we needed to buy for her to take along with instead of just using and replacing as they run out at home, the price probably scoots up quite a bit higher. </p>

12

<p>Thrift stores have some good furniture, and clothing. Consignment stores as well, as do church fairs. Yesterday we got some nice stuff on the street for an apartment :)</p>

<p>Save money on books by buying early, used, or ordering online, used, if the syllabus is available.</p>

13

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<p>This is a great idea.</p>

14

<p>Maybe $300 if that on dorm stuff. </p>

<p>Maybe $50 on toiletries. </p>

<p>$100 something on duck boots. </p>

<p>He went to a uniform high school but still had enough regular clothes. If he bought anything new he paid for it himself. </p>

<p>Frig we got from nephew who had graduated. </p>

15

<p>Oldest lived in college owned housing for all four years, so we did not have to buy furniture, although senior year was spent in a townhouse, so we bought a few more kitchen items.</p>

<p>Youngest lived on campus for only one year & there was some attrition in clothing and other things each time she moved, so that was more expensive, as was our initial outlay of desk, desk chair, bed & dresser.</p>

<p>Even attending schools k-12 with uniforms, kids probably have enough regular clothes to wear until they discover what sort of things are needed/ wanted, and if she will need clothes for harsh winters, you still will have a month or two to buy them. ( and have time to find out what the campus look is)</p>

<p>My oldest also found a friend her size, so they traded clothes.</p>

16

<p>We’re looking at about 800 dollars total (400 dorm, 300 in clothing/shoes, 100 toiletries/school supplies.) D is moving from an area with no “weather” to an area with actual seasons. It’s across the country and we can’t drive out this year. Everything outside clothing and bedding will need to be purchased there (and then stored from year to year.) We’ve priced it all out and it’s ready to order for pick-up in a couple weeks. If she were in our time-zone, we could have saved money by taking some of the stuff from her room.</p>

<p>We’ve been scouring for savings. Using coupons. Bed Bath and Beyond almost always has a coupon. Checking out local thrift stores for finds (like the fantastic pea coat we got for 15 bucks… dry cleaning, a fabric shaver… looks brand new!) D only owned 2 pairs of pants. All her shoes were canvas or flip flops. Thank goodness for sales and JC Penny rewards program. Ross and Amazon have been a good source for shoes (if you have prime or your child has a student membership with free shipping.) </p>

<p>My “real life” friends have all warned me not to over-buy on dorm stuff. Stick to the essentials and then let them hop on a bus and buy items should the need arise. We are (trying) to take heed… mini-fridge, lamp, some under-bed and closet organizers, hangers, hooks, clothing steamer, bedding. If she really feels life can’t go on without a blender or a bedside organizer, she will have a campus job and a bus pass!</p>

17

<p>It wasn’t as much as I thought it would be! </p>

<p>When S moved into the dorm the only expenses were for sheets/pillow case (2 twin xl sets), good quality mattress pad, mattress cover, pillow, printer, laundry soap, personal toiletries, school supplies (we filled a box with scissors, folders, paper, printer cartridges, pen/pencils, post its), laptop bag, container of meds (advil, allergy pills, pepto bismo, ice packs that goes in the freezer). He brought his new computer (which he received for hs graduation). He paid for a lock box and better locking chain for his bike. </p>

<p>He took miscellaneous spare items from home – towels, containers, dishes, fan, flashlight, surge protector, etc. </p>

<p>New costs when he moved off campus (into a shared studio with access to the main house) – mattress/boxspring (same size as dorm bed, so no new sheets needed), new mattress/boxspring cover, pots/pans/cooking utensils (some new, some from our home), flatware, knives, car bike rack. </p>

<p>Two friends who were moving from one off campus apartment to another gave him a mattress frame, two sofas, and a desk. Other roommates furnished the house with their (passed down for the most part) stuff. </p>

18

<p>I have also only sent a boy to college and true to the pattern I am seeing here, we spent like $5 :wink: </p>

<p>OK, actually more like $100. Mattress topper (just an egg crate, around $10), lamp from target with 5 little heads/shades - around $20. A box fan for the not-AC dorm window from Target, around $25. He took his sister’s Twin XL sheets that we’d bought for a college summer program so those were free but they were around $12 from Target when I bought them for her. A surge protector/power strip for around $15. He needed a new backpack and that was on super-sale at Sierra Trading Post for around $20. Toiletries, maybe $30 for shampoo, soap, deodorant, allergy meds and advil and laundry detergent (the pods). </p>

<p>He took his own pillows, blankets, rug, clothing, trash can from home and didn’t want more or anything new. He grabbed a tapestry we had been using when camping to decorate his wall. He also grabbed a rope light, LED,the kind that doesn’t get hot.</p>

<p>I got really into the idea of decorating a dorm , even to the point of Pinterest-ing: <a href=“http://www.pinterest.com/ohlizzy/cool-dorm-decorating-ideas/”>http://www.pinterest.com/ohlizzy/cool-dorm-decorating-ideas/&lt;/a&gt; but S would have none of it. </p>

<p>Final thought: Neurotic Parent has a funny blog post on this: <a href=“College Essentials You Won't Find at Bed, Bath and Beyond - The Neurotic Parent”>http://theneuroticparent.com/2014/06/college-essentials-wont-find-bed-bath-beyond.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

19

<p>D will leave for her first year in a few weeks. So far we have spent approx. $600. Bedding set, towels, sheets, blanket, matress topper, some clothes, toiletries…</p>

20

<p>Two items you are not included which we bought my daughter before going off to college were a new phone and a new laptop - these were the most expensive items. </p>

<p>I tried to be smart (she was not a uniform kid so clothes were not an issue) and got her a new winter coat and boots for Christmas her senior year (all her schools were in the northeast cold climate). We did stock up on the essentials before she left - underwear, socks, nightgowns, robe, etc.</p>

<p>We did shop mostly B,B&B and Target and got stuff on sale and with coupons. I would say it was close to $500 or so on the dorm needs (rented the microfridge) - linens, bedding, decorations, lamp, garbage can, storage boxes, school supplies (paper, etc.), messenger bag to carry laptop in, etc.</p>

<p>She did get some stuff as gifts - tool kit, dorm emergency kit, some decorations,etc. I would recommend telling anybody looking to get graduation gifts to get BB&B gift cards.</p>