Parents, I need frugal advice...

Parents Forum
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<p>As I am on a very tight budget, I am going to need some help with getting cheap dorm bedding (I’m spending my birthday money on dorm stuff). Here are my questions:</p>

<ol>
<li>As the school I will attend have Twin XL beds (39”*80”), it is a real pain in the butt to find good quality, cheap sheet sets that match the queen comforter set (this should work fine, according to my calculations) I bought for $30 (black with olive/gold embroidery). My parents bought me a new twin XL sheet set for $15, but the color does not match (bleach white) and the thread count is well below 300 TC. The colors I want (olive green/light green/yellow/gold) are not available anywhere in stores (except Macy’s, which overcharges everything. I can probably get one for $35 or less, but the cost is still not in my price range). The ones I found online are way too expensive. Here are my options:</li>
</ol>

<p>a. I have a twin sheet set at home that matches that’s rarely been used. I stretched the fitted, but the fitted sheet will only go up to 77” (the cloth is not very elastic). I was wondering, though, if the flat sheet (75*96), would work. If I can use the white fitted sheet and cover it with the twin flat sheet I have, then I would not have to worry about spending more money.</p>

<p>b. I have a queen flat sheet at home that also matches. As the queen flat sheet is the same length as the twin XL flat sheet, I could cut the sheet down to 66”*102”. I can use the leftover fabric and buy a few bags of cotton to make myself a decorative pillow. This is not a good option for me because of time and labor consumption, and the waste of a good queen sheet set.</p>

<p>c. I wait two weeks after Labor Day for clearance (I will probably do this anyways). This might be the easiest way, but the wait might be too long.
What do you think is the best option?</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I’ve heard that the mattresses are hard and uncomfortable. Everyone suggests a mattress pad, but I have little money to buy one. The cheap ones don’t do anything, and the good ones are too expensive. I came up with the idea that if I double up a full comforter (76”*90”), then I can use that as a mattress topper with little problem. No one will see the comforter, anyways, as it will be covered by the fitted sheet. I can probably get a good, comfy king comforter for $10, cheaper than any decent mattress pad out there. Is that a good idea, in your mind, or is it too weird?</p></li>
<li><p>I’m an Asian nerd, so I have trouble decorating my room without looking star-trekky, boring, or girly. I prefer an elegant, Asian look that feels mature and homey (colors should be gold, brown, olive green. Especially with my budget, I have trouble coming up with ideas to decorate my dorm room. Lamps and curtains are too expensive. I can draw pictures and hang them on the wall, but that’s about it. Anyone with good suggestions?</p></li>
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<p>Don’t worry about this so much.
Top sheet does not have to match bottom sheet color or size.
If your comforter is queen size, a queen size top sheet is fine.</p>

<p>Check jcpenney.com for good deals on xl twin sheets.
Check the sale section at Pier One for accent pieces to decorate your room. Remember there will not be much space available.<br>
Check the gift shop at your local art museum for a cool large print and use it as a poster.</p>

<p>Your roommate’s side of the room might be Nascar or My Little Pony. Be prepared. :)</p>

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<p>We have used regular twin sized on the twin XL mattresses and they fit fine. YMMV.</p>

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<p>Try Bed Bath and Beyond. They are running lots of specials right now, and you can almost always find 20% off coupons and/or $5 off a $15 purchase coupons. Daughter and I are headed there tomorrow; they had 11 piece XL Twin sets on sale for $59, although I haven’t yet seen them in person.</p>

<p>Also take a look in Target. They had XL Twin cotton jersey sheet sets (feels just like a T-shirt) for only $20 in limited colors. </p>

<p>Honestly, I would not be so concerned about the sheets matching the comforter.</p>

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<p>And I don’t know if this is the place to mention it, but don’t leave out your neighborhood Family Dollar, or Dollar General Stores, (or comparable inexpensive store). They are not expensive, and in fact they are very reasonably priced. I am not sure if you are seeking quality over cost.</p>

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<p>Don’t know what stores are available in your area, but we’ve gotten high thread count/cheap prices at Tuesday Morning.</p>

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<p>I love those Target “T-shirt” sheets!<br>
At our Target, they came in 5 fun colors during the last back-to-school season.</p>

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<p>Mattress pad: Fabric store. Foam sold by the yard, off a great big roll. Buy tight, thick foam, 3" or more. Works great. Much better than a comforter, which would bunch and lump and not provide much support.</p>

<p>Decor: Not as much to say here, but a suggestion or two. IMHO dorm rooms are mostly for sleeping. Don’t worry about match-matchy sheets. Go Spartan with absolute necessities now. Furnish over time with what appeals to you. The less stuff you pack in there, the more space you have. Consider DIY glass or painted/brushed steel floor shelving from the hardware store; not very expensive for what you get, nice clean lines, and will go with just about anything. If you must decorate with accents, consider going natural: Frame some interesting dried leaves from home, place shells or interesting rocks on the desk, put some dried willows in a basket or jar. Almost free. :)</p>

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<p>Look at T.J. Maxx, Ross, Marshall’s, or Tuesday Morning. Also, possibly, Sym’s. We saw quite a few different colors at T.J. Maxx.</p>

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<p>Regular twin sheets did not fit on D1’s TXL mattress…not even close. Saw lots of TXL sheet set at samr places that Hunt suggested.</p>

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<p>I agree with the TJ Maxx suggestion for sheets. I got a nice set of Twin XL for less than 2o bucks. The most frugal way to go is to use the white set you have, white goes with everything. I do think that you will be smart to spend a little money on some accoutrements for the bed though. We got a cheap memory foam topper for $19.99 at Target, over that put a mattress pad - $9.99 at TJ Maxx or less at IKEA. My kids then covered this with the twin xl sheets and found the bed very comforable. We did not find the regular twin sheets big enough to go on the xl mattress, especially with the padding.</p>

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<p>Garage sales and Goodwill are good sources of sheets. You otta be able to find a set for $5-$10. Don’t get picky. You only will be sleeping in between the sheets, and doing so with the lights out and eyes closed. </p>

<p>The difference between new sheets and old sheets is one wash.</p>

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<p>You might also check out Overstock.com-they have twin XL sheets, Dorm packets that include sheets, comforter, mattress pads, towels, and pillow.</p>

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<p>The $59 BBB set includes nice extras like the hamper. Return the Queen siz comforter to put money toward this. Also, the beds are not wide, just long. A regular Twin size comforter is all you need. If you get the BBB set, everything matches. May even come with towels, I believe.</p>

<p>Also, for newbees at BBB… Save all your coupons, even expired ones. You can use them all. Just hand over the entire bunch and computer applies them to save you the most money. I did this for S#1 and have been sabing coupons since and now have 2 years worth for S#2.</p>

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<p>Get the stretch jersey sheets- they stretch to fit. Try Target or Bed, Bath, & Beyond.</p>

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<p>Your white sheets can be dyed in the washing machine any color you like for the (minor) cost of a few containers of Rit dye. Their website has "recipes’ for most any color you can imagine, including olive. Have fun!</p>

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<p>If you really want to be frugal…use the white sheets. You queen comforter is going to more than cover them anyway.</p>

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<p>How is a Queen comforter going to fit a single dorm bed? Won’t it be way too wide?
What will you do with all that extra bulk? Suppose you and your roommate decide to bunk the beds?</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry about everything matching. Comfort is most important.</p>

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<p>What about the blanket size? Are XL twin blankets made?</p>

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<p>If you go to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond, or most any other retailer that sells sheets and blankets…you will find a plentiful supply of xlong twin sheets, comforters, mattress pads, egg crate foam mattress toppers and the like. </p>

<p>I will say…my kids took jersey knit sheets that were REGULAR twin size and they fit the xlong twin mattresses just fine. They also took their regular twin comforters right off the beds in their bedrooms here at home and took them to college. They worked just fine too. The only thing we bought xlong twin was mattress pads.</p>