<p>So I saw the dorm/ bedding thread an reminded me of this </p>
<p>So my mother is pregnant & is due January 31,2013. I will be entering college August/September of 2013 is it a bad idea to start buying some dorm items now for financial reasons? ( i will be a senior in sept) On top of the baby there's prom and pictures and yearbook and all this other stuff. Sorry If this is a dumb question, but if it isn't could pY guys maybe give me some ideas of things I could buy in bulk or ahead of time and keep for storage?? </p>
<p>Personally I would wait, simply because you don’t know anything about where you’ll be going, how much room you’ll have, etc. etc. They’ll have the same sales a year from now as they will now :)</p>
<p>Ok, then can any of you give a rough estimate of costs, before this announcement I wasn’t concerned with buying anything until that time. But babies are a lot so I wasn’t sure- then Again I’m sure that I’m severely overestimating cost.</p>
<p>I don’t think I spent more than $200-$250…I could be undershooting it since it was 4 years ago, but that’s what I seem to remember. Make sure you work with your roommates to decide who’s going to bring what, and buy things on sale/with coupons, and you’ll be fine. :)</p>
<p>You don’t have to spend a lot. You can always find sales. Don’t overbuy because there isn’t a lot of floor space in a dorm room.</p>
<p>When the time comes, you can find a set of Twin XL sheets for about $20.00. A pop-up hamper with handles costs under $10. You can find a Twin XL comforter at Target or TJMaxx for about $25.00. A cheap plastic garbage can be found for $5.99 or so. You can find nice towels at TJMaxx or Home Goods for cheap—around $7.99 each. Don’t buy the big bath sheet towel size because they take up too much room and they take forever to dry. Then buy a mattress pad, a couple of posters, pack some pillows and you’re pretty much set.</p>
<p>Also wait to buy your laptop until the summer before you start college.</p>
<p>You’re a very sensitive person to be concerned about your family’s expenses now that a baby is on the way and you’re getting ready for college. Have you talked to your mom about this? Perhaps you are on target with your concerns, but maybe not. It’s possible that she would not want you to worry about $ since you have many other things on your mind at the moment. Believe me, as a mom, I would rather my child had that conversation with me and we were open and honest about it than that she held it in and worried about it. It would not be awkward in our case at all. It could be that things are in the process of being handled. When a baby is coming, the family is often thinking far ahead!</p>
<p>OP - have you spoken w your parents on how much they can contribute to college? A set of $20 sheets pales in comparison to a college tuition & housing bill. </p>
<p>Have you calculated your family EFC and compared it to your list of target colleges? Are your target schools need-blind or offer significant financial aid that is not comprised mostly of loans?</p>
<p>My EFC is A LOT. I did the pre financial aid thing (I don’t remember what it was called) and it said that my financial aid package would be like 6k so I’m looking for scholarships and merit based aid. The schools I’m looking at aren’t overly expensive with the exception of Sage and Pace and one other- But I have received a scholarship for Sage so it’s not too much of a worry. </p>
<p>Other schools I’m looking at were CUNY/SUNY and cheap privates. So I will more than likely be taking out loans.</p>
<p>@seahorsesrock, yeah I know… My sister is 8, in case you were wondering it wasn’t a planned baby. But it’s whatever I mean my mom is SUPER young.</p>
<p>No judgment or anything, just helps to know when the next sibling is going to college!</p>
<p>The other thing to think about is a roommate. There may be way to each by something to share, ie fridge, floor rug, whatever. Some even try and color coordinate so it’s not a battle of color.</p>
<p>If you want to spread out the cost, which makes sense, if you see something this fall in the college sales,like simple sheets, door stop, cute tool set, you coul stash away.</p>
<p>Also, for the holidays and birthdays, why not hint that gift cards to target, Bed bath and beyond, or the like would be great.</p>
<p>Instead of buying the actual sheets, etc., why not set aside the money separately, so that when the time comes, you’ll have it. Gift cards are also a good thing. (Also, bear in mind that while many schools have XL mattresses, some do not.)</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, you don’t have to go crazy. Plus, you have this summer and next summer to hopefully work and save some money for these expenses (depending on what else you have to lay out for current expenses and other college costs, as soon as applications in the fall).</p>
<p>You are right to plan, though. Senior year was very expensive with all of the other things that come up. By the time graduation is over, everyone is a bit shell shocked.</p>
<p>I agree with the idea above of saving your money to buy things next year. You might also search one of the threads on here that talks about all the things you don’t need.</p>
<p>I would suggest waiting. Also, while you may want all “new stuff”, the reality is that some of your college stuff is already in your house (our kids did ALL of their linen shopping in our linen closet…we did NOT send brand new linens to college!). You don’t know what size beds are in your dorms or how far away from home you will be. Just wait…it won’t be any more expensive or difficult in a year.</p>
<p>@ thumper, the reality is because of the purchases being made within this next year it WILL be more difficult, that’s why I was asking if there were things I could get out the way now, to spread out bulk spending</p>
<p>Jazzii - my suggestion is to go to bed bath and beyond’s website and look at their dorm necessities list. I wouldn’t worry abouts sheets and towels but those things like shower caddies that you really only need for dorm life, you can get now or wait until after the move in season and catch them on sale. I plan to start stocking up on sale items this year for my son who graduates next year. I’m keeping my eye out for clip on carpenter style lamps.</p>
<p>To be honest, the things that go on your bed are probably the only ones I would feel are nice to have new. I am sending my son with older towels from home. So you could keep your eye out for items, even at garage sales now that it is summer and store them away.</p>
<p>If you know the schools to which you’ll apply, check and see if they have a website with residence hall info that suggests what to bring and what not to bring. Then you can compare the lists and start looking for items that appear on every list. Usually this amounts to bedding and personal items. Much of this you can take from home without additional expense. </p>
<p>The most expensive item my kid needed was a new laptop. You may not need that if you have one with adequate power/features for your major. We also got him a new cell phone, but if he’d already had a decent one, we wouldn’t have bothered. </p>
<p>Our son had almost everything else already except XL twin bedsheets. If all your possible schools use twin XL sheets, then I would say it is safe to look for them on sale this September at places like Target or Bed Bath & Beyond because they will go down to $3-$10 (vs original prices of $15-$40). You don’t really need an XL comforter even if the bed is longer unless you are extra tall or you are fussy about the appearance of your dorm bed. </p>
<p>Everything else you need will become obvious as you firm up your college choice so I recommend saving as much money as possible to spend next summer (you may or may not need things like lamps/tvs/microwaves/refrigerators/plastic storage drawers/bookshelves/fans/cleaning items/bath caddies/etc because you really won’t know what is supplied and what your roommates will bring until later. </p>
<p>I don’t know if you are a girl or boy but prom expenses can be manageable if you are not too fussy. Shop the closets of friends/relatives or visit some consignment shops or thrift stores for dresses. Do your own hair and nails. Buy your corsages from the grocery store florist and watch for tux deals like getting your rental free with the referral of friends or check out consignment stores.</p>
<p>Jazzii, bedding is a drop in the bucket compared to college tuition, room/board, and fees. Now’s a good time to focus on college list and your scholarship ideas.</p>