Quick! How much did it cost to outfit your student's dorm?

Parents Forum
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<p>Can also depend on the school. Son needed tux (all the accessories), suits, cold weather gear (didn’t have going from sunny south to northern school), sports gear for practices and running (so running gear for cold weather). </p>

<p>Formal wear was for school functions (4-5 per ac year), suits for interviews for internships, dinners with scholarship donors, sports banquets, attire for shows/performances…again this was all dictated by the specific school he attended.</p>

<p>Daughter needed different things as that she went 3000 miles away in a different climate as well. And her sports required much more travel, (winter practice in Rio), nationals on the other side of the country (different luggage from son who traveled on Amtrak +SEPTA+subway+airplanes, her just planes and cars).</p>

<p>Son needed TWO fridges (social director), daughter had a meal plan all in points to use at all different restaurants, he LIVED in his cafeteria (literally, eating club!).</p>

<p>She had 2 twin beds in her room, a single with NO roomate, so needed 2 comforters, 4 sets of sheets…blah, blah,…she hosted recruits for her sports team. So team picked up some of her room charges, and she fed them so had extra meals for her and all recruits. Didn’t really need a fridge but double other things!</p>

<p>Son had a full-size bed so the twin bedding was useless. Would have liked to know that ahead of time. Also previous student left his sleeper sofa so that needed sheets.</p>

<p>Daughter brought drapes from home and hung those up which she had all 4 years. At the end other students lined up to buy her stuff from her!! Only shipped 2 boxes home and brought her luggage.</p>

<p>We shopped Ross Dress for Less for nice Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Tommy, Croscill linens along with TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods, and Big Lots (Pier 1 furniture, cheap, cheap!).</p>

<p>Kiddos claim they aren’t fussy but they all know when the thread count is low! Re-used comforter bags to store blankets, extra sheets and towels in and another bag for shoes, hats, gloves and left under the bed. Clear so you can see, has a handle and keeps dust and water off and folds up when you need to pack.</p>

<p>A box (non-see thru) to hold medicine. Day and night cold tablets, cough drops, pain relief, band aids, triple antibiotic, small first aid kit, cough medicine…things they need and not want to run out and get when they are already sick. (Esp. true for my sons). Both son and daughter needed an iron/board for functions requiring pressed clothes.</p>

<p>Both bought extra bookcase to put all their books, papers, printer on so as to not clutter their desks up. Also put extra lamp on bookcase near their beds for reading and laptop work. Also both wanted table top fan, both used all 4 years. They don’t like their rooms stuffy. Collapsing hamper, one with handles to carry clothes to and from or up and down from laundry room. Hamper ran about $5.99, fans on clearance for $15, sheets twin $6.99-$12.99, down comforters $29.99, duvets $9.99-15.00, pillows 2 for $12, towels $5-7 per towel nice Eqyptian cotton, flip flops for shower, winter coat son’s was $49 on clearance from Dillard’s, daughters from REI was less than $20 (great, great clearance)…so both budgets were flexible.</p>

<p>But with clearance sales we stayed under $300 for all supplies and budgeted for clothes year by year. So coats first year, but they still have them 4 and 5 years later. True with their boots (seen a lot of use), towels, linens…</p>

<p>Son wore through running shoes every 4-6 months, so that was a more recurring expense. Also having dress clothes dry cleaned that was an extra expense.</p>

<p>So I think you can have a guideline budget but keep in mind specific schools will require some additional things not on a generic list.</p>

<p>Have FUN!!! and enjoy! time will fly, duaghter is off to dental school and son will be to medical school in all new cities!</p>

<p>Kat</p>

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<p>Just want to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you posters. Appreciate your different viewpoints, kids’ preferences, shopping lists, and sale-shopping-tips! I have saved them all.</p>

<p>I hadn’t thought about it, but this coming year (hs sr) is the perfect time to shop the sales, take our time, and not be in shopping/budget overload next summer.</p>

<p>On a somewhat personal note…I offer this tip to your kids, which was passed along from my mother to me, and from me to my D.</p>

<p>Always keep one pair of clean u/w and socks in a very separate place from your normal clean laundry (i.e., bottom desk drawer with printer-paper). This is your emergency stash for that time when you are sick and can’t summon the strength to do even one load of laundry…or your were SURE you had more more clean set in the drawer, but…no. It is your rescue supply. Use it wisely. :)</p>

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<p>applicannot, you’re a unique situation compared to most of our kids. They’re taking an existing wardrobe, and in some cases hand-me-down furniture/towels/bedding, etc. You are starting from scratch. In most cases, I don’t think people were counting the cost of their kid’s wardrobe in their “equipping their dorm” expenses - we were just counting the cost of bedding, desk supplies, housekeeping supplies, and entertainment items.</p>

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<p>We (read I) definitely spent too much, so I won’t try to guess. However, my daughter is intrigued by Asia, so I bought a $10 plaque for her to hang in her room. It had a Chinese character and then the word serenity (I think). In her studies, she also learned that the character on the plaque also means CHEAP. It’s good that she is learning.</p>

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<p>Ah, okay. In that case I spent probably $500 (not including clothes or electronics). Then I spent probably $1000 on clothes and associated items, and $500 on big ticket items (fridge, bike, replacement mp3 player).</p>

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<p>I’ve almost spent more than my parents can handle at this point. And I feel really bad. But I needed so much stuff. And they agreed with that. I had very little for college.</p>

<p>They just me bought a Mac because I kill any PC I get within 3 years. I needed something powerful (i.e. good with graphics programs) that would last me all 4 years. (So, $1000)</p>

<p>I spent $600 on clothes because my entire wardrobe was old. REALLY old. Most of my clothes were from middle school. I had one pair of jeans that weren’t ripped and worn in important places. Almost all my shirts had seams coming apart, were faded out, and ratty.</p>

<p>Did good on comforter and sheets. $30 reversible comforter and two sets of $20 jersey knit sheets.</p>

<p>7 Towels, a large pack of cheap washcloths for really cheap at JC Penny. (~$35)</p>

<p>A $12 firm pillow. A on-sale mattress pad ($13). A $7 expandable clothes hamper from Wally-World. </p>

<p>$88 bicycle, $8 tire pump, $10 bike lock.</p>

<p>$200 Fridge from Lowes. </p>

<p>So…</p>

<p>About $2,043 so far.</p>

<p>Still have to get: Graphing Calculator ($100), Shower Caddy ($10), and Basic School Supplies (notebooks, binders, folders, messenger bag) (~$40-50?)</p>

<p>~$2,203 total.</p>

<p>I’m almost done. So close at this point. I pretty much started out with nothing though. A lot of people already have plenty of things. Clothes that aren’t seven years old. Viable computers. Graphing Calcs (my HS school lent ours to us when they were required), etc.</p>

<p>I’m sure most people won’t spend nearly that much.</p>

<p>Good thing is though we won’t need much for next year, just more school supplies pretty much. =)</p>

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<p>Rixs, I know exactly how you feel. I think we are on the same page. However, because I work full time and paid for my own expenses, I’ve spent a lot more. I figured that since I wanted things to last, I’d spend a little more. So I shopped at Penney’s instead of Walmart and didn’t mind spluring for just the right comforter or backpack. I have bought only the necessities for so long, I spent some time and money on things I wanted instead of just the bare minimum.</p>

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<p>I don’t really count a laptop and its accessories as part of “dorm outfitting”.</p>

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<p>^^Where I live, there aren’t many jobs available, so working full-time wasn’t really an option, though I would’ve loved to have the extra money…</p>

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<p>Oh, I wasn’t criticising you, just explaining. I’ve had it happen more than once on these boards that I’ve stated I am low-income on the one hand and then mentioned that I bought a $50 comforter or a $200 bike on the other. Well, that’s why I work two jobs :)</p>

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<p>Way too much, in my opinion, unless you plan to live with piles of dirty laundry. My daughter took two sets of towels but never uses the second set. Never needed a second set of sheets. Once a week, she throws towels and bedding into the wash, and they’re dry and ready to take back to the room in a couple of hours. The alternative is to make room for your dirty sheets and towels somewhere…and they smell, frankly. Ugh.</p>

<p>I think most people take too much. Take the things you really think you need; other stuff can be shipped, if necessary. Remember that everything you take must be packed up and stored somewhere at the end of the year, so it pays to minimize.</p>

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<p>I’ve been keeping the receipts in an envelope so I can add it all up after D moves in. I don’t think we’ve spent that much though; I had bought some twin xl sheets last year at Target at clearance time ($4.98) along with some accessories (5 pc dish/utencil set for $2.98, purple garbage can for less than $2) and D won a full bedding set at her project graduation. Her scholarship includes a laptop; her crazy uncle sent her a TV out of the blue. I think we’re in the $250 range and still have to pick up her printer.</p>

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<p>I got really lucky with clothes. My mom gave my daughter a big check, in addition to a graduation check, to buy clothes because my daughter is going to a college in Alabama and my mom, a traditional southern woman, felt that she needs to have the right clothes to fit into a southern school. (My mom knows that clothes are not first in my life and didn’t trust me to outfit my daughter right.) :)</p>

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<p>I think if we’re strictly talking outfitting the dorm ROOM - bedding, housekeeping stuff, desk supplies, lamps… about $500 does it for most people. Add to that the cost of a fridge, which in many cases is a rental microwave-freezer-fridge unit. </p>

<p>The rest of it I wouldn’t call dorm supplies. I’d call it wardrobe, and academic supplies (graphing calculator, laptop, etc).</p>

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<p>Uh…I’m only planning on washing my stuff once a week too. How would I not need 6/7 towels? </p>

<p>BTW, what do you mean by “two sets of towels?”</p>

<p>And make room? Why I would need to make extra room for my dirty laundry? A week’s worth of stuff should fit perfectly in my hamper.</p>

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<p>I assume your hamper will be one of those collapsible oil drum size ones. Otherwise just the 6-7 wet towels should pretty much fill it up. :)</p>

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<p>How much do rugs tend to run?</p>

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<p>20-40 dollars depending on cost and quality.</p>

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<p>A “set” of towels is a bath towel, hand towel and washcloth.</p>

<p>And it may come as a surprise, Rix, but you don’t need a new towel every day. You’re clean when you use the towel to dry off. Hang it up on a hook, and it will dry out and can be used for at least 3 - 4 days. I doubt there are many college students using a new/clean towel every day. With the cost of doing laundry, you can’t afford to wash that many towels that often. (Parent of a college senior, and former college student myself!)</p>

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<p>Rix I’m chuckling at/with you regarding the towels. My soon to be freshman is one of those people that “must” have a clean towel each day…I’m laughing because I’m sending 2 towels. I told him to “get over the clean towel a day habit real fast.”</p>