<p>
</p>
<p>CheckersMidwest, that was me that posted that. If I remember correctly, it was only $29.99, minus the 20% off coupon. Takes up very little wall room and is very functional. Even has a small metal wired drawer in the middle of it. D rolled up each of her 6 washcloths and stored them in there (which she never uses.)</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure the hooks on the sides came on it. I tried to find it on the BBB site, and can’t find it.</p>
<p>Thank you ! I’ll look tomorrow.</p>
<p>My sister has only bought me a few amount of things (including comforter and sheets) which cost about $100. I still have to buy (or rather, my parents :D) a mini fridge, a laptop, some clothes, and many other ‘little’ things I need. This needs to get done in 9 days. :/</p>
<p>Final tally - about $250 for sheets, comforter, pillows, mattress pad, etc. at BB & B and then about $125 at Target for toiletries, food, desk lamp, hamper and coffee maker.</p>
<p>I’m a little scared to add it all up… only the credit card bill will tell, but I’m pretty sure it’s on the latter half of a grand, not including laptop ($600). Minifridge was $120, bedding (comforter, quilt, duvet, mattress topper, mattress pad, sheets) $200. Then a lot of miscellaneous things in the $20-$30 range, which add up.</p>
<p>I bought a small non-attaching fire safe, ~5 lbs., which I plan to store in my luggage in my closet. Mini-fridge keeps my water cold; ice water is my drink of choice, which saves money and calories but it has to be COLD.</p>
<p>Probably could have saved a lot on bedding if I hadn’t fallen in love with a $50 Anthropologie duvet (75% off) and then ended up buying two different “stuffings” for it. At first I suggested bringing my old–as in older-than-me–twin-size comforter, but it’s so faded that my parents vetoed the idea. And then I have a double-size pillowtop bed at home, so the mattress topper was a must.</p>
<p>I am female and semi-fussy (duvet and sheets are 300tc+). We’re getting significant FA, are habitually frugal but can afford much better quality than 10 years ago and so we do.</p>
<p>Yeah, K, ice water is my drink of choice, but I require ice cubes and frozen breakfast. that means I’m spending more on a minifrige with a freezer section… but Target has them for $160. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m the same way - I’d rather buy nicer quality things once than cheap things two, three, or four times. I’ve done that for two many things! Though better quality isn’t always (significantly) more expensive.</p>
<p>applicannot, excellent reasoning. I bought nice quality bedding and towels for my son 4 years ago when he started boarding school. It is all going to college now. Same with the desk lamp, floor lamp, fridge etc…I have spent next to nothing this time around.</p>
<p>^^I’m only allowed to have a minifridge wee-tall, so no real freezer section for me. Grr.</p>
<p>i didn"t read all the posts here, but including some extra computing gear, clothes, and all the stuff I consider to be optional, but DW felt to be essential, I’m pretty sure we spent well over $2k. </p>
<p>Much of this stuff was really an investment in things that we think will last for awhile, some of it was just “nice-to-have” kinds of things, and honestly, I think some of it was just peace of mind purchases for the wife.</p>
<p>Actually we spent very little. We bought S an all-in-one printer/fax/scanner, which he shared with roomie. The dorm came with a fridge/micro. We bought him two sets of $10 flannel sheets that were on clearance on-line, one or two sets of towels & a comforter at Tuesday Morning, a desk kit (that I assembled with about $10-15 of essentials). A friend gave him some hangers & shelf paper. He packed school supplies so he didn’t have to purchase any. Oh yea, a shower caddy for going down the hall to the group shower. Also bought a lamp & fan and landline phone (that got tossed by S). Did buy one place setting of dishes and flatware and a $10 ricepot, so he could cook snacks, about $50 worth of food, snacks, paper goods & “stuff.” When he moved into an apartment & needed a bed, he went with his room mate to IKEA & bought a bed & mattress, which was inexpensive, but since he paid we never saw the receipt. For the apartment, he also bought inexpensive blackout curtains on-line. As a freshman, his room mate’s parents bought them a TV. They shared S’s printer & room mates TV. After that, I couldn’t keep track of what S had, moved, bought & sold. Craigslist became a favorite of his, as well as ebay.</p>
<p>When D moved up, she was even less expensive since S gave her most of his slightly used stuff. She got a new entire set of dishes for 4 people & set of flatware (was REALLY CHEAP–like $10 for the dishes & similar for the flatware). May have also bought her one pot. Also got some snacks, food, school supplies, but didn’t bother with the landline, since the kids never plug it in or answer it anyway. S is refurnishing her place this year & getting her a new lamp & new bedding. 
In total, I think we spent far under $250/kid.</p>
<p>The two big purchases this year were:</p>
<p>1) the fridge with the separate freezer (just made the maximum size and wattage allowed by the school) - used Wal-Mart site-to store so it will be waiting in the Wal-Mart at D’s school, didn’t even have to pay shipping!</p>
<p>2) D insisted on a memory foam mattress topper like the one her roomie had last year (when I did a ‘test drive’ I was in heaven! Then I saw the price tag - YIKES!) Wouldn’t you know Bed Bath & Beyond had them on clearance this week, PLUS they let me use a 20% off coupon on top of that, still D has to pass this thing on to her sister after she graduates, it had better last!</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and the tie-dye tapestry I found at a craft sale…that’s about it. Now BOOKS for this semester are another story…</p>