Hey everyone!
I’m super excited to be going to college (all the way across the country!) next year, but I don’t want to be jumping the gun. I have some amazon money to spend and I was wondering when the best time to start buying minor college dorm things would be? I’m rooming in a quad, or at least I plan to, so between us 4 we’ll decide who brings the bigger stuff.
Is now too soon to start stocking up? What should I be planning on buying sooner rather than later?
Thanks!
It’s such an exciting time; I don’t blame you for wanting to get started. That said, there are some things you’ll want to put off until you get to know your roommates.
First question: will you be driving or flying to school? If you’re flying, you’ll want to put off most of your shopping until you get there-- or order them through Bed Bath and Beyond and pick them up close to school.
But there are some things you’ll need. Command hooks spring to mind-- lots of them in assorted sizes.
What sort of climate are you moving to? If it’s anywhere up north, you can start stocking up on some basic warm stuff… we’re freezing right now!! (Wind chills of -10 on Long Island today!)
If you’re driving, you can pick up towels. My daughter LOVES the little utility cart I got her from amazon; she keeps lots of snacks and stuff in it. You’ll want a surge protector with lots of outlets. A lamp for your desk. A laundry basket or backpack.
My suggestion is that you wander through BB&B and make up a wish list of sorts-- then hit amazon.
@bjkmom I’ll be flying there in August, but my uncle is moving out near my school around that same time so any big stuff (except for what I’ll buy when I get there) I can probably put in the moving truck, luckily.
It’s a big move, from Connecticut to arizona, so a big weather change haha so I don’t need any cold weather stuff (or at least stuff I don’t already have)
OK, I would start with the small stuff you know you’ll need: Command Hooks. Basic first aid stuff-- you can get the Aleve and other OTC meds during the summer. Do you already have a laptop/ tablet or are you planning to get one?
If there’s a BB&B-- or a Target/ Walmart for that matter-- reasonably close to your school, I would plan to do most of the shopping online and pick it up or have it delivered. Even a set of towels can take up wayy too much room in a suitcase. And I think you can assume that your uncle will need most of his moving van for himself. (Besides, dorm rooms are teeny tiny. There’s not a lot of room for “big stuff.”
Thoughts:
- It is better to buy less than you think you need and then get it later. Dorm rooms are small!
- If you are in a quad and someone else lives local, then let them get the big things like a refrigerator. Otherwise yo uhave to store it somewhere (your uncle’s?) over the summer.
- Bring less clothes than you think you need to