2017 College Dorm shopping on a Budget

dreamin_disney

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 28, 2008
We are looking for deal for DD's dorm. I'm sure there are many out there looking for deals. I had some $2.00 coupons for tide pods and I bought bags of 16ct for only $2 each. Dd is now stocked for Laundry.

I'm looking for other coupons for shampoo head and shoulders or Tresseme, bars of soaps Olay , degree deodorant, Colgate tooth paste. If you know of any good printable coupon sites please let me know

Also looking for sales on
-bath towels
-shower shoes
-shower caddy

-Frigidaire - 3.1 Cu. Ft. Mini Fridge - Stainless Steel its $224.99 at Best Buy but would love to find it cheaper

-comforter
-sheets
-pillow cases
**mattress comfort pad
-printer
-mac book

-dorm snacks looking for deals or coupons

-summer Pj's its hot here-lol!

-Paul Mitchell Curls Twirl Around Crunch-Free Curl Definer (I've been using ulta coupon for $3.50 off so I pay $19 but it works great)

not sure what else. I shop at anywhere theres a good deal :)
 
Last edited:
Macy's sometimes has awesome sales on towels. My mom got me hooked on the quick dry ones. Same thing with sheets, although be sure you know if your mattress is regular or XL. Bed bath and beyond usually has some good back to school sales as well.

Shower shoes: old navy used to do really cheap, durable flip flops 2 for the price of 1. Or 2 for 10 maybe.

I would not waste money on a "shower caddy". Get a cheap plastic bin or basket from the dollar store or somewhere similar.

Printer depends on what she'll use it for and how much space she'll have. Find out if her dorm has a computer lab or what the access hours are for the computer lab. Most universities give you a page allowance and I very rarely ran out. It's a lot cheaper than buying ink cartridges and paper for your personal printer. So I'd try that for the first semester and buy the printer at Christmas if she decides really wants it- or better yet, Black Friday.

Costco is good for most of the beauty stuff you mentioned if you can dig up a relative or friend with a membership.

And that fridge seems awfully expensive- I'd try to find a cheaper one online, preferably not stainless steel which may account for the price. The cheaper ones work fine. I would spend max half of that.
 
Thank you! Lots of great tips :)
Yes , mattress is XL Twin. I didn't realize there was quick dry body towels. I'll have to look into that. I'll have her look into if the dorm has a computer lab. I agree about the fridge that's why I'm hoping to look for a good deal. Color doesn't matter black, white or stainless steel
 


Ok, weird, showed up super long in my edit window, tiny in the actual post. Oh well.

I don't know if your kid is picky about sheets but as a junior/senior, I discovered pottery barn kids. The sheets are usually so cute (sharks, mermaids, bugs, Star Wars) and even though they were pricier to buy, they were also a lot more comfortable and longer lasting than Walmart sheets. Washed up much better.

And editing to say that I had to switch to pottery barn teen the year I had a xl mattress, but pretty much the same thing. (I didn't actually realize they made queen size in teen and, um, now I may "need" a set of guardians of the galaxy comic strip sheets... that is just awesome:lmao:).
 
Last edited:
If you're looking for a mattress topper to go on an XL twin bed, in our experience a regular twin works just as well and is quite a bit cheaper/easier to find. Sheets need to be XL twin but topper doesn't. Watch getting really cheap sheets as those can shrink and have short corner pockets, which can make it difficult to use a topper.

For shower shoes, cheap flip flops work fine.

If the room is not A/C, you will probably need a couple fans. Box fan in the window and possibly a tower fan or something like that for circulating air in the room. Those should be going on sale soon and can be difficult to find at the end of the summer.

Most of the refrigerators I saw in the dorm were fairly inexpensive (<$100) and white. Because students are often in the dorm for only a year, you really just need one to get through a year.

Might need extension cords and some schools have very strict guidelines on type/quality for safety reasons. My son's school required any extensions have surge protectors on them. Those can get expensive if you need one with a longer cord length. Check your school to see if there are rules about what you can bring (it was covered at orientation pretty well and on their website).

Printer - I am a firm believer in having a printer but it does vary by situation. It's pretty common for students to be doing homework late a night (think midnight) and running over to the library or computer center for copies at that time can be a pain. Plus having one right there just made it easier to work and not take shortcuts by not printing something that would beneficial to see/use in print. It does vary by classes though....for instance printing out a math problem set to solve was easier for him than working strictly off the same document on his laptop. Papers are usually submitted online. Some students can edit a paper online but others do better seeing it on paper. Also once you move off campus it's a lot more convenient to have a printer if you're living a couple miles away from the printer. And they're not that expensive - you can get a good HP for $60-70. Now the paper and ink can add up.... my son learned early on to have backup ink because it's difficult to buy at 1am!
 


Target had 30% off bedding online through yesterday (which I know doesn't help today, but I'd watch for it again either in-store or online). I ordered pillow covers, a mattress pad, a mattress topper and a set of sheets (that may get returned since I won't know how nice they are until they get here). I figured I could save money on the basics and DD could pick out the things that she and everyone else will see.

Our Bed Bath and Beyond is having a college night on a Sunday in July with giveaways and specials. We haven't been to one before, so I don't know if there will be good deals or just hype.

Costco has very nice towels at a great price, but not a lot of color choices. I read that it might be good to have them embroidered with your child's initials depending on the bathroom setup. Costco online has mattress toppers, but I don't know if they are in store or not.

Check the college bookstore for educational discounts on the MacBook - we are probably going to buy DD's at orientation. Buying there allows her to use the tech support for free, I think, but I will check other places for pricing too.
 
Check out IKEA. They have lots of great dorm gear and their prices are less than the other stores mentioned.
 
You might want to wait on the fridge. Some rooms are too small for them and sometimes a roommate might agree to share the expense. Our DD only used hers for beverages and she could have easily used one of the smaller, six-pack sized units to cool her soda.
 
My college kids really only needed 1 -2 towels, and ds's second set of sheets came home unopened. They both used flip flops. Both of their roommates brought fridges for the dorm room, and I bought dd a very nice compact fridge for her apartment (to keep in her bedroom, had 4 roommates and they packed the main fridge) for $50 on a local Facebook for sale page.
 
Costco!

They have the perfect dorm fridge that has a separate freezer. My college kid will be selling hers since she is no longer in the dorms, so check the local craigslist to see if someone else is in the same position.

They also have a great price on towels that are a great quality.

Target had some amazing prices last year on printers. It seemed so much more reasonable than asking her to go to the library at her school to print things. She didn't use it a ton, since so much is email, etc these days, but it was definitely helpful to have in her room.

Sorry I can't provide a link to the Costco mini fridge, because they don't sell it online. But it looks like others posted here, in stainless color and I believe we paid $129 last year.
 
Last edited:
I remember my mom starting to stockpile stuff away when she found good deals, when I was in my senior year of HS. She filled like three Rubbermaid tubs with full listings of contents and I was pretty much set for anything household or hygiene for the first year of my college.
 
We got most everything at Target. They start to clearance in August, so we got things before she went back at the end of August. We got sheet sets under $10, comforter under $20. Still in great shape and she'll be a senior. She loves the thick, larger towels at Target and got them on sale for around $7 as well. She splurged on a 4in mattress topper on clearance for $90. NOTE- friend got mattress topper at BB&B, cost $180, said XL twin but it was not. Check measurements on package. XL is 5 inches longer. She was stuck with it, as she was hours away from the store, and it couldn't be mailed back. Daughter also loves to wrap blanket around her, so she got a full/queen size instead.
Fridge we got at Walmart, 3.1 cu ft with sep. freezer. $120 on sale. She had used a smaller one of her sister's but went with the bigger one once she started cooking more of her meals in the dorm's kitchen. Ordered it online, picked it up at the store closest to the university.
Check with the university for a recommended list of what to bring, and if she has a roommate, have them work together to share some of the bigger things (like one brings fridge, other microwave).
One last bit of advice from experience with 2 daughters...bring half as much as you think you need. you can always buy things later. Rooms are usually tiny.
 
If you're looking for a mattress topper to go on an XL twin bed, in our experience a regular twin works just as well and is quite a bit cheaper/easier to find. Sheets need to be XL twin but topper doesn't. Watch getting really cheap sheets as those can shrink and have short corner pockets, which can make it difficult to use a topper.

For shower shoes, cheap flip flops work fine.

If the room is not A/C, you will probably need a couple fans. Box fan in the window and possibly a tower fan or something like that for circulating air in the room. Those should be going on sale soon and can be difficult to find at the end of the summer.

Most of the refrigerators I saw in the dorm were fairly inexpensive (<$100) and white. Because students are often in the dorm for only a year, you really just need one to get through a year.

Might need extension cords and some schools have very strict guidelines on type/quality for safety reasons. My son's school required any extensions have surge protectors on them. Those can get expensive if you need one with a longer cord length. Check your school to see if there are rules about what you can bring (it was covered at orientation pretty well and on their website).

Printer - I am a firm believer in having a printer but it does vary by situation. It's pretty common for students to be doing homework late a night (think midnight) and running over to the library or computer center for copies at that time can be a pain. Plus having one right there just made it easier to work and not take shortcuts by not printing something that would beneficial to see/use in print. It does vary by classes though....for instance printing out a math problem set to solve was easier for him than working strictly off the same document on his laptop. Papers are usually submitted online. Some students can edit a paper online but others do better seeing it on paper. Also once you move off campus it's a lot more convenient to have a printer if you're living a couple miles away from the printer. And they're not that expensive - you can get a good HP for $60-70. Now the paper and ink can add up.... my son learned early on to have backup ink because it's difficult to buy at 1am!
Mattress toppers are pretty expensive! I want my DD to have her own fridge. At work we share one and its a nightmare sometimes. theres always that one person who takes over and doesn't leave any room , leaves old stuff in it or is messy. I know living off campus is cheaper after the first year but if dd likes the dorms then next year I'll get her an apartment on campus. I prefer to pay more than have her walking to the parking garage late at night if she has evening classes etc. Atleast living on campus theres always students walking to and from dorm, theres a shuttle and security will escort her to her dorm. She doesn't really cook so we might go for an apartment without kitchen and get her the meal plan again. It will be more expensive having to buy her cooking pans, oil, cleaning supplies and groceries. The difference would be $2,000 a year = $62.00 a week for groceries plus she will have to cook which you know how that goes. I told her she can pay 1/2 her meal plan then and she said she would cook-lol! We shall see how the meal plan works out this year. DH mentioned if she gets close nit room mates maybe 1-2 will like to cook and the other two can clean up and all 4 share groceries/bill. They don't have a printer lab in the dorms. Its in another building in housing so putting printer on the list. She will have to use up her free printing when shes on campus and save her ink for when she cant get to a printer.

Target had 30% off bedding online through yesterday (which I know doesn't help today, but I'd watch for it again either in-store or online). I ordered pillow covers, a mattress pad, a mattress topper and a set of sheets (that may get returned since I won't know how nice they are until they get here). I figured I could save money on the basics and DD could pick out the things that she and everyone else will see.

Our Bed Bath and Beyond is having a college night on a Sunday in July with giveaways and specials. We haven't been to one before, so I don't know if there will be good deals or just hype.

Costco has very nice towels at a great price, but not a lot of color choices. I read that it might be good to have them embroidered with your child's initials depending on the bathroom setup. Costco online has mattress toppers, but I don't know if they are in store or not.

Check the college bookstore for educational discounts on the MacBook - we are probably going to buy DD's at orientation. Buying there allows her to use the tech support for free, I think, but I will check other places for pricing too.
I have a Target card so additional 5% off. I'll check it out online. In the store they didn't have a good selection of bedding
Check out IKEA. They have lots of great dorm gear and their prices are less than the other stores mentioned.
We plan on hitting IKEA collage Dorm sale. Plus they had a coupon for $25 off $100+
You might want to wait on the fridge. Some rooms are too small for them and sometimes a roommate might agree to share the expense. Our DD only used hers for beverages and she could have easily used one of the smaller, six-pack sized units to cool her soda.
We want her to have her own . I share a small one at work and its a nightmare. Having her own under her bed will be best, no worries. Plus it will come in handy when she moves into campus apartment. hopefully it will last a few years and she can put it in her classroom when she teaches
Thanks! I like theses ;)
Costco!

They have the perfect dorm fridge that has a separate freezer. My college kid will be selling hers since she is no longer in the dorms, so check the local craigslist to see if someone else is in the same position.

They also have a great price on towels that are a great quality.

Target had some amazing prices last year on printers. It seemed so much more reasonable than asking her to go to the library at her school to print things. She didn't use it a ton, since so much is email, etc these days, but it was definitely helpful to have in her room.

Sorry I can't provide a link to the Costco mini fridge, because they don't sell it online. But it looks like others posted here, in stainless color and I believe we paid $129 last year.
Costco near me don't have any with two doors and separate freezers door
We got most everything at Target. They start to clearance in August, so we got things before she went back at the end of August. We got sheet sets under $10, comforter under $20. Still in great shape and she'll be a senior. She loves the thick, larger towels at Target and got them on sale for around $7 as well. She splurged on a 4in mattress topper on clearance for $90. NOTE- friend got mattress topper at BB&B, cost $180, said XL twin but it was not. Check measurements on package. XL is 5 inches longer. She was stuck with it, as she was hours away from the store, and it couldn't be mailed back. Daughter also loves to wrap blanket around her, so she got a full/queen size instead.
Fridge we got at Walmart, 3.1 cu ft with sep. freezer. $120 on sale. She had used a smaller one of her sister's but went with the bigger one once she started cooking more of her meals in the dorm's kitchen. Ordered it online, picked it up at the store closest to the university.
Check with the university for a recommended list of what to bring, and if she has a roommate, have them work together to share some of the bigger things (like one brings fridge, other microwave).
One last bit of advice from experience with 2 daughters...bring half as much as you think you need. you can always buy things later. Rooms are usually tiny.
It's starting to get real-lol! She said she will just take clothes, shoes and flat iron. lol! I'm like ok, yeah right plus your fridge, microwave, bedding and bath stuff. Not sure if she will decorate or wait and see once she moves in.
 
Does she know anyone that may have a loaner fridge? My roommate got one from a friend's cattle barn. Smelled like B12 but worked fine for us!
 
Ok, weird, showed up super long in my edit window, tiny in the actual post. Oh well.

I don't know if your kid is picky about sheets but as a junior/senior, I discovered pottery barn kids. The sheets are usually so cute (sharks, mermaids, bugs, Star Wars) and even though they were pricier to buy, they were also a lot more comfortable and longer lasting than Walmart sheets. Washed up much better.

And editing to say that I had to switch to pottery barn teen the year I had a xl mattress, but pretty much the same thing. (I didn't actually realize they made queen size in teen and, um, now I may "need" a set of guardians of the galaxy comic strip sheets... that is just awesome:lmao:).

Pottery Barn kids sheets last forever. We have a map set for two twin beds that have been in constant use for 18 years and are still soft and going strong.
 
Pottery Barn kids sheets last forever. We have a map set for two twin beds that have been in constant use for 18 years and are still soft and going strong.

Qualifying statement: they last forever UNLESS your 150 pound dog starts lounging on them. He gets a bit too enthusiastic with his morning yoga stretches:D
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top