5 Ways to Keep Dorm Life Cheaper
June 26th 2007 13:39
There are a few expensive things you may need when transitioning to dorm life from home life. Here they are with a few ideas on how to keep the costs down. In no particular order:
1. A mini-fridge - The best way to get one of these is to have a friend that doesn’t need one and borrow hers! That’s how I ended up with one for my dorm. If this is not the case for you, the next thing I would try is Facebook’s new marketplace. See if there are any juniors or seniors who will either be graduating and won’t need theirs anymore, or who are moving into an apartment instead and will have a normal size fridge.
2. Microwave - This is about the same as getting the fridge; I would try to borrow from someone I knew, or take my parents’ old one when/if they get a new one. These might not be as expensive as a fridge, so you could possibly buy a new one. I would go simple; you don’t really need lots of extra buttons that are special for “popcorn” or “hotdog.”
3. Bedsheets - This may seem ridiculous, but it’s true, you have to buy them, and you usually have to buy the extra-long ones. Don’t buy too many, just enough to get you from one laundry day to the next. I have four and change my sheets once a week. One other thing is to get them in very similar colors, so you can wash them all together instead of doing multiple loads of sheets. The best time to find these is really in the middle of the year, because they are all on sale. So if you can stand to have extra stuff around the house, buy them during your senior year of high school (a little before Christmas break).
4. Laptop/desktop computer - Perhaps this seems like more of a want than a need, but try writing a paper at the computer lab when every other computer is also being used. It’s very distracting. A few schools are starting laptop initiatives where you can have your laptop price included with your tuition and thus make payments or use a student loan to pay for it. My parents bought mine used off the internet, which I would recommend because really you’ll only need it so that you don’t have to be in a crowded room trying to finish a project.
One thing you don’t need to buy is a printer. Both schools I’ve gone to let you print pages for free (usually up to a certain limit). Just email yourself the paper and then go to the computer lab to print. No money wasted on a printer or ink or paper.
5. Other furniture (chairs, futons, etc) - Depending on what school you go to, you might have more space for other furniture. My dorm was rather small, so I had no need for lay-z-boy chairs or anything similar. I got one of those round fold-up things that you can find at Target or Walmart. If you have more room shop garage sales, or local used furniture places to get better prices.
One last thing to note, these are all subject to if you are allowed to have these things (some schools don’t let you have mini-fridges or microwaves) and if you have a roommate. If you will have a roomie, check with him first to see what he’s got to bring to the table. Maybe he received a mini-fridge as a graduation present, and your parents have an extra microwave they’re letting you borrow, so you both agree to share those. There is no reason to have two fridges or two microwaves in a small dorm room!! Haha! Although, two computers is probably necessary, (and why a laptop is probably a better choice for spatial reasons).
1. A mini-fridge - The best way to get one of these is to have a friend that doesn’t need one and borrow hers! That’s how I ended up with one for my dorm. If this is not the case for you, the next thing I would try is Facebook’s new marketplace. See if there are any juniors or seniors who will either be graduating and won’t need theirs anymore, or who are moving into an apartment instead and will have a normal size fridge.
2. Microwave - This is about the same as getting the fridge; I would try to borrow from someone I knew, or take my parents’ old one when/if they get a new one. These might not be as expensive as a fridge, so you could possibly buy a new one. I would go simple; you don’t really need lots of extra buttons that are special for “popcorn” or “hotdog.”
3. Bedsheets - This may seem ridiculous, but it’s true, you have to buy them, and you usually have to buy the extra-long ones. Don’t buy too many, just enough to get you from one laundry day to the next. I have four and change my sheets once a week. One other thing is to get them in very similar colors, so you can wash them all together instead of doing multiple loads of sheets. The best time to find these is really in the middle of the year, because they are all on sale. So if you can stand to have extra stuff around the house, buy them during your senior year of high school (a little before Christmas break).
4. Laptop/desktop computer - Perhaps this seems like more of a want than a need, but try writing a paper at the computer lab when every other computer is also being used. It’s very distracting. A few schools are starting laptop initiatives where you can have your laptop price included with your tuition and thus make payments or use a student loan to pay for it. My parents bought mine used off the internet, which I would recommend because really you’ll only need it so that you don’t have to be in a crowded room trying to finish a project.
One thing you don’t need to buy is a printer. Both schools I’ve gone to let you print pages for free (usually up to a certain limit). Just email yourself the paper and then go to the computer lab to print. No money wasted on a printer or ink or paper.
5. Other furniture (chairs, futons, etc) - Depending on what school you go to, you might have more space for other furniture. My dorm was rather small, so I had no need for lay-z-boy chairs or anything similar. I got one of those round fold-up things that you can find at Target or Walmart. If you have more room shop garage sales, or local used furniture places to get better prices.
One last thing to note, these are all subject to if you are allowed to have these things (some schools don’t let you have mini-fridges or microwaves) and if you have a roommate. If you will have a roomie, check with him first to see what he’s got to bring to the table. Maybe he received a mini-fridge as a graduation present, and your parents have an extra microwave they’re letting you borrow, so you both agree to share those. There is no reason to have two fridges or two microwaves in a small dorm room!! Haha! Although, two computers is probably necessary, (and why a laptop is probably a better choice for spatial reasons).
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