Hello, everybody! When I moved to my dorm, I wanted to spend as little money as possible, so I mostly brought stuff from home. I also didn’t want to spend too much time moving because I was pressed for time. My family and I could only stay for an hour or two before driving back, so I wanted to get things done as quickly as possible. In the end, my room was finished and decorated before classes even started, which made things much easier for me.
When I first started this blog, I compiled all of the college packing lists I had seen into an Ultimate College Packing List. That list pretty much consists of every possible thing you need depending on whether you live in an apartment or a dorm. That list was really helpful when it came to choosing the things I REALLY needed and reminding me of things I forgot. That helped me compile this list. Everything in this post is literally in my room right now (I counted). I’m not including school supplies, like backpacks and pencils.
To give you some context, I live in a suite with three other girls. There are two rooms and one bathroom in the hallway in between them. There’s also a kitchen on our floor that almost no one uses. Custodians come to clean our bathroom every week, so we don’t need to worry about cleaning or buying toilet paper.
If you’re interested, I posted a dorm room tour a few months ago. Here’s the link.
Well. let’s get into it.
//Bed
- One Fitted Sheet – I thought about buying two and switching them out every week, but just ended up buying one. I just take it off the bed and wash it at home and bring it back.
- Two Pillows + Cases
- Body Pillow
- One Comforter
- One Winter Blanket
- Foam Mattress Topper – Buy this!!! You will sleep much better for it.
//Desk
- Lamp – We had one at the house already, so I didn’t bother buying another one.
- Pencil Cup – I ended up just grabbing a mug from the kitchen section because it was cheaper than buying an actual pencil cup. It also acts as decor.
- Bulletin Board
- Calendar
//Dresser
This refers to things I keep on top of the dresser. Not what’s inside.
- Small Mirror – Mine has a jewelry holder at the bottom.
- Photo Frame – I try to keep the top of my dresser clear, so the only decor I have there a photo. I also keep my pleasure reading books on top of it.
//Cleaning
I keep my cleaning supplies either under the sink or at the bottom drawer of my dresser. We keep the vacuum in the space between our bed.
- Vacuum – I use the Dyson vacuum. It makes vacuuming so easy.
- All-Purpose Cleaning Spray – Who has room to keep multiple cleaning sprays?
- Cleaning Rags – You’ll need more than you think you do. (drying dishes, wiping water off the sink, etc.)
- Dish Soap & Sponge
- Laundry Basket – I keep this in my closet
- Laundry Detergent – I do my laundry at my parents’ house, so I don’t actually keep this in my dorm room, but add it to your list if you’re using this as a reference.
Related – How To Keep Your Dorm Room Ridiculously Clean (My Cleaning Routine)
//Clothes
Here are all the clothes I brought to college. I switch them out based on the weather, but this is basically everything I keep with me.
- 2 Pairs Of Jeans – Black & Blue
- One pair of leggings – Black
- 3 Pairs of Sweats – to sleep in
- 10 Shirts – I switch them out when I go home every weekend
- Jackets – The number depends on the weather. I only kept two with me at the beginning of the year, but now I have five because it’s so cold.
- 5 Sets Of Gym Clothes – (sports bras, leggings, shirts) I try to go to the gym every day, so I keep enough clothes for that.
- 10 Pairs Of Socks – I just bought a packet at Walmart.
- 10 Pairs Of Underwear – I bought a packet at Walmart for this too.
- 4 Bras – I own more, but before moving out, I decided to just take the three or four bras that I wear all the time anyway. (If you are a woman, you know you wear your favorite bra all the time and the rest just rot in your closet)
- 5 Tank Tops – I have to wear a back brace because the disc above my tailbone moved, so I need tank tops to wear under it.
- 2 Pairs of Boots, 1 Pair of Nikes, 1 Pair of Sandals
- 3 scarves and 2 pairs of gloves – These were brought in for the winter.
//Toiletries
There is plenty of room in the bathroom to keep all four of our toiletries, so I don’t have a bathroom caddy. All the things used in the bathroom are kept there. Everything else is kept in the top drawer of my dresser.
- Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss, Retainer
- Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, & Body Sponge
- Face Wash, Toner, Acne Cream, Moisturizer – Here’s a link to my Skincare Routine
- Body Lotion – I never used to wear body lotion, but I’ve started to now that I’m in college.
- Medication, Vitamins, First Aid Kit – I’ll write another post about making a college first aid kit, so stay tuned.
- Contacts & Contact Solution – Glasses, too, but that’s not really a toiletry.
- Kleenex
- Paper Towels
- Makeup – I don’t wear makeup unless it’s a special occasion, so I didn’t bring a lot. Just the basics (Foundation, powder, mascara, etc.)
- 4 Towels – I shower every day, and I use two towels (body and hair). I use them three days in a row before switching to the second set. I wash them when I go home on weekends.
//”Kitchen”
- Mini-Fridge – I don’t have a meal plan. My mom sends me a week’s worth of food on Sunday and I just keep that in the mini-fridge to reheat.
- Microwave – To reheat the food.
- 2 Large Plates – I just took most of the flatware and silverware from my parents because they had extra. That way, I didn’t have to spend money on new plates.
- 1 Small Plate
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Mug – I didn’t bother bringing a glass because I can drink water from the mug.
- 3 Spoons; 2 Forks
- Brita Filter
- Knife & Cutting Board – To cut fruit.
- 1 pot and pan – To cook in the kitchen if I need to. My mom usually sends me enough food.
- Spatula – To cook the food with.
//Electronics
- Laptop
- Extension Cords & Power Strips
- Tablet – I never use this at my dorm, so I’ll probably take it back since I mostly use it for trips. I use my laptop on most days.
- Kindle – I read on it every night.
- Chargers For All Electronics
- Headphones – I have gone through so many headphones in the last few months. I think it’s because I’m using them more often. I used to always listen to things out loud, but now that I have a roommate, I listen to everything on headphones, which makes them not last as long.
//Decor
I didn’t spend a lot of money on decor and have learned that a little can go a long way. I also only had one wall to decorate since the other “wall” on my side of the room is windows (which I LOVE), so I didn’t need to spend much money.
- Printed Photographs – I just ordered them online from Walmart.
- Washi tape – I bought a mixed pack of it on Amazon to frame the photos on the wall. It also comes off without a trace.
- 2 Picture Frames – One for my desk and one for my dresser. Most of the photos were just hung on the wall above my bed.
- Dream Catcher – This was already in my childhood bedroom, so I didn’t have to buy one again. I believe it was $5 on eBay
//Other
- Alarm Clock – This is so necessary. I keep it across the room so that I have to get out of bed to turn it off.
- Books – I didn’t have room to bring all my books (nor would I want to). I usually keep two or three books at my dorm and switch them out after finishing them.
- Mini-Fan – I can’t sleep without white noise.
- 2 Storage Boxes – I keep these under my bed. One is for snacks and the other just holds extra things like trash bags.
And that’s pretty much it. That is everything I brought to college. The list looks kind of long now, but trust me, everything on this list fit in one of the roller bins they give you on move-in day. We only used another one to move the mini-fridge.
I hope this post helps you save money and time when you move into your dorm room. Until next time.
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Did I miss anything? What essentials did you pack for college?