How to Furnish Your First College Dorm or Apartment on a Budget_Home and Garden_Common Sense of Life

Part 1 Part 1 of 3: Deciding What You Need

1 Find out what you need. Start with things that you absolutely need for your dorm room. Colleges usually have an orientation pack that lists clearly what you will need. For example: Bedding such as sheets, pillows, blankets, mattress protectors.
- What is prohibited? Many schools do not allow "hot pots", toaster ovens, candles, space heaters and the like. This, too, will likely be stated very clearly.
- What do upperclassmen recommend? Orientation is a good time to ask people familiar with campus what may not be absolutely necessary, but recommended. If not, usually the first week is good too. This may include dorm-sized refrigerators, fans (especially in warmer climates), lamps, small microwaves, small area carpets, and so on.
- With apartments, generally you will need to provide furniture. This includes beds, dressers, couches and things like TV sets. However, be sure to ask if there is any furniture that comes with the apartment. Occasionally an apartment may have some furniture--often because the last tenant left it behind. Sometimes if you ask the tenant that is leaving (especially if for a faraway place), they may leave you something or for a high discount.
- Be careful of "Back to School" advertising. Retail stores will try to convince you that you need items that may be completely unnecessary. For instance, you may not have any room for an oversized beanbag chair in your small dorm.
2 Make a list of items that you will need. A list of common items to get you thinking can be found below in the Things You'll Need section. Consider the fact that space will undoubtedly be limited. Apartment living may require more. Use your judgment and common sense. Put the list in order of importance.
- Also consider how long you will be there. A person spending one semester at a special program will likely need less than someone spending a school year on campus.
- Remember that less brought in, the easier to pack and move out. If you live on campus, you will have to move out all your things in 9 months. Too much stuff also can be problematic if you have to take a bus or airplane home. Also, college students tend to move frequently, so it makes sense to keep your household goods light.
- Sometimes it makes sense to make a running list as you go. As you settle into a space, you tend to figure out what you need, what size, and so on. It can also help you trigger your memory when you go shopping, or at a garage sale, or whatnot.
- Shops are usually readily available. While some colleges are in remote places with hard-to-reach shopping centers, most will have retail places to buy things you need. Usually not everything has to be bought immediately. Even if there are few stores available, online shopping can make many things available to purchase.
3 Plan for the short term. Most of the items you will need to get through college or for your first apartment do not need to last more than a few years at best. While you should always try to choose items of decent quality, the furnishing of your first place will likely not be the best.
- Feel free to purchase cheap plastic items, such as plastic drawers, foldable tables, futons, or even patio furniture, as an inexpensive way to to fulfill your needs.
- However, be careful not to go with really low-quality furniture. An old lumpy futon will likely hurt your back. A plastic drawer set that never really works properly and breaks before winter break is no bargain.
- Do not get too fussy. The things you use during the college years tend to be used for a few years at best, and not tend to be as nice as what you may have during your career. You may be used to your parent's house, which will have things they have accumulated over the years. But for now, you will be unlikely to have a matching bedroom set, or anything resembling fine furnishings.

Part 2 Part 2 of 3: Finding and Buying Your Furnishings

1 Ask relatives or neighbors if they have any items that you can use. You may be surprised how many people have attics and drawers full of unused or unwanted items in need of a good home. You may be doing them a favor by taking it off their hands. Start asking over the summer so they can keep their eyes open and set things aside.
- Be careful about taking items from the family home. You do not want to come off as a greedy scavenger. If your father is thinking of upgrading the television, that may be an opportunity to discuss taking the old one to your apartment. However, do not expect to be given things that are being used in the home.
- If your loved ones want to throw a party or give gifts to celebrate your graduation, request supplies for college or your apartment. Large chain stores like Target and Bed Bath & Beyond offer registries.
- Do not make lavish requests. It is one thing to ask for a dorm-sized refrigerator, but a plasma TV may seem greedy. By keeping it simple and reasonable, people will appreciate your plight and feel more inclined to help you out.
- You must send thank you notes to everyone who gives you a gift. Be grateful.
2 Check the curb. Many people toss things instead of trying to sell or donate. This is common especially when people move, on trash day, or the day of or after a yard sale. Of course, only get items that can be washed and sanitized--problems with mold, bed bugs, and basic cleanliness can be an issue.
- For the best stuff, travel to more affluent areas. People with extra money to spend often toss out new and like-new items just because they have gone out of style.
- Recycling centers, thrift shops, and other second hand stores in such regions are also excellent resources.
3 Head to the local landfill or recycling center. In many landfills, there is a separate building where people can drop off lightly used furniture and other house items, which is usually categorized as "Too Good to Throw Out." Spring cleaning for county residents can mean a new couch for your apartment or a computer station for the dorm at no cost to you except energy to load the stuff into your vehicle. Be sure to visit these places frequently, as a full shed one morning can be bone-dry the next.
4 Look for other kinds of free giveaways. Check on websites such as Craigslist.org or Freecycle. Very often, people will post items which is free for the asking.
- Be extremely careful of bedbugs. Unfortunately, infestations can be commonplace in items such as mattresses, easy chairs, and couches. Curbside items such as these should be approached with extreme caution.
5 Try thrift stores. They are often affiliated with a charity. Not only can you get cheap goods, the money you spend goes towards helping the charity. Check back often as their supply changes daily to weekly. You can easily pick up pots, pans, bowls and utensils for $1 or less. Also watch for church sales. Many older churchgoers unload great items to be sold super cheap at these sales.
6 Visit dollar stores in your neighborhood. These are a great place to buy mops, brooms, kitchen items, and cleansers. Also try to pick up your toilet brushes and toilet plungers here. Those are two items you do not want to get used.
- Dollar stores are also great places to buy picture frames. Photographs make great, personal, and inexpensive decorations.
- Dollar stores are also typically excellent for a wealth of household items such as whiteboards, notepads, calendars, oven mitts, soap dishes and more.
- Look for decorations at the dollar store to help spruce up your space. For instance, a cheap white box and bouquet of fake flowers is a cheap and cute decor item.
7 Shop local yard sales. Yard sales are often great resources for the thrifty young adult. These will almost always be on the weekend (especially Saturday) and tend to start early and wrap up around 3 p.m.
- Ask the person running the yard sale for items you are specifically looking for, as they may be hidden or the seller might suddenly remember there is one that can be sold.
- If the items are too pricey or can be found cheaper elsewhere, you should wait. Some people price garage sale items too high. If so, forgo the yard sale or try again in mid-afternoon when the prices may drop.
- Another tip is to quietly speak with the yard sale host. Explain that you are going off to college and are trying to find certain items. Give them your number and tell them you would be happy to take items off their hands should they not sell by the end of the day. Most people would rather give items to a friendly, personable, needy student than set them on the curb or throw it out.
8 Check auction listings. Many people put their unused items into storage and sometimes they forget to pay the storage bill. Those items are put up for auction. You may be able to stock up for just a few bucks. Most people try to get their hands on the treasures at auctions, so the basics can be picked up super cheap.
9 Check with your local antique shops. Antique stores are not all fancy old items. Surprisingly, antique stores often sell items at a price lower than new furniture. Although the term is "antique store", these stores often happily sell what is actually vintage and sometimes not even that old. Frankly, they will sell whatever they think they may make a profit on, old and valuable or not! They often have many decorative items as well. You can often bargain with them to receive a discount.
10 Visit your university's surplus store. They often will offer used office furniture, lamps, tools, and the like at reasonable prices.
11 Visit your university's loan closet. Some colleges operate "loan closets" on an honor basis, where you can get stuff for free if you agree to return it (and bring more stuff) as soon as you do not need it anymore.
- Sometimes access to loan closets is restricted to people with special needs: international students, students of a certain department or school, or those in particular need (such as a student who comes from an extremely impoverished background.) However, it never hurts to ask.

Part 3 Part 3 of 3: Customizing and Packing Your Furnishings

1 Paint or apply funky finishes to make something look more your style. Slipcovers are available at discount stores, or you can use sheets in a pinch. Be creative and have fun with it!
- A couple of things of obviously lighter colors will make your room feel bigger.
2 Wrap and pack breakable objects carefully. You do not want to end up at school with a bunch of broken dishes and have to start all over. Be sure to label the boxes.
3 Shop for food while you are still at home. Of course, this tends to work if you are driving to school, not if you are flying cross-country. Stock up on canned items like soups, powdered drink mixes, tuna and ravioli, boxed mixes, and items that won't crush or go bad. Don't forget salt, pepper, mustard, ketchup, sugar, sweetener, non-dairy powder coffee creamer, cooking spray, popcorn, cans of peanuts, etc.
- Ask before taking! Parents tend to be fine about sending off their college-bound student with food. Some parents will insist. However, this should not be a surprise. Nor do you simply take another person's food without asking, even your parents.
- Do not open anything that requires refrigeration before you leave for your new digs. Many jarred products are safe at room temperature until opened, like mayonnaise and salad dressings.
- Talk to your parents about adding a few items to each week's grocery list. If you start early, you can have a great supply of food to last you while at school.
- Ask your parents about making a trip to the local discount shopping club and pick up some food in bulk.
- Condiments such as salt and pepper are probably in good supply at your parent's house. Spices are expensive and you won't go through it quickly, so ask your family to borrow from their supplies.

How to Furnish Your First College Dorm or Apartment on a Budget

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