DORM ROOM ESSENTIALS

So you’re going off to college! What do you need for your dorm room? Here is a list of college dorm room essentials that you can get on a budget!

Your dorm will be your new home away from home and you want to make it as comfortable as you can but you also don’t want to go into debt doing it.

College is expensive enough right?

That’s why I created this list of affordable dorm room essentials.

When doing my research, I found that Amazon has some really great prices on dorm essentials.

And guess what?

Students get 6 FREE MONTHS of Amazon Prime! So you can get FREE 2 Day Shipping along with all of the other Amazon Prime Benefits Like cheap textbooks, student deals and more!

So don’t forget to take advantage of the 6 Free Months of Amazon Prime here! Even if you never buy anything you can still take advantage of free books, magazines, music and more as a Prime member.

Now let’s get right to the list!

LIST OF DORM ROOM ESSENTIALS

Dorm Room Bedding Essentials

Bedding can be the most important essential because you want to be comfortable in your new home right?

NOTE: The first thing you want to do is to check to see what size beds are in your dorm (ex. twin or twin XL).

Ideally, you should get two sheet sets and a comforter and pillows. Amazon has some really cute 5 Piece Bed Sets for under $40! You can check them out here.

 

You may want to splurge on a mattress pad if you can fit it in the budget.  I found some for around $20 here.

I also found some affordable pillows too but Walmart and Kohl’s can get you the best deals on pillows so be on the lookout wherever you shop.

You can also just take your old pillow with you for now, whatever works for you!

Hangers

There is limited space in the dorm so I recommend getting thin velvet hangers. My favorite ones are the velvet lined ones because you can fit so much more in the closet. Plus your clothes will not fall to the floor and get lost.

You can find some affordably priced here. I found a 30 pack for around $13!

Laundry Basket or Bag for the Dorm Room

For the dorm room, I love fabric and rope laundry baskets as well as easy to carry bags like the one below. Amazon has some really cute affordable laundry bags.

You can check them out here.

Bathroom Bin or Tote

A bathroom bin or tote is needed to carry all your essential bath items with you easily to the shower.

You can get one pretty much anywhere even Dollar Tree but if you’re shopping on Amazon anyway (remember students get 6 months of Amazon Prime free!) then you can grab one for under $10 easily.

Check some out here. The one below can go right into the shower with you and dries quickly!

Shower Shoes or Flip Flops

You will most likely be sharing your shower with a bunch of other students so you will want to protect your feet. I got lucky in college as I only shared my bathroom with three other girls, two of which were never home so my roommate and I pretty much had a bathroom right across the hall all to ourselves.

I know it’s not that easy for others, some have to travel down hallways to get to the shower and then have to share it with many other students so you will want to have some shower shoes and/or flip-flops.

You can get them pretty much anywhere you shop.

You may also like:

How to Save Money in College

How to Get College Scholarships

How to Get Free Books

Storage

Dorm rooms are small and you will definitely need storage! Under the bed storage is the best to keep items out of the way and allow for more space in the room.

Think about how the dorm room is set up and seek storage that fits your needs. You can check out some options here.

NEED MONEY FOR COLLEGE? Attend this totally free webinar on how to get scholarships for college! Sign up here.

ALARM CLOCK

Most people use their phones these days but its always good to have a real backup in case the phone dies etc you never know right? If you can fit it in the budget I would grab an affordable alarm clock.

Bedside Lamp/ Desk Lamp

You will want to have some lighting so that you can study in your dorm when not in the library. A bedside or desk lamp is good because if your roommate wants to sleep you won’t be disturbing them with light.

You can grab a lamp that clips to anything like the one below so you can clip it wherever convenient. The one below was under $10 when I wrote this post. You can check it out here. 

Compact Refrigerator

If you know your dormmate you may be able to split the cost of a small refrigerator. While it may be a big expense at first, it will save you money in the long run. Being able to stock water and other beverages will save you from having to buy them out of a vending machine before or after class.

You can also store food and leftovers. I found the one below for around $100. You can check it out here.

Small Appliances

Depending on the way you eat you may also opt to bring a microwave, blender or even a slow cooker. I love the 6 in 1 Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Sauté, Steamer, and Warmer. It’s a great all in one cooker that can keep food warm all day.

Other Dorm Room Essentials You May Need/Want

A Single Cup Coffee Maker

Bed Risers (allows for more under bed storage)

Noise Cancelling Headphones

Bedside Caddy (Great Space Saver)

When making your dorm list buy what you absolutely need and want to make you comfortable and what will save you money over time (like the refrigerator and slow cooker).

You may find you want to add a few more items after you have lived in your dorm for a couple months. Also be sure to take advantage of the 6 Month Free of Amazon Prime for students!

If Free isn’t a good enough reason to sign up then you can check out my article: Is Amazon Prime Worth it?

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here

Do you shop online? Do you want to save money shopping online? How about getting cash back when you shop online?

If you’re a loyal reader of Esavingsblog, you know I love cashback sites, and I use them to save whenever I can. It’s a great way to stack savings and it’s a no-brainer if you’re going to shop online (and even offline now).

I recommend signing up for at least a few cashback websites and check each one before you shop to see which one is giving the most back on that day. Some sites will offer double cash back days and bonus cash back, so it is always best to check each one.

My Top 5 Cashback Sites

How does a cashback site work? 

Cashback websites receive a referral commission for driving traffic and sales to a store’s website. They then give a portion or the entire commission back to its members as a cashback rebate.

Why use a cashback site?

Why not? You are going to shop anyway so why not get cash back for doing so.  Besides getting cash back, most of these sites also list coupon codes you can use as well to save even more money on your purchases.

Plus, they’re FREE, and some of them will give you a signup bonus just for signing up. Do you need another reason?

Below is the list of my Top 5 Cashback Websites

1. Rakuten (Formerly Ebates)

Rakuten is one of my favorite and probably the most popular cashback websites out there. I have been a member of Ebates since 1999, and I have earned over $496 so far. Rakuten (Ebates) offers a free gift card for new members and has one of the best referral programs as well. Plus they now offer cash back for offline purchases! Below is a screenshot from my account.

2. TopCashback

TopCashback is another one of my favorites because it gives its members 100% of the commission they earn on your purchase. This means you can earn a lot of cashback through them. So far I have earned over $120 shopping through them. Below is a screenshot from my cashback account.                                                                                                                

3. ShopAtHome

ShopAtHome is a great site that was founded way back in 1986! I have been a member of ShopAtHome since 2010 and I have earned over $321 with them so far.

4. BeFrugal

I have been a member of BeFrugal for a few years, and I have earned over $50 with them so far. You can cash out at just $25. Get $10 to start by using my referral link here.

5. Giving Assistant

I am fairly new to Giving Assistant, I had a chance to review them recently, and I loved how fast and easy it was to shop through them, so that is why I added them to this list. My very first purchase saved me almost $16! You can check out my full review here. If you sign up using my referral link, you will get a $5 Bonus in your account. You can signup for free here for that $5 bonus.

Do you have a favorite cashback site you use? Share it in the comments below this post. Like this post? Share it using the sharing buttons, Sharing is Caring :-).

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here

SAVE OR PAY OFF DEBT?

Should you save or pay off debt? I hear this question a lot!

If you’re fortunate enough to have an income that exceeds your bills (you will know this for sure if you create a budget), it can be confusing to figure out how to put that money to good use.

Is it better to pay off your debt or put that money into savings or investments?

Deciding whether to save your money or use it to pay off debt can be determined by examining a few important factors.

In order to determine what is best for your personal situation, you need to ask yourself four questions.

4 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOU SHOULD PAY OFF DEBT OR SAVE

1. HOW RISKY IS YOUR SOURCE OF INCOME?

Your income source will be the main factor in what to do first.

If you’re in a rocky job or plan on starting a new job then you may want to save a little money first before paying off debt until you know your income source is solid and so you have that sense of security.

But on the other hand, if you’ve worked for the same company for 15+ years and expect to work for 15 more then paying off debt should be a priority.

You’ll also want to ask yourself how easily you could find a job if you were to get let go suddenly. If your salary is one you could easily replace with another job then you won’t need as much saved.

A stable income would tend to favor paying down debt, whereas less stable employment tips the scales in favor of saving a bit more before tackling debt.

I recommend having at least a small amount of savings ($1,000 or one month of expenses whichever makes you feel better) before tackling debt “just in case” but then I suggest you tackle that debt head-on.

Debt has interest and also causes a ton of stress.

Just think of how great it would feel to not have debt. Also, think about how much you could save once that debt is paid off and all those monthly payments are going toward savings!

2. DO YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY FUND?

I mentioned this briefly in the first question but putting away some money is a good first step if you don’t have any savings at all.

Even with high-interest debt, having an emergency fund before attacking your debt will give you some sense of stability.

You’ll sleep better at night, too.

If you follow Dave Ramsey you know that he suggests having a $1000 Emergency Fund to start before digging into debt but to start paying off your debt as soon as you get that $1000.

If having only $1000 makes you nervous still then save a little more but like I mentioned earlier, that debt has interest!

Saving a months’ worth of expenses should be enough to make you feel more secure when tackling your debt especially if your income is pretty stable or if you can easily find another job if something were to happen.

Again if your income is rocky then you can save 2-3 months of income depending on how fast you think you would be able to replace your income.

That’s why the first question is so important. Make debt a priority but also make sure you are stable enough to start tackling it.

Once you get that security you want to tackle your debt immediately. If you already have an emergency fund then you need to start tackling debt now.

3. WHAT IS THE INTEREST RATE ON YOUR DEBT?

Your credit card interest rate might be 19% or more. No one, not even Warren Buffett, can routinely achieve that kind of return through investing and if you’re just sticking money into a savings account then you will definitely not see even close to a good return on that money.

Paying on a 15% debt is similar to earning a 15% return.

So if the reason you’re not tackling debt is that you want to invest money then tackle your debt first! That interest you’re paying on your high-interest credit cards is money down the drain.

4. WHAT ARE YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS?

Your financial goals are important to set before making financial decisions.

A lot of people have an idea of their goals but they never actually sit down and write them out.

The simple act of writing out your goals will open up your mind and help you see the big picture of where you want to be a year from now, five years from now, etc.

To simply say I want to save money or I want to get out of debt is not enough. You want to think about how that would feel if you were to pay off all of your debt and save for emergencies, retirement, and vacations.

If you’re nearing retirement and already have plenty of money set aside, get busy eliminating your debt! You want to be debt free during retirement if you can.

Now that you’ve written out your financial goals. Look at them!

What would you need to accomplish in order to reach those goals? Most financial goals would be better achieved with no debt.

Thinking about buying a home? Buying an investment property? Improving your credit? Starting a business?

All of these goal examples are more likely to be achieved when you have no debt holding you back.

Avoid ignoring the emotions surrounding your financial decisions but also be aware that you may just be avoiding your debt because you don’t want to think about it.

Paying down debt and saving are both worthwhile options for your extra cash. Either choice is better than spending it but the feeling of being debt free is wonderful and paying interest on the debt is a huge waste of your money.

TIME TO MAKE A PLAN!

I know most people are just going to skim this article and think ok good ideas and move on but I want you to really think about becoming debt free.

Imagine how great it would feel to not have to make monthly debt payments. To be able to pay for things you enjoy paying for each month.

Sit down, create a plan and a budget if you don’t have one and get saving and paying off that debt!

If you’re struggling with debt or have any questions leave them in the comments! I read all my comments and I’ll be happy to reply!

Be sure to also signup for my newsletter which will give you access to a bunch of money saving resources and printables to get you motivated!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here