I’m a bit of a minimalist and there are so many websites detailing what to buy for dorm move-in so I sifted through many of them to bring you what I found to be the essentials. Nothing’s worse than wasting money when already paying so much for your child to attend college, so here’s a list of the basics that we purchased to make my daughter’s room nice and cozy. Granted, her room wasn’t extra, extra cozy like some who went all out but it’s just cozy enough for those of us that don’t want to completely break the bank.

1. Bed Topper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075MSPRM6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
2. 2 sets of nice sheets – wash all bedding before hand b/c it will be hard to do it once you are setting up. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077DW6LFQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
3. Duvet cover (2 of them)
4. Comforter to go into the duvet cover: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S1TC3V6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
5. Shelving to go over the mini-fridge: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DKK2RV7Z?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
6. Mini Fridge
7. Microwave
8. 6 sterilite dresser drawers that we zip-tied together for storage underneath the bed – we had to raise the bed a bit to fit: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-Wide-3-Drawer-Cart-Black/16415880?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1100&from=/search
9. Rolling laundry hamper, we went with this one. It actually could’ve fit under her bed along with the 3 sets of sterilite drawers but we didn’t raise the bed high enough and just put it in a corner. I liked that it had a lid so it can contain any bad laundry smells: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DNJD9CND?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
10. Drying mat
11. Shower caddy – 2 of them – 1 for shower supplies and the other for toothbrushing and facewashing
12. Robe
13. Hanging storage: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086H8X77K?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
14. Picture collage frames for easy wall decoration – we bought the ones with plastic instead of glass because they are lighter and at least won’t break if they fall. For my daughter’s dorm we had to hang everything with tacks so the lighter the better: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QVS9KLP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
15. LED lights for warmth – we bought 2 of these from Wal-Mart in black and connected them together to make an extra long string of lights: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-20-Count-Indoor-Outdoor-Warm-White-LED-G40-Globe-Lights-with-White-Wire/3153134295
16. Lamp for warmth – we bought a cute one we found at Wal-Mart – this will be a nice alternative to the fluorescent lighting they have in the dorms.
17. Hangers – these anti-slip ones are great: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FXNAAW2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
18. Hanger extenders – my daughter got a single converted study room which we were lucky to get. Instead of a closet there is a wire rack to hang the clothes so these hanger extenders really came in handy. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RJC5B74?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3
19. Some decorative storage bins
20. Cute pillows for the bed (my daughter just brought hers from home.
21. Digital picture frame for my daughter. Then, she had the brilliant idea for me to get one for myself as well so she can send us pictures from college – done! Now, I get daily pictures – it’s genius!
22. Hand vacuum: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK6RWVYH?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
23. Curtains if you have a curtain rod in place already (we did so we got these later after we realized that)
24. Snacks
25. Fork, spoon, knife, plate, 2 glass storage bowls with lids so she can heat stuff up and keep leftovers in the fridge.
26. Hand Sanitizer, shampoo, conditioner, soap and all the bathroom supplies
27. These laundry baskets are the best – so compact and lightweight – wish I had some at home now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9NFGXL6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
28. S hooks so she can hang stuff off her wire racks like hats and things: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M9QHGYW?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3
29. Jewelry organizer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S9QXMY5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
30. Stool so she can more easily get on her raised up bed and also serves as extra seating for guests: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTCZ9RHV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
31. fan
32. rug: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXL3ZXTM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
33. weighted stuffed animal – target had the cutest weighted stuffed animals – too sweet – even a minimalist like me can’t resist: https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=weighted+animal

Some pictures:

Made a quick collage from the cruise we took after her high school graduation. I wanted her to have all the towel animals b/c they were so sweet and nice to find in the room each time we came back from an excursion. I bought these on amazon – they have plastic inserts instead of glass in case they fall off the wall: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QVS9KLP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title. We had to hang everything with tacks b/c her room didn’t allow command strips – so far they are holding up, but we probably should’ve used 2 tacks on the big one – shall see.

It was so sweet – when we were hammering these tacks in, the roommate next door was banging on the wall every time we used the hammer. We thought uh oh she’s mad, but we went over to introduce ourselves and it turned out she just thought we were trying to communicate with her and she was communicating back like Morse code – that is the sweetest thing – it’ll stick with me forever in a good way. This is our kids before the world turns them hard. Let’s hope they can keep their sweetness a little longer.

This is a prayer board that the girls from her life group each made for themselves before they left for college. Also, super sweet. I just love this age – we have so much to learn from these girls at this time – going to try to soak it all in.

Her first night in the dorm: