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

Last Updated: February 2, 2023

As any college student can report, money can be tight. You'll need to be creative and smart to furnish your apartment or dorm as inexpensively as possible. Here are some tips to picking up some essential living items.

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.
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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.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I fax someone?

Community Answer

If you don't have a fax machine (or the budget/space for one), you'll have to go to a print shop to use theirs or use a fax-via-IP service.

Warnings

Team lift if something is heavy! Starting the semester with a strained back (and possibly broken furniture) makes for a very unhappy student.

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Dorms often restrict what electrical appliances are allowed. Verify your dorm allows items before moving them in. You may just have to pack it away until you have your own apartment.

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Ask what kind of hook up is available before you shop for a washer and dryer. Don't buy a gas dryer if the hook up is for electric only.

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Bleach will bleach out fabric on which it is accidentally spilled. Use caution when cleaning with bleach and use caution when dealing with the mop or rags you've used.

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When heading to the landfill, check that your vehicle properly displays the county sticker. There may be heavy fines for a "visitor," even if to pick up (and not drop off) items. Consider having a friend drive you to the dump if you're from a different jurisdiction.

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Most thrift stores and yard sales sell items "As Is", which means it may not work. Ask to plug in any electrical appliance to see if it works before you buy.

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Bleach and ammonia may be inexpensive and effective cleansers, but they cannot be mixed together. Toxic fumes will form!

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Bleach and ammonia have strong fumes. Dilute with water and use in a well ventilated area but do not mix.

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Used furniture may contain bedbugs. Mattresses are most at risk, but bedbugs can live in small crevices in any furniture. Note that bedbugs are very flat, and so can hide very effectively in crevices; you are unlikely to spot them through casual inspection. Once bedbugs enter a home, they are extremely difficult to eradicate. To avoid problems, be very sure your furniture has not come from an infested home.

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Carefully consider furniture that is found on the curbs. Like mattresses with bedbugs, wooden furniture and couches can contain roaches if they have been kept in a home with an infestation. You do not want to deal with this.

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Things You'll Need

Kitchen
- Utensils: You'll need knives, forks and spoons to eat with but also knives to chop with and larger spoons for stirring. You should also get bigger plastic or wooden (not metal, it scratches Teflon) spoons and spatulas to use on Teflon-coated (non-stick) pans.
- Pots and Pans: You may not cook a lot now, but you should learn. Once you learn to cook for one you can stretch your buck a lot farther. Get non-stick (Teflon coated) pots and pans (easier to clean and food won't stick.) You'll need a skillet type pan, medium in size, a saucepan or two, a baking sheet or jellyroll pan and a round pizza pan if you can find one (and like to eat pizza). Jellyroll and baking sheets come in many sizes. Try to get a small or medium pan since the large pans (usually 17"-19") don't always fit into small ovens.
- Dishes: For ease, you should stock up on plastic plates (paper plates makes too much waste). It is also important to have microwave-safe dishes. Look on the bottom of the plate; it will usually be marked if it is microwave safe with "Microwave Safe". You'll need bowls and plates. If you drink coffee, you'll also need coffee cups.
- Glassware: Glasses are for drinking, not for use as ashtrays or mixing bowls. Some people prefer glass over plastic. Most people have a combination of the two. Look for a heavy-feeling glass that isn't too big nor too small. Think of the glasses you drink out of daily and look for glasses that size. Glasses with stems (think wine glasses) can break easily and may not be suitable for everyday dorm/apartment use. If you find a few inexpensive ones or someone offers you free ones, you can take them, but save them for special occasions. Plastic cups should be sturdy and without odor.
- Food storage: Storage bowls are usually plastic and come with a lid. You can find very inexpensive plastic storage containers in the grocery store. They are inexpensive enough for you throw away should they get old or nasty. Try to have 1-3 larger storage containers and at least 4-5 smaller containers. If you are living somewhere susceptible to insects, you can also get storage containers big enough to hold a box of cereal, a bag of sugar, and large enough to hold a loaf of bread.
  - Ziploc bags are great for storage. You can store the rest of a sandwich, snacks or use them to pack take-along snacks so you can stretch your budget and not eat out as much.
  - Try to pick up the inexpensive storage containers for your leftovers and everyday use. These can usually be found on the aluminium foil or Ziploc bag aisle in most grocery stores for $2-$5 for several small ones.
  - For storing sugar, flour, bread, etc. you may need a larger plastic storage container that can be found in the Rubbermaid or kitchen storage section of your local discount store. These will cost a bit more because they are heavy duty. Try to ask your family if they have extras before you buy.
- Mixing: You may not do a lot of mixing, but having 1-2 bowls around isn't a bad thing. Some even come with lids so you can have backup storage if you need it. Stainless steel bowls are inexpensive and will literally last a lifetime if you maintain them.
- Look for a few cookbooks if you like to cook. There are cookbooks dedicated to cooking for singles, on budgets and easy meals. Don't forget to add measuring cups and spoons to your shopping list since you'll need more precise measuring with cookbook recipes.
Gadgets and small appliances:
- Microwave- try to get a smaller one since space will be a premium (unless you get a great deal on a large one).
- Can opener- these come in electric and manual. If you open lots of cans you can think about an electric.
- Toaster or toaster oven- can save electricity if you use it instead of an oven for small items.
- Coffee maker- look for something with a simple carafe. The replacements can be found easily if broken. You can also use coffee makers for making tea or just heating water.
- Blender- great for making shakes and smoothies. The lid is essential.
- Hot Air Popcorn Popper- This is a fantastic item, and if you can find a cheap working one, you should get it. Popcorn is easy to fix, super cheap and a great snack to offer friends that won't hurt your wallet. With the hot air poppers you can prepare it in 3 minutes and have minimal cleanup.
Towels and linens: You'll need at least two sets of sheets for your bed, a blanket or comforter (more or less depending on where you live), wash cloths, bath towels, kitchen towels, oven mitts, cleaning rags and/or sponges. Cool colors are fun but staying with whites will give you the option to bleach if things get really dirty or smelly. Try to get blankets and comforters that are machine washable and can actually fit into a washing machine. Don't forget linens and pillows. Sleeping on a mattress with no mattress pad or sheets can be unsanitary, promote dust mite infestation and shorten the life of the item.
Cleaning: No one likes to clean so make the job easier with the proper tools. Get a mop, bucket, broom, dustpan, rags, sponges, an all purpose cleaner like 409 or Fantastic that will clean or degrease, ammonia is also great for cleaning everything from appliances to windows, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner and toilet bowl brush, (if you have carpet you'll need a vacuum cleaner and vacuum bags). If you really hate cleaning you can pick up some yellow kitchen gloves to keep your hands from getting dirty. You should also pick up a plunger for your bathroom. They're cheap and when you need one, you need one. Sometimes super cheap dollar brand cleansers may not work as well as the name brands.
Furniture items: This can be picked up free from family. Ask your parents if you can take older furniture from the home or check the attic or basement for forgotten lamps and accessories. Make a list of the obvious needs: Bed, dresser, couch, chairs, etc.
- If you can't find a table you can always use tray tables. They're cheaper and easier to move.
- Check Craigslist, local thrift stores and put the word out to family that you need furnishings.
- Avoid water beds or king size beds. Many places prohibit water beds and king size beds only work in very large rooms. Think functionality and take what will fit. You may need to talk to your parents about letting you take something from the guest room or trade with a sibling.
- Use slipcovers to give old couches and chairs a new look. Slipcovers will also protect them from spills. Don't worry about finding top of the line couches and chairs. Get what you can and what will fit your space and use slip covers to tie the décor together.
Larger appliances usually come with apartments but you should ask when renting a house.
- Washer and dryers- availability may vary from location to location so make sure you ask if these are included. If they're not included but a hook up is available you can easily find a used washer and dryer second hand. Check the yellow pages and contact buyers that buy and sell appliances. These businesses often buy broken units and refurbish them for resale. Also check the newspaper classifieds and Craigslist. Often people will unload old ones when moving or getting new ones. These are sometimes in excellent working order and are sold at a very low price because they don't want to deal with moving or hauling. (This is also how some used appliance retailers get products.) If they offer a laundry room and in-apartment hook-ups you should check the cost of their laundry room. You may easily spend more paying per load than spending $50 each on a used washer and dryer.
  - Verify the type of washer and dryer hook up that is available in an apartment before you buy. They may offer a hookup but only for an electric dryer or a stackable until.
  - Don't worry if the plug on the dryer doesn't match the receptacle in the apartment. There are two kinds of cords and plugs widely used. You can go to any home improvement or appliance store and get a new plug for about $10-$15. Following the instructions, it will take about 10 minutes to exchange the old one for the new one.
- Air conditioners- these may or may not be a necessity where you will be living. Sometimes old houses that are rented out may not have the amenities like air conditioning. You can often find window units for sale at some of the same used appliance centers as you would find washer and dryers. Check Craigslist and your local paper for inexpensive used options. Some larger apartment buildings may rent and install these. If you're moving into a high rise this could be a low stress option.
Lighting. You'll need it to study and lamps can be much more cost effective than running overhead lights. Make sure you're asking family about unwanted lamps. Check yard sales and thrift stores. Be open to floor lamps, desk lamps and table lamps. Like with other hand-me-down décor you can often paint it black, gold or silver to match most any décor. Discount stores also sell replacement shades. Consider using energy efficient bulbs and make sure you aren't using a 100 watt bulb in a lamp made for a 40 watt light. It could be a fire hazard.
Storage options. By having storage available, you'll eliminate clutter and having things stacked around your new place. Add bookcases or storage shelves to your list. Students will have lots of books and keeping them organized can save you time and frustration. Have enough room to store the items you have. Don't forget to bring adequate storage for clothes, personal items, etc.