Room Shopping

Today I completed a portion of the arduous task of dorm shopping. Over the course of the past two days, I have been to Ithaca and Syracuse, searching for perfect dorm bedding (& other dorm supplies) that would fit my needs as a freshman living on campus.

Middlebury has Twin XL beds. This accommodation for 6-footers provided a challenging aspect to the search. I was either too late to get the good deals on Twin XL sheets, or very few places make that size bedding. Today I finally hit a jackpot between Target and Bed Bath & Beyond (both in Ithaca). I'm going to write about two things inspired by my shopping experiences over the past two days.

The first thing I want to address is the challenge of finding Twin XL bedding. I was on the lookout for a down comforter suitable for Vermont winters, a duvet cover, two sets of Twin XL sheets, a mattress pad, a sofa pillow and one extra throw or body pillow. The pillows were really no trouble but I didn't want to get anything that didn't match my comforter or sheets, so I had to first find a comforter and the accessories that would be visible to room visitors before continuing my search.

I was entirely unsuccessful in Pottery Barn and The Bon-Ton. If there were any Twin XL sheets they were so ugly that they gave me the shivers. I felt like if I'd chosen any of their selection, my finds would have only been suitable for decorating a nursing home. In JC Penney I had minor success with my search and found a down comforter. However the rest of JC Penney's selection was dismal at best. The sheets were boyish and the duvet covers didn't come in Twin XL.

Real success was much further away from Syracuse; at the Bed Bath & Beyond in Ithaca I found a reasonably priced duvet cover and mattress pad as well as Egyptian Cotton Sheets. I found the rest of what I needed at Target, known now as the "Holy Grail of College Supplies".

What I found at Target brings me to the second thing I wanted to write about which might be useful to other pre-froshes. While walking through Target, they had pre-made lists of things to get that you could rip off and keep for your shopping trip, but I had a feeling these lists were more suitable for graduate students or undergrads living off campus rather than for freshmen. I would like to make amendments to their list that seem to be more realistic for a tiny first year double.

Bedding:

Comforter

Duvet Cover

Blankets

Sheets

Pillowcases

Body Pillows

Mattress Pad (Memory Foam FTW)

Storage:

Storage Drawers

Drawer Organizer (for desk)

Kitchenette:**

Coffee Maker (I'm a huge coffee addict)

Bowls

Cups

Travel Mug

LOTS of plastic utensils (Spoons, Forks, Knives, etc.)

Studying:

Lamp

CFL bulbs

White board (Month Calendar / Week Calendar Variety)

Bulletin Board (normal cork board)

Expo Markers or any variety of dry erase

Envelopes

Stationery (for letter writing)

Thank You Cards (you never know who you'll have to thank while away)

Ethernet Cord

Extension Cords (20 ft)

Surge Bar (1 should be fine)

Miscellaneous & DecorL

Duck Tape

Febreze

Laundry Detergent

Tide to Go

Lint Roller

Small Hammer

Thumbtacks

Trashbags

Posters

Photographs from High School

Full Length Mirror

Bathroom:

Shower Caddy ( large and not metal; rust)

Shower Shoes

Towel Set (I like having four sets)

**A microwave and fridge can also be added to this, but I'm really trying to stick to eating from my meal plan to save money & to keep myself away from easily accessible junk food.