I probably spent thousands of dollars in dorm/apt essentials and deco over my college career. And all for what? Stuff I threw away, donated, or sold for less than 30% of their market value. I mean, who the heck buys twin extra long beds for their own house?
Looking back, I regret the ridiculous amount of money I spent on the material objects which supplemented my college life. Because the things you buy for college are meant to be disposable, like newly developed skills (perfecting the trajectory required to dunk that ping pong ball into a plastic cup of beer), certain types of relationships (the “frenemy”), and $100,000 worth of knowledge (I honestly can’t for the life of me name even one of the five models of international trade…and international relations was my major!).
It is exactly for this reason that I was delighted to read of Dorm in a Box, which packages high-quality dorm essentials and ships them directly to your university…at a fraction of the cost.
Take a look at their Dorm 101, their basic package:
Now, I know most of the items on this list – I’ve owned some of them – and they are by no means flimsy items that will fall apart after just one week. They are things you will use again and again, and they are things you will need as a college student living in a dorm.
The Dorm 101 package sells for a mere $199.
Go tell all your friends, family, and neighbors – even your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate’s daughter who will be starting college in the fall – about this website.
Via Core77.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the 
how come we don’t have this when we were in college? And “perfecting the trajectory required to dunk that ping pong ball into a plastic cup of beer” is not a disposable skill, you will need this post grad!
Such a smart concept. When I graduated from college and got my first apartment, I got something similar, “kitchen in a box.” I think it was $99 and had everything I needed for a starter kitchen. Again, not the highest quality stuff, but definitely met my need for years until it was time for a wedding registry-style upgrade 🙂 New site looks great btw!
Not a bad idea, but not something that you should hurry out to buy. My main concern is the sheets. When I move into a dorm, I had to buy all new sheets because the beds were not regular single beds, they were longer. Likewise, things like over the door hooks may not fit.
Of course, students should carefully consider what they already have, what they can find cheaper elsewhere (even buying used), what they can borrow if need be, what they prefer in an item (I’m not a fan of wooden hangers, for one) and what they really don’t need. For example, most students will have alarm clocks by now if they use one — or will be used to using their phone as one. And playing cards aren’t really a necessity. I haven’t used mine in years because even when I do play card games I play them on my computer. And anyhow, they’re easy to find free on campus as they’re often used by groups as swag.