As most kids who move to study elsewhere can testify, a college student's budget is notoriously low. You have to be creative and smart to furnish your apartment or room at the student house in the most economical way possible. Here are some tips for choosing the essential items for a home.
Steps
Step 1. Make a list of the articles that will be useful to you
You can find a list of commonly used items in the "Things You Will Need" section. Consider what are the essential and appropriate elements for the place you will live and for the duration of your stay. Living in a dormitory will require few items because you will be provided with almost everything. Living in an unfurnished apartment, on the other hand, is not as easy. Make a sensible assessment. Write the list in order of importance.
Step 2. Your grandmother's old chest of drawers may not match the rest of the furniture and is not exactly beautiful, but a free item should always be appreciated
Ask your parents, grandparents, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and so on if they have any unused or unwanted items. You will be amazed by the attics and drawers filled with items that are not used and that can be recycled. Maybe you'll do them a favor by getting them out of the way. Start asking during the summer so they keep their eyes peeled and put aside what you might need.
Step 3. Ask your parents if you can take the television, DVD player or stereo that is now in your room with you
In fact, you have to ask if it is an asset belonging to the whole family or yours. Suggest that you bring some available items around the house as a graduation gift, to help with cleaning, etc. Is the TV very big? Ask to swap it for a smaller one in the house.
Step 4. Ask your parents or grandparents to organize a party for your relocation so that you can get what you need as a gift
Some stores allow you to make a wish list. Select inexpensive items, do not indicate that you want a 3D television. You can put in a little bit of everything, from towels to lamps, through the microwave. By making the list simple and reasonable, people will appreciate your sense and feel more inclined to help you. You have to send thank-you notes to someone who gives you a gift. Be grateful.
Step 5. Thrift stores are often affiliated with charities
Not only can you get cheap products, but the money you spend will allow you to help the less fortunate. Go to stores like Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or any other such store. Come back often, as they are restocked every day or once a week. You can find pots, pans, bowls and utensils for a few euros. Also, take a look at the sales organized by the parish. Many faithful offer items in good condition, which will be sold at a low cost.
Step 6. Plan in the short term
Most of the items you'll need for your dorm room or first apartment won't last long. Choose inexpensive plastic items, such as folding tables and chairs, for both indoors and out. Instead of a bed, consider a futon. In short, these measures will allow you to furnish your home at low cost and in the short term. Once you graduate, you will need the money saved to purchase higher-quality, long-term furniture.
Step 7. Go to the shops that sell everything for one euro
They are ideal for buying floor rags, brooms and detergents. You can also buy a toilet brush and a plunger. These two items better be new.
Step 8. If flea markets are held in your area, drop by
Sometimes kitchen and bathroom items may get lost inside a box because they are very small. If you don't see an item you are interested in, ask the seller if it has it, maybe it's hidden. If the items are too expensive, or if you can find cheaper ones elsewhere, you should wait. Another tip is to talk calmly with the seller. Explain that you are going to college and that you are looking for certain items. Give him your phone number and tell him you'd be willing to take away any items he won't have sold at the end of the day, if you care. Most people would rather give what is left over to a student who needs it rather than throw it away.
Step 9. Check the furniture left on the street
Many people throw things away instead of trying to sell or donate them. This is especially common when relocating or after a secondhand sale held in your garden. You will find better quality items in the affluent areas of the city. People who have a lot of money to spend often throw in new or semi-new things just because they are out of style. You can find boxes and boxes of things. Of course, only collect items that can be washed and sanitized.
Step 10. Go to the nearest landfill or recycling center
No, you don't have to swim in the trash of the day to save money! In many landfills there is a separate building where people can leave lightly used furniture and other household items, which fall under the 'too good to throw' category. Spring cleaning for your fellow citizens can allow you to have a new sofa for your apartment or a computer desk for the dorm room at no cost, except for the energy needed to load the furniture in the car. Visit these places frequently - a full facility can be emptied within a day. Bonus: this place is also great for leaving old furniture.
Step 11. You can paint or arrange original furniture items to reflect your style
You can use covers and sheets to cover some furniture in an original way without spending too much. Be creative and have fun while you decorate! Read the auction announcements. Many people rent warehouses to leave things they don't use and sometimes forget to pay the rent. These items are auctioned. You could get everything you need for little price. Most people try to participate for more valuable goods, so basic items can be bought for little money.
Step 12. Sort the things you get
Put them away after you buy them and cross them off the list. Remember to carefully wrap and package anything that can break. You don't want to arrive in your new apartment with broken dishes, forced to buy them back. Don't forget to label the boxes.
Step 13. Buy food while still at home
Stock up on canned foods, such as instant soups, beef, tuna, legumes in short, choose packages that won't break and foods that won't go bad. Don't forget the salt, pepper, mustard, ketchup, sugar, sweetener, coffee, oil, popcorn, peanuts, etc. Take note of what you eat every day and make a list of the durable items in your fridge. Do not open anything that requires refrigeration prior to transfer. Many packaged products, such as mayonnaise and salad dressings, can be stored at room temperature until opened.
- Ask your parents to add some items to the weekly grocery list. If you start getting what you need early, you'll have good food supplies when the time comes to move.
- Also, ask your parents to accompany you to a wholesale store to purchase the items you can stock up on.
- Seasonings like salt and pepper likely abound in your parents' home. Spices are expensive and you won't run out of them quickly, so ask your parents if you can borrow some.
Step 14. Go to the antique shop too
Several outlets have used items that you can buy at a good price. You will find many decorative items. Keep in mind that it is usually possible to negotiate on the final price and most of the time you will receive a discount.
Step 15. Visit your university-run thrift store if available
They often sell office furniture, lamps, tools of different types, and so on at reasonable prices.
Step 16. If your university has one, visit the warehouse where furniture items are lent
Some institutions run one so that students can borrow things for free, as long as they return them (and perhaps offer new items) when they no longer need them. Sometimes access to these warehouses is restricted to international students or those of a certain department or faculty.
Advice
- If you are lucky enough to get multiple items, you can donate what is left over to friends who are facing the same situation as you.
- Before moving to college, instead of asking for clothes, clothes and more clothes for your birthday and Christmas, you should prefer some good for stores where you can buy what you need in the new home.
- While living in a dorm for now, you can start sourcing the essentials for an apartment. Keep your eyes peeled for good opportunities. The day you move into your own home, you will have everything you need.
- You can start networking with your friends to share shopping tips. Tell them when you see something on their list, and they'll have to do the same with you.
- When considering an item, consider whether you will really need it. Most college students move into a smaller room than their own and will have a roommate.
- Put creativity in motion to decorate the walls. You can hang photos of friends, your family and your city. Get some frames. You can find several of the same color in different stores, but you can also buy them in different colors and dye them to match.
- Don't forget to check out sites like Craigslist and online message boards in general to find free or low-cost items.
- If you know or find out who your roommates are before moving into the dorm or apartment, get in touch with them and decide who will bring what. Share large items, such as microwave oven, television, game console, printer, etc. First, consider what the student house has to offer.
- Check out the university's newspapers or other free publications distributed in the city where you study (or a neighboring one). Relocating students can offer used items at affordable prices.
- Don't wait until the week before the move. Start sourcing items during the summer or final year of school. Getting ready for college can be expensive, so set aside enough time to do good business.
- The best time to find items left on the street is between May and July, when most students finish the academic year. Often you throw away items you won't need. Connect with other students on a social network to find out if they offer free or inexpensive items. You can also check out Craigslist, which features several classifieds for free or cheap items this time of year. Do you live in a big city? Take a tour towards the end of the month, when transfers are more common.
- The university website should have an area dedicated to future freshmen, which in some cases also presents a list of what is possible or impossible to bring to the student house (for example, there are institutions that do not allow you to carry devices with exposed heating parts, such as coffee machines with the carafe that is placed directly on an electric stove).
Warnings
- Bleach and ammonia can be used as inexpensive but effective detergents. However, they should not be mixed, or toxic fumes will be generated.
- Most thrift shops and private sales are selling items that don't work. Before buying an item, ask them to plug it in to see if it works.
- Used furniture may contain bed bugs. Mattresses pose a greater risk, but these insects can also live in cracks in furniture. Remember that bed bugs are very flat, so they can hide well in cracks. You will hardly notice them if you do a general inspection. Once they enter a home, it is extremely complicated to eradicate them. To avoid problems, make sure the furniture doesn't come from a haunted house.
- Carefully consider the furniture found on the street. The mattresses can contain bed bugs, while the wooden furniture and sofas can contain cockroaches. In fact, they may have come from a haunted house. You don't want to pick up the first thing you find.
- The bleach will ruin the fabrics on which it is accidentally spilled. Be careful when cleaning with this substance and when you are holding the cloth you used.
- If you have heavy furniture to lift, ask someone for help. Starting the semester with back pain (and maybe with broken furniture) is not the best.
- The fumes from bleach and ammonia are aggressive. Dilute them with water and use them in a well-ventilated area. As stated before, don't mix them.
- Student houses often have restrictions on what electrical devices are allowed. Check your rules before moving. Otherwise, you run the risk of carrying a useless object with you and having to put it aside until you have your own apartment.
- If you live in the United States and need to go to a landfill, make sure the county sticker is clearly visible on your vehicle. Visitors could be subject to hefty fines, even if they only go to collect things, not drop them off. If you are from a different jurisdiction, you may want a friend to accompany you.
- Before buying the washing machine and tumble dryer, find out if the apartment already has these appliances.
