One of the smartest things you can do before college move-in day is get on the same page with your roommate about what you’ll share and, just as importantly, who’s bringing what.
When my son moved into his first dorm, we coordinated with his roommate’s family over the summer. It took one short conversation and saved both families from doubling up on a mini fridge, a rug, and a vacuum. More than that, it saved them from the awkward end-of-year question – “Okay, whose Brita pitcher is this, anyway?”
My recommended approach? Split the list. Don’t split the cost.
Make your list of shared items, then divide it so each person is responsible for roughly the same dollar amount. At the end of the year, everyone takes home what they brought. Simple, fair, no negotiation required. If you buy everything together and split the cost down the middle, you’ll spend May negotiating who takes what, and it’s rarely as fair as it felt in August.
You don’t need all of these, but if you decide you want them, you likely only need 1, unless, for example, the school allows 2 mini fridges (this is unusual).
Please check your school & dorm rules – some of the items may not be allowed or as with fridges and microwaves, may only be used in your dorm room if rented through the school.
Some schools do not allow outside furniture or rugs, or require electrical items to be UL-Certified or require curtains to be flame-retardant. Rules vary greatly, so please double-check yours!
Recommendations for each of these items can be found in our Dorm Essentials Guide.
Save space and avoid duplicate purchases by coordinating shared cleaning and cooking supplies with your roommate(s). Here are some items worth sharing:
A simple rotation of “you buy it this month, I’ll buy it next” is all you need. The goal is for neither person to feel like they’re always the one replacing the dish soap.
If you’re lucky enough to have a private shared bathroom, there’s a bit more to coordinate and potentially more people involved.
My son shared his dorm room with one roommate and a private bath with the two students on the other side. That meant we were coordinating room items with one family and bathroom items with four students total. Once we figured that out, it was easy. We just made sure everyone knew what they were contributing.
If you’re in a similar setup, here’s what’s worth sharing among everyone who uses the bathroom:
Recommendations for these items can be found in our Dorm Essentials Guide.
Planning ahead for shared dorm items will make shopping less stressful and allow you to look for sales in late spring and early summer, before dorm items become more expensive and harder to find. If you and your roommate can have this conversation early, you’ll both show up to move-in day with exactly what you need and nothing you don’t.
Our Dorm FAQs Article covers all of the questions frequently asked in our Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group. The Facebook group is also a great source for prior years’ move-in pictures for decor and organizational ideas.
Our complete Dorm Shopping Guide is available here.
Important Tips and tools for dorm and campus safety.
Still have questions? Please comment below, or come ask us in the Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group. So much great info in the group along with hundreds, maybe thousands, of move-in pictures from previous years to give you ideas and inspiration.
=> Please share this article with your dorm-bound friends and their parents. I would love for everyone to understand this topic before they start dorm shopping!
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