Boy moms, this is most likely for you. 🙂
I’m guilty myself. I get so busy during peak dorm shopping season that I neglect shopping for my own kids’ as they head to college. My younger son moved into his first apartment last week, and I did 90% of the shopping in the 5 days prior! Sleepyhead even did me a favor and expedited shipping for me!
I know you’re out there struggling with last minute dorm shopping too, and I know it is hard to find the best dorm essentials right now.
I just went through my lists and put the key essentials that I still see in stock for immediate shipping below. I did not include bedding beyond a mattress topper, but let me know if you’re still looking for bedding!
TWIN XL TOPPER DEAL! This is a WOW price for August, and the fact that it is even still in stock is amazing enough. If you still need a Twin XL topper, hurry on this one! Also on deal in Full XL.
TALL CHARGING NIGHTSTAND. 5-drawers. 39.4” tall.
TWIN HEADBOARD. This is a simple twin headboard with legs that comes in a gray or a taupe gray. Very few options still out there, Wayfair has the best current selection with immediate shipping (definitely look at shipping dates right now, some on Amazon are December!). This one is still reasonably priced.
QUICK DRY TOWELS. Simple, quick-drying, very affordable.
ROLLING LAUNDRY HAMPER. Holds a ton and is very sturdy. Not recommended if you have to take stairs to the laundry room!
DAMP RID. Something to consider if your dorm is known to be damp and humid. These are great for the closet.
VACUUM #1. This is a bigger than a stick vac but a better choice for lots of long hair and carpet. Good for an apartment too. Shipping available.
VACUUM #2. Bissell PowerForce Helix Vacuum with beater brush to get that long hair out of carpets.
AIR PURIFIER: Levoit 200s Smart Air Purifier. Great deal + receive $10 Target gift card with purchase.
3.1cuft 2-DOOR MINI FRIDGE. We have this, and it is going into its 4th college year now. Holding up great!
3.2cuft 2-DOOR MINI FRIDGE. Incredible price down right now and so well rated.
.7cuft MICROWAVE. I know how hard it can be to find white microwaves! Also in red and black.
OVER FRIDGE SHELVING. All shelves can adjust including to start over the top of a mini fridge.
KITCHEN-SIZED TRASH CAN. Already moved in and filling up that little office-sized trash can every few hours? I always recommend a kitchen-sized trash can for a dorm room. Don’t forget the kitchen trash bags.
COUNTERTOP ICE MAKER. Lots of requests for these in the past week.
KEURIG K-MINI. The smallest footprint Keurig.
AIRTIGHT FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS. 15 is too many for a dorm room, but I bought this, sent some to college and kept the rest for myself! Love this set because the lids are interchangeable between all size containers. Comes with 24 chalkboard labels and a chalk pen too.
2-Pack ICE CUBE TRAYS. This is something we forgot to send with our freshman last year. If you’re not taking a countertop ice maker, a few ice trays are helpful if you have a 2-door mini fridge with separate freezer.
COOKWARE. Need a beautiful cookware set for a full kitchen? This set has a non-toxic, ceramic non-stick coating that is PTFE, PFOA and PFOS free and is 20% off now in several gorgeous colors.
WOOZOO FAN. If you still need one, Costco still has them online. If you can find it in store, it will be about $9 less.
PLASTIC DRAWER TOWERS. If you’d be hoping to find these at Target, but they’re out of stock, they are in stock with shipping at Walmart right now: (ad). The narrow one is available too,
3-DRAWER CART. $12. For under bed, bathrooms, closet floors, next to desk. Great extra mobile storage for a small price.
OVER DOOR ORGANIZER. Group favorites! Hang over door, from your lofted bed or your tall over fridge storage. Holds a ton including heavier items!
SHOE SHELVES. These are stackable and great for the closet floor.
CUBE ORGANIZERS & FABRIC BINS.
LOCKING STORAGE. Sterilite Footlocker With Wheels. Red, teal or black. Great for under bed storage, and if you want to use it to lock up your laptop, gaming device and other valuables, just add a padlock through the holes on the lid and a cable lock to tether it to the bed rail.
TALL CUBE ORGANIZER FOR LOFT BED NIGHTSTAND. Just back in stock in white now and also 5 other wood colors. This is 70.3” long, so it would make a great ‘nightstand’ vertically next to a lofted bed. It would also work well horizontally as storage under a low bed at 16.4” tall. It takes 13” cubes and there are some great wood inserts for water bottle storage and more. Just comment if you’re interested, and I’ll post those for you.
DESK HUTCHES. DormCo has the best selection and is usually less expensive to buy direct than buy their products through a major retailer.
LAST MINUTE PRINTABLE WALL ART. See our collection! Download, print locally same day, pickup a frame, and voila!
AMBIENT LIGHTING FLOOR LAMP. A clean and simple look for a great price.
AMBIENT LIGHTING WITH STORAGE LED Floor Lamp With Storage Shelves & Drawer. 63.7” tall. 3 color settings. 2 power outlets, 1 USB outlet & 1 USB-C outlet. Great for ambient lighting & power + storage in a dorm room or apartment living room/bedroom.
RUGS. Up to 40% off at Target. This is a list of the lower pile rugs on sale in 5×7, 6×9 or 8×10.
ROOM DARKENING CURTAINS: Streetlights shining straight through your mini-blinds? Room darkening curtains on a tension rod can be a simple solution.
HOLLYWOOD VANITY MIRROR. I have seen a lot of group members asking about these when they see them in the room reveal posts. This is a trusted brand and the best price I can find across retailers right now.
CUSTOM PET PILLOWS. A sweet reminder of their furry friend at home. Our link includes a 25% discount automatically applied in the cart. If you see a different offer pop up when you visit their website, just click out of that and continue.
40” SMART ROKU TV. This is a good size for a dorm room and for future apartment bedrooms.
UL-LISTED SURGE PROTECTOR. Best price for a basic UL-Listed surge protector.
PORTABLE PHONE CHARGER. Smaller size, still has 10000 mAh power.
4-PACK APPLE AIR TAGS. Let me know if you need suggestions for how to attach Air Tags to bikes, backpacks, wallets, keychains, lanyards, etc.
8-PACK VENO BAGS. Best deal is at Walmart. Also available at Amazon.
BOOT TRAY. For wet shower caddies, wet shower shoes, wet umbrellas. Plus this fits perfectly in the bottom of a VENO bag to help stabilize heavy loads or many loose items.
TOOLBOX. Use it for move-in then keep in the dorm room for minor fixes. Everyone on the hall will be asking to borrow tools during the year!
COMMAND HOOKS MULTIPACK. Highly recommended for move-in day so you’ll have several options on hand. At low price + extra 10% coupon right now too.
POSTER PUTTY. Can’t use Command products? This may be an option, and on deal today.
DOOR STOPPERS. And bring a few extras to share with your neighbors who didn’t know you need these!
1000-FEET PLASTIC WRAP ON A ROLLER. So helpful for moving and packing. Use to keep packed drawers closed, put a ‘lid’ on open bins, keep already opened toppers rolled, etc.
FOLDING HAND CART/DOLLY. This comes highly recommended by several of our group members.
OPEN WHEN ENVELOPE LABELS. You can still send these after move-in! Just package together as your first care package!
OPEN WHEN FILLER IDEAS. Our list of 54 Open When occasions with several ideas for what to put inside each one!
CAR JUMP STARTER & TIRE INFLATOR. Car Safety in 1 small package. This little device is a portable jump start battery (comes with jumper cables) plus air compressor to fill up your own tires. No tow trucks or other cars necessary. On sale + extra $5 off coupon.
SHE’S BIRDIE PERSONAL ALARM. A keychain personal alarm with bright flashing strobe light to carry on keys, backpack or wristlet at all times.
MAMA BEAR LEGAL FORMS. If your student still needs to put their Power Of Attorney forms in place, Mama Bear is a simple solution with a proprietary online process to walk you through easy to understand questions and then generate the forms just for your situation. A second state’s forms are included if your student is going to college out of state. Use our group code PSA20 to take 20% off.
Let us know in the Dorm Shopping Recommendations Facebook group if you have other last minute shopping needs that aren’t covered here!
Affiliate Disclaimer: I only recommend products I do or would use myself. All opinions expressed are my own. I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, for purchases made through the links in this post. Please see our full disclaimer for details.
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