by Elyse Williams

Created on: August 17, 2008

My experience arises from being a mom to both a daughter and a son who are in college. And it DOES make a difference whether you are furnishing a dorm room for a girl or a boy.

To furnish a girls dorm room:

As soon as she knows who her roommate(s) are, she will call and have an extensive discussion.
This could take a few hours - they will examine the finite details of color coordination, how many pillows should be on each bed, and exactly what colors the accompanying wastebaskets, and accoutrements should be.

Start collecting coupons and make sure she asks for gift certificates for graduation to such places as Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target. Don't worry- she will have this figured out from discussions with other friends who are going away.

Look at lists from these places and start looking for sales a few months before. If you find something on sale- buy it. WARNING- DO NOT BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT HER SCRUTINIZING AND APPROVAL. She might have to take a picture and email it to her roommate to make sure it's proper coordination.

Be prepared to have at least 2 cars to take her things up to college. Better yet, rent a small U-HAUL.

Remember a dorm room is small; however the girls will make available every bit of space. Under the bed boxes work great.

The lists you can acquire for dorm room shopping show EVERYTHING and ANYTHING. Remind your daughter that if something is forgotten, most college towns have stores to buy them. And something WILL be forgotten- don't fret- it will all work out. Just make sure that her comforter is the right shade of pink.

Yes, she will want the little "extras"- lots of fluffy pillows for the bed, a small rug, posters and wall hangings. Again, these things can be brought later. Also, she can split costs of the "extras" with her roommate.

To furnish boys dorm room:

About a month before (or less) spend 2 hours to buy the basics- comforter, sheets, towels (if needed). Buy a color he likes.

You could probably fit everything in the trunk of your car.

MORE TIPS:

It is not necessary to buy the double sheets that are always recommended. This just costs money.

Target and Wal-Mart are great places to shop for dorm room. Also, don't forget you can get little odds and ends at dollar stores and save ALOT of money.

Every year, a different pattern and colors are "featured" for dorm rooms. Make sure that you don't get caught up in this- just because the marketing people have decided on colors doesn't necessarily mean your kid would like them. Let them use their own style and color preference.

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