UPDATED: 10 things I wish I bought before my first day in the dorms
ADVERTISMENT: The everyday things college freshmen, including car owners, will need to make campus living easier
Maroon microwave. Maroon corded phone. Maroon comforter. Maroon frames. Maroon flowers. That was all I was focused on when it came to going to college. I absolutely wanted to continue on with my brand as “Maroonsista.” (Fun fact: When Arsenio Hall did a reboot of his show between September 2013 and May 2014, I submitted a question under my longtime alias. I was elated when he called out that name, and a bunch of Twitter users tagged me to make sure I saw it.)
Two decades later, no college student has to buy a landline phone. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t own a smartphone, including my late grandfather who lived to be 95. Comforters and microwaves are still just as important in a 12x12 dorm. I still like maroon, but my home is not drowning in the color the way the college version of me assumed it would be. However, there are some practical things I wish I knew to bring that would’ve made dorm living easier.
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1. Collapsible Sock and Underwear Drying Rack: est. $18
I’ve never been a penny pincher when it comes to bras (mainly Victoria’s Secret). And unless you’re lucky enough to find clearance deals, you’ve probably spent about $30 to $50 on a single bra before. If you want them to last, stay away from dryers. While I lost interest in using delicate laundry bags for each bra — mainly because I always ended up with deodorant remnants still on the bras — a collapsible rack like this is easy to hook on a doorway after taking your bras out of the washer. Bras usually dry within hours in a well-ventilated room and 24 hours max in a damp or cool room. And if you buy a collapsible drying rack like this one from HangerWorld, you can store it in a dresser drawer until your next use. There are other options and shapes, such as this square hanging rack and another one with adjustable arms, but collapsible hooks that firmly stay in place are my preference.
2. Stainless Steel, Reusable Straws: est. $7-$14
I was Today Years Old when I learned what those silicone stoppers were for. I bought these reusable straws years ago, after Michael B. Jordan mentioned how Oprah Winfrey introduced him to eco-friendly straws. And like his MOSS drinks, People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” has yet to fail me with his shopping recommendations.
Why should you use eco-friendly straws?
500 million straws are used daily by people in the United States alone.
Many types of straws cannot be reused or recycled due to the chemicals they are made from.
Most plastic straws are also not biodegradable and cannot be broken down naturally by bacteria and other decomposers into non-toxic materials.
Most plastic straws break into smaller particles, releasing harmful chemicals into the soil, air and water and onto animals; plants; people; and the environment.
This set of eight stainless steel reusable straws are easy to clean, make me remember not to leave my tumbler behind (they’re intended for 20-30 ounces), and are easy to store in a glove compartment for takeout. And although the exact brand I bought is out of stock at the time of this publication, there are plenty of other options, including a 12-pack with a case ($6.99), a 16-pack with a case and silicone tips ($6.99), a plain set with cleaning brushes ($5.99) and a four-pack with a compact case ($13.95). You can easily wash these in your suite sink.
3. “Get Off My Bed” Pillow: $21-$25
No matter how you were raised, you are going to run into a college roommate or a college roommate’s friend without boundaries. I don’t wear “outside” clothes on my own bed nor did I want anybody else sitting on my bed with their “outside” clothes.
But I had a roommate who played rugby, and one of her friends thought it was OK to wiggle our doorknob without knocking and sit on my bed. While it’s hard to get anything other than desk chairs in a dorm room, leave this not-so-subtle pillow on your bed to make sure guests know to stay off of your bed. Or, at the very least, only your guests sit on your dorm bed.
4. Instant Coffee: est. $4
I was shocked the first time my grandfather offered me instant coffee. He always struck me as someone who would be a coffee snob, especially considering he had his own coffee maker. I could always smell bacon and coffee in the morning when I spent the night at his home. Somewhere along the line, I guess he was in a testing mood and tried instant coffee.
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I couldn’t tell the difference between freshly roasted and instant coffee. I started buying the latter and have been drinking it ever since. I’m not saying you can’t spend the occasional could-have-been-a-meal purchase buying Starbucks or Argo Tea, but instant coffee is really underrated — Maxwell specifically.
5. Electric Tea Kettle: est. $4 and up
With all the bells and whistles of higher-priced electric water heaters, I’m content with a cheap version. Although I’ve used a stove tea kettle for the past few years after buying a home, the only reason I do so is because after many years, my electric water heater got a short in it. If not for that, I’d still be using it. I’m a huge tea drinker (in addition to instant coffee — obviously), but I also think this comes in handy for instant noodles and other hot meals. I once cooked instant noodles in a microwave, and the water was so hot that it burned off a small piece of skin on my finger. I have never heated water in a microwave since the year 2000. It’s much easier to gauge the temperature with an electric or stove water heater where you can see the water boiling.
6. Microwave Platter Cover: est. $10
Cleaning a microwave is never fun, and everyone blames everyone else. Even if you have your own personal (maroon) microwave, you still won’t want to deal with cleaning food splatter. Start off by using a microwave splatter cover early and often. Skip plastic microwave splatter covers though; microwaving plastic chemicals have been linked to neurological and behavioral conditions, an increased risk of cancer, and fertility problems.
7. Windshield Cover: est. $16-$30
When I was in high school, my mother was adamant about me cleaning snow and ice off her car. My father prioritized teaching me how to change a flat tire. This may seem ridiculous, considering my father was the sole person who shoveled, my grandfather was a master mechanic and my godfather built race cars. But none of the three wanted me to just be stranded and not have a clue how to do basic maintenance of a car. (Full disclosure: I never did fully retain how to jump a car and let a friendly stranger do it a couple of times.)
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But the one thing that requires next-to-no work is getting a windshield cover if you’re attending a college in a city with lots of snow. If you plan to have an off-campus job or travel regularly, make cleaning your car easier. Icy windows are brutal. These covers saved me so much time when I was in a rush, especially after overnight snow. When it’s not in use, you can roll it up and shove it under your dorm bed or in a closet like a flagpole.
8. Tire Pressure Gauge: est. $9
My godfather bought my first car from an auction and rebuilt it. (He likes to build model cars, specifically race cars.) And as elated as I was to have my first car, with that responsibility comes upkeep, including checking the tire pressure. Even after I bought my second car fresh — new and fresh out of a dealership — maintenance will still be needed. Whether you’re a college student or adult customer, you may not always run into friendly people who will help you with basic maintenance of your car before you get to a car repair place.
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Hopefully, you can recognize a few things before your car needs help. One feature on my second car that was not on my first one was a low tire pressure light. I loved it — at first. That is, until I realized that light detector was so sensitive that any time one tire was lower than another, that light would come on. I became so paranoid about my tire pressure that I was always imagining I had a flat. In 15 years of having that second car, I may have actually had a flat tire twice total (and the dealership battery lasted 10 years). Still, that tire pressure light was constantly on, and the original dealership didn’t have the part to replace it. (My second car was made in Japan.) Using the same tire pressure gauge from my first car with my second car saved me a lot of stress while traveling to and from school, to work, and even returning for homecoming. Stick it in your dashboard so you can check your tires when need be; it only takes a couple minutes.
9. Portable Blender: est. $20
If you’re not interested in breakfast items being served in the cafeteria, or there are limited choices for vegetarians and vegans, fruit smoothies are a really easy option to choose. Cheaper versions don’t usually blend fruit or crush ice well, so I don’t recommend going under $20. (Trust me, I’ve returned several before being impressed by Fbemoz after my multi-year blinder finally died on me and is no longer sold.) But if your dorm is not near a grocery store, just buy a bunch of fruit at the on-campus cafeteria and freeze it. Instead of getting one or two bananas, buy a “hand.”
Then, get a couple of containers worth of strawberries, raspberries, etc. Chop them into “snacking” size, and put them in a freezer bag. By keeping them in your dorm freezer, you can save a lot of money on overly priced fruit smoothies (and hard-to-pronounce, unfamiliar ingredients) and they last longer. You won’t even need ice if you freeze all the fruit! While I’m comfortable drinking fruit smoothies with water, almond milk, coconut milk or soy milk may be needed too. I always add a sprinkle of flaxseed before blending. (Flaxseed makes hair stronger, lowers blood pressure and may help with weight loss.)
10. Compact Mini Freezer: est. $170
In addition to fruit smoothies, one of the primary reasons I recommend a mini freezer is it’ll make you spend money on food you actually want instead of what the cafeteria has available. My first-year roommate bought a mini-fridge, and I thought it was a waste of money — until I started asking could I borrow some space. She was onto something!
When I moved to an off-campus apartment, I became a vegetarian by accident. It took me a few months before I realized I hadn’t eaten any seafood, pork, beef or chicken. When you start buying your own food instead of whatever your parents stock in their fridge, you really realize your views on diet and health — and maybe avoid the Freshman 15. There are far more vegetarian and vegan brands available since I became a vegetarian 19 years ago, including dry items. If your dorm room is too cramped for a fridge or freezer, shop smartly. Consider buying foods that you can eat later instead of having to go back and forth to the cafeteria for each meal — outside of social reasons.
Hopefully, these 10 choices will make your food living, car driving and dorm comfort easier. While there are plenty of back-to-school deals that will make you think you need everything in sight (how many shower caddies does one person need?), these 10 items above are items I’ve actually used in dorms that I still use years later.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the monthly post on the third Thursday.
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