Top Ten College Essentials Checklist: What to Bring to College

You never know what you'll need when you're in college besides the essentials listed on this page, so it's always a good idea to have money on hand. Should you have a credit card? No! College students, don't take out a credit card if you can help it. It's very easy to get into debt and think you'll pay off the debt easily once you get out of college. That's never the case. Use cash, ask for money, borrow, be cheap, do whatever you can to not use a credit card. The last thing you want when graduating is a heap of debt from pizza deliveries, text books, bars, and concerts. Need extra money for tuition, school books, or campus life? Read these 48 creative ways to earn extra money and get started on the path to a better financial situation.

Microwave meals are definitely not the tastiest meals you'll ever find, but they can be perfect for the college lifestyle. Affordable, quick, and convenient, there are hundreds of different meals you can choose from at your local grocery store. You'll also want to have a microwave on hand for popcorn, reheating leftovers like pizza, warming up a cup of coffee, or just making Ramen noodles. A well rated microwave oven will only cost about $75. If you'd like to save even more, look on Craigslist for a used microwave, you're sure to find dozens to choose from (and they might even accept lower than they have the product listed at).

What's the alternative? High priced take out meals, expensive sit down restaurant dinners, high fat, high calorie cafeteria food, or good old fashioned home cooking from mom if she lives nearby.

Not everyone drinks coffee, but if you do, the price of making your own coffee will be far cheaper than grabbing a cup once or twice daily from Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts. If you're hooked on lattes, the Keurig machine has an espresso blend, so you can make your own. A good coffee maker isn't expensive, either. Surprisingly, Mr. Coffee, which starts under $20, has great machines.

If you'd like more options and convenience, again, Keurig is a good option. Should you be drinking caffeine while in college? They say that coffee really does stunt your growth, however, most of your growth is over by the time college begins. If it's going to help you do some late night cram sessions for the next day's test, it could be worth it in the end.

Coffee cup photo: TheMarmot

It's hard to get used to the uncomfortable dorm room beds, but bringing comfortable clean sheets, pillows, and comforters can make a big difference. Chances are you already have plenty of bedding at home, so just bring it with you. If you need more, the cheapest places to buy sheets and pillows are Amazon.com and bargain stores like K-Mart or Sears. To make the mattress more comfortable, buy a higher quality mattress pad. You're going to be using it for a few years, so it's a wise investment to ensure better sleep.

Photo by Suzette.

When you're at college, the last thing you're going to want to do is laundry, but it has to be done. How can you cut down on laundry time and the amount of work? Wearing pants more than one day can help. Other than that, try keeping your dirty clothes in a laundry sack that's ready to carry to the laundromat or bring home at a moment's notice. Of course, having more clothes on hand will mean you can get away with doing laundry less often,but it'll mean more work down the road. If you're really stuck on time, find a local laundromat to drop off laundry and do a wash n' fold. You'll pay per pound, but if you're time strapped that week, it might be worth it. So what will you need for your laundry essentials? Bring these to college with you:

• Laundry basket - foldable, collapsible, or backpack style
• Detergent and fabric softener
• Coins for coin-op laundry

Photo of laundry by CarbonNYC

The list of products you'll need with you while you're at college is going to be just about everything you use at home, however you won't have as much room to store all of your essentials. Try using trial sizes, putting larger containers into smaller ones, and going without things you hardly ever use. Here are some things that you might use on a daily basis that you will need:

• Soap and shampoo
• Hair products (hairspray, gel, hairbrush, comb
• Scissors
• Nail grooming kit
• Bandages
• Cotton swabs
• Makeup
• Hair dryer
• Prescriptions
• Lotion

Photo of bath essentials by horiavarlan

A mini fridge can really help you save a lot of money while your'e at school, and allow you to eat much healthier. You'll also be able to enjoy cold beverages and keep leftovers from restaurant meals in your fridge. But, the most important part will really be saving money on food costs with a mini refrigerator, and eating healthier foods. This will allow you to go to the grocery store from time to time and keep fresh snacks and meals on hand. A decent mini fridge will only cost you around $75-100, and you'll use it after college as well.

In the day of iPhones, Androids, Blackberry, iPads, Nooks, and Kindles, it can be easy to overlook the importance of a computer. An iPad is very convenient at times, but you really can't type as quickly as you can on a laptop, nor will you be able to have the storage space that you might need. Type up essays on the fly, save loads of photos to your hard drive, or watch videos all on your personal laptop computer. While it might be tempting to rely on other devices, laptops are still a necessity for college life.

Photo of laptop by tachyondecay

Don't be stuck on the first day of college unprepared to take notes, or be completely unorganized. Preparation is easy, and you should already be used to what you'll need for every college lecture or class from your high school days. Grab your notebook, pens, pencils, and an easy to use agendas to get your day started off on the right foot.

Photo of notebooks right by dvortygirl

What's your style for carrying your books? A trendy, comfortable messenger tote, an easy-to-use catch all tote bag, the sturdy, multi purpose book bag, or the tried and true backpack? Choose the one that you can see using during all four years, throw your stuff in it, and go. This bag will get a lot of use, so make sure to buy a good one. You'll be putting all of your textbooks, pens, papers, calculators, and anything else you like to take with you in this bag, so make a choice you can live with!

Want the quick list of things to bring? Here's the abridged version of this page:

• Money
• Coffee maker
• Bath products
• Microwave
• Mini Fridge
• Writing Essentials
• Backpack or book bag
• Laptop
• Bedding
• Laundry essentials

Other items former students have recommended:

• Graphing calculator
• Batteries
• First Aid Kit
• Kitchen Utensils
• Cookware
• Dishwashing liquid

Below: search for textbooks. Textbooks aren't cheap in bookstores, however they can be cheap if you know where to look for them. Save bundles of money by shopping for deals on the textbooks you need for all of your classes on Ebay. Students are looking to unload old books, and you're looking to save money, so it's a win-win situation.