CHARLOTTE — College campuses are coming back to life as students prepare to move in for the fall semester. As if tuition, room and board weren’t enough, outfitting a dorm can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
Consumer advisor Clark Howards has tips to cut those costs.
College freshman Bekah De Leon is gearing up to head off to college.
“There are so many things out there that can cost a lot of money, so I am trying to find financially better ways to pay for and decorate my room,” De Leon said.
She says she’s working multiple summer jobs to help pay for those supplies and teaming up with her mom, Cheri De Leon, to find deals online.
They say sharing with friends and family about the items you need can also help.
“They’ve actually had people go, oh, I have that, and a friend dropped some drawers off for us last week,” Cheri said.
De Leon says thrifting is another good way to find things cheap.
Working with her roommates, they made a list of items they need.
“Even just dividing it helps a lot with cutting costs, so you’re not paying for all of it alone,” she said.
Sites like Dormify and Amazon can help you make a list and share it with your roommates.
“You may have your heart set on something and maybe that’s ultimately the one thing you treat yourself to, but then you balance it with the other things that may not have been your first choice,” her mother said.
There are also a lot of groups on Facebook and other social media for specific campuses with opportunities for you to buy and sell stuff, just make sure they’re the real thing because some could be scams and be safe when picking up from anyone’s home.
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