Dorm shopping goes wrong in a way that is completely predictable and almost never prevented: two people are furnishing one room, they have never met, and they are both buying from the same generic checklist. So the room gets two mini fridges, two rugs, two of the fan everybody links to, and no trash can.
The checklist below is worth having. The part after it — sharing it — is the part that actually saves you money.
Share exactly one of each
Agree on these before either of you buys anything:
- Mini fridge, and a microwave if the building allows one
- Rug — the floor is the worst surface in the building
- Fan. Dorm climate control is theoretical
- Trash can and a small recycling bin
- Full-length mirror
- Surge protector with USB ports, one each is fine but agree on it
- Cleaning supplies: spray, wipes, paper towels, a small vacuum or dustpan
- Storage: an over-door organizer, a shoe rack, under-bed bins sized to the actual bed height
Bring your own
- Twin XL sheets — twin XL, not twin. This is the single most-returned item in dorm shopping
- Mattress topper, because the mattress is a vinyl slab
- Pillows, comforter, a throw blanket
- Towels, shower caddy, shower shoes, a robe
- Laundry hamper you can carry, detergent pods, a roll of quarters if the machines are old
- Desk lamp and a clip lamp for the bed
- Headphones. Ideally the ones that block sound
- Command strips and hooks — nothing that damages a wall
- Basic first-aid: bandages, pain reliever, a thermometer
- Reusable water bottle, a mug, one plate, one bowl, one set of utensils
- Small tool kit and a phone charger with a very long cable
Things nobody puts on the list
- An extension cord long enough to reach the one outlet that exists
- Earplugs and an eye mask, for the roommate whose schedule is not yours
- A door stop
- A small safe or lockbox for a passport and documents
- Stain remover pen
Measure before the fun purchases
Check the room dimensions on the housing site, the bed height for under-bed storage, and whether the beds loft. A rug bought for a room you have not measured is a rug that gets rolled up in a closet all year.
Split it with a link, not a group text
A group text does not work for this, because a group text has no current state — it has thirty messages, and the answer to "did anyone get the fridge" is somewhere in the middle of them.
A shared list has current state. Build it once on MakerManifest by pasting product page links, so each entry shows the actual fridge with its actual price rather than the word "fridge". Then use the note on each item as the claim field: "Maya is bringing", "bought, arriving 8/24", "still need this".
Publish it and send one link. Your roommate needs no account and installs nothing — it opens as a web page on their phone. That matters, because a coordination tool that requires the other person to sign up is a coordination tool the other person ignores.
One honest limitation: your roommate cannot check items off themselves. You edit the list as claims come in. It is on the roadmap, but for two people and one room, editing it yourself is genuinely fine.
If you would rather the whole thing stayed simple, pick the Just lists experience when you sign up — it hides everything to do with affiliate tools and leaves you the list builder and sharing. More on that in Just Lists.
Start the list in July
Dorm assignments land before move-in with enough time to split the shopping properly, and the shared items are the ones that need the lead time. Build the list, send it to your roommate the day you get their contact details, and you will not spend move-in day standing in a room with two rugs.
Make your dorm list free and send it before either of you starts buying.