We are coming to that point in summer where we start thinking about back-to-school shopping.  Especially in college, your shopping list becomes pages longer.  You have furniture, food, and the practicals to purchase.  I know my freshman year, trying to make sure I had everything I needed was a bit stressful and I was terrified I might forget something important.  To keep that from happening, here is a guide to the college dorm room essentials– things you definitely won’t want to forget and will make your year go by smoothly.

Check out these top 19 things for your dorm room.

Keurig K-Compact Coffee Maker

I think every college student knows that coffee is hands down one of the most essential products ever.  Even if you’re not a coffee drinker now, college will turn you into one.  That’s why the Keurig K-Compact Coffee Maker is perfect. It is the smallest brewer they have to still include a water reservoir, but still features the same 3 cup sizes (6, 8, 10 oz.) in under a minute.   Thankfully, this brewer is available at Walmart and should be accessible to most people and is available in the beautiful black or red.

M3D Micro+ Printer

This is the way of the future, ladies and gents!  More and more schools are requiring and utilizing this type of technology in different fields, and knowledge of this is becoming indispensable.  Even if you’re just looking for a fun toy to play with, this M3D Micro+ Printer is wonderful in that it gets the job done well, is compact in size and doesn’t give of an unfriendly odor like many 3D printers. For school or for fun, this product is sold at an agreeable price of $299.

Wind Pouch Lite

I’m sure you’re all familiar with the hammock trend well enough, and especially at school, kids are looking for any reason to kick back and relax.  This Wind Pouch Lite is AWESOME and 1/3 of the price of a nice hammock brand like Eno.  It also does not require you have trees!  Just by catching the wind, like I’m sure you’ve seen in the commercials, this 7-foot-long hammock inflates quickly. It is comfy and sturdy, supporting up to 450 pounds for up to 8 hours. I definitely want one of these!

Sharp/Orville Redenbacher Carousel Microwave Oven

Another thing you will definitely be snacking on a lot is popcorn.  All of my college experience, we went through hundreds of bags of popcorn each year, no kidding!  So this gem of a product is truly wonderful, in that it is also a microwave– perfect for those pizza rolls and instant ramen packets that we all enjoy in our college years.  The Sharp/Orville Redenbacher Carousel Countertop Oven is a microwave that is also especially designed to pop Orville Redenbacher popcorn. It’s a win-win product!

Ring Video Doorbell

This product is really a neat one, and something I think we should all have no matter where we live. The Ring Video Doorbell allows college students to keep an eye on their off-campus homes while they’re away. It works by sending an alert to the owner’s smartphone when motion is detected, allowing them to see and speak with visitors through the Ring app. This allows students to give the impression that they’re home, even when they’re studying in the library.  Especially if you’re living in a more remote location, I would recommend this product!

Easy, Tiger

For all of the other cutesy dorm decorating you’re wanting to do, Easy Tiger has the best of everything.  They’re products uses a vintage-meets-modern design with a dash of irony.  One of my favorite products of theirs is this adorable USA Corkboard.  You’ll quickly notice in dorms how popular the patriotic and map-theme really is!

Every Command Product Out There!

I feel like Command Products were almost exclusively designed for college students. These are absolutely necessary for your room! For hanging pictures, organizing your desk, or keeping your schedule, Command has everything you could need.  Some of the more fun products include this Mirror Organizer, a practical Picture Ledge, and a useful Memo Bar.  I would easily use all of these products regularly.

Lorena Canals Rugs

Most college rooms are stark and cold feeling, with tiled floors and harsh lighting. Unless you enjoy that, you’re most likely going to want to cozy up your room and make it feel homey. Something I have each year is a large area rug.  These Lorena Canals Rugs are eco-friendly, well-made, healthy, all natural, and machine washable. They also contain no toxins or chemicals and are all-around beautiful! 

Lorena Canals Baskets

Storage, storage, storage. This can’t be said enough.  College living can be tiny and almost require you to shrink overnight.  You definitely need baskets to store food, clothing, shoes, blankets and whatever else. Lorena Canals also have adorable, eco-friendly baskets.  They are deep and flexible making them pretty adaptable to living small and also beautiful to look at, making them double as a stylish element.

AJ Madison’s Smeg Toaster + Blender

Something I regularly do for breakfast in college is make eggs, toast, and a smoothie.  That being said, it is another essential that you have the proper pieces of technology so as to be able to feed yourself in a pinch. Smeg sells the best (and cutest!) toasters and blenders on the market. Available at AJ Madison’s, these chrome, stainless steel toasters and blenders are extremely well-made, high-functioning and retro in style.  This takes the adult independence of college to a whole new level!

AJ Madison’s Smeg Frigidaire Compact Refrigerator

Every college student should have their own mini-refrigerator.  This AJ Madison’s Smeg Compact Refrigerator by Frigidaire is great in that it stores tall bottles, soda cans and the like. It also features a freezer box for your ice cream (thank goodness!) and only costs $159 online!

Lunch Skins

For all those students trying to balance health, sustainability, time and money, LunchSkins is the way to go! LunchSkins reusable bags are the sustainable, easy, and stylish way to reduce single-use plastic pollution by sacking plastic bags for good. These bags are dishwasher safe, non-toxic, food safe and stylish. Their most popular, new styles are the Blue Geometric Zipper series and the 2-pack sandwich and snack bag sets in Charcoal Bicycle and Navy Boat. These zipper bags also function as makeup bags, pen carry-alls, and charger bags, which you will definitely be needing!

Bamboo Slate

This. Product. Is. Amazing.  Bamboo Slate is a small, electronic notepad that transfers your handwritten notes and drawings and saves them to your smart phone digitally.  This would be so handy in that sometimes you can’t carry your textbooks and notes with you all the time, but would still like to study here and there throughout the day.  This is also great for sharing notes and compiling study guides with other students!

Hedgren Laptop Backpack

Truth be told, I still carry around my laptop in the same case my high school provided me with years ago.  It is giant and ugly and won’t fit in my backpack, so lugging it around everywhere can be a big pain! The Hendgren Laptop Backpack is actually a dream, containing a sturdy and protective 15″ laptop sleeve and retractable USB Cord.  Having a well-made backpack with plenty of storage really can make all the difference day to day, especially if you’re walking to and from classes all day!

Variable Balans Kneeling Chairs

You would be surprised at how quickly seating comes and goes in your own college dorm room.  Late night group study sessions, Bachelor watch parties, an ad hoc laundry basket– extra chairs are a must.  The Variable Balans Kneeling Chair is funky, for sure.  Suddenly, sitting can be healthy, too!  The kneeling chair works by opening the angle between your upper and lower body, providing better blood circulation, and by engaging your lower back and abdominal muscles to keep yourself upright. Now you can strengthen your core while eating that ramen!

Phone Soap

Did you know that your phone contains 18x the germs and bacteria of a public restroom? Yuck!  College campuses are notorious for fast spreading sickness, especially when you’re living with multiple people at once.  This Phone Soap is practical and important.  You wouldn’t believe the amount of germs and oils picked up by this Phone Soap box!

Snooz

My friends all know that I absolutely cannot sleep without some sort of noise.  My friends also know that I’ve managed to break all of the fans I’ve brought to school and had to finally resort to a white noise app on my phone.  Thankfully, it’s Snooz to the rescue!  Snooz is a white noise box from a real fan so you can fall asleep and stay asleep.  With full-spectrum sound, different tones, remote control capability and differing volume levels, Snooz is by far the best product out there.

Brita Stream Pitcher

This is definitely an item you will want in college, as I know sometimes the college towns don’t have the safest water supply. The new Brita Stream Pitcher features new filter-as-you-pour technology so you’re not waiting so long before you can drink clean water. This is also Brita’s fastest filtering pitcher yet and holds ten cups of water for your convenience.

Petnet SmartFeeder

In case you feel like using your freedom to buy a pet, the Petnet Smart Feeder ensures that your dog and cat will be eating on a scheduled basis.  The Smart Feeder automatically dispenses food and does so at personalized portions.  You can control all of these settings via your mobile phone even from the most remote locations.

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I hope these products are useful for you and that you eat well, sleep well, stay organized, and everything in between this school year!