Dorms and Dollars

By Noelle Phillips - nophillips@thestate.com

The economy is squeezing college students. Here’s how they can squeeze back.

College students may learn an important lesson before classes get started in a few weeks: Budgeting.

Families already are feeling pinched by rising gas and food costs. Add the expense of sending a kid off to college and something has to bend.

As a result, this year’s crop of college students are cutting back on gear for their dorms, or dipping into their summer job earnings to pay for extras such as televisions and decorations.

Students such as Mark Owens, a 19-year-old sophomore at Benedict College, are learning to bargain-hunt. “Now that I’m in college, one of my favorite grocery stores is the Family Dollar,” he said.

The National Retail Federation expects back-to-college spending to drop 7 percent this season with the average person spending about $599. The NRF reports students are cutting back on electronics, clothes and furnishings.

“Young adults this year more than likely had to fill up their car’s gas tanks with their own money and they were less likely to have part-time summer jobs,” said Kathy Grannis, an NRF spokeswoman. “Young adults are getting a good vision of what it means to have to be frugal.”

For Owens’ freshman year, he racked up on gifts from family and friends such as a bedspread and sheets from his grandmother and a mini-refrigerator from his pastor. He’s reusing most of those things this semester and will wait a few weeks to see what else he might want.

“When you come to school and get in the swing of things, you can go to stores and add what you need,” he said.

Owens is a veteran now, but freshmen and their families have more questions about how to outfit a dorm and how much they should spend.

During this summer’s freshman orientation at USC, parents asked more questions than usual about budgeting for dorm rooms, said Joe Fortune, assistant director for housing.

“I wouldn’t say they were worried about money, but they were trying to budget more than in the past,” Fortune said. “What is really necessary and what is really fluff? I’m sure the fluff is not going away but maybe there’s not as much fluff as in the past.”

Here are some tips on avoiding the fluff from students and those who counsel future students:

MAKE A CHECKLIST

This will help the student focus on what is needed and will help the family stick to a budget. Most schools — and many stores — offer a checklist for students moving into dorms, said Catherine Gentile, a spokeswoman for Bed Bath & Beyond.

NEXT, TALK TO YOUR ROOMMATE

No need to bring two irons, two microwaves and two televisions for a tiny room.

Benedict sophomores Robert Squirewell of Columbia and De’Kylen Jordan of Cincinnati waited until they arrived on campus Saturday to go shopping. They split the costs of a television, entertainment stand, floor lamp, microwave, fridge and carpet.

Not only did they save money but Jordan had fewer things to haul to South Carolina from his Ohio home.

LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

Families may have sheets, pillows, hair driers and other items that aren’t needed at home but would be perfect for the rough-and-tumble use they’ll get in a college dorm.

FIND IT USED

Squirewell and Jordan also accepted hand-me-downs from former classmates. A four-seat kitchen table fits nicely in their suite and was inherited from their freshman residence hall advisor.

While they failed to find suitable goods at thrift stores, the roommates recommended others give it a try.

LOOK FOR ON-CAMPUS DEALS

Many schools offer special packages for students moving onto campus.

At USC, the Residence Hall Association offers student packages for linens. The packs start with basic pillows, sheets and comforters to deals that include egg-crate foam pads and oversized towels, Fortune said. The linens are offered at a discount and are waiting on students when they move into their rooms.

And the USC bookstore stocks dorm gear, said Andy Shaffer, general manager for the USC Bookstore. “Most people don’t think the campus bookstore can be competitive with its pricing but we are,” Shaffer said. “It’s a way to keep people on campus and save them money.”

BARGAIN HUNT

Retailers know the market is down so they’re offering deals to get college students’ money, Grannis said.

“Do your research,” she said.

Students can do online price comparisons before heading out. And many retailers are offering free or discounted shipping straight to residence halls and apartments.

At Bed Bath & Beyond, students can pick out their supplies at a store in their hometown and place an order that will be delivered to their school even if it’s in a different city, Gentile said.

LEAVE YOUR INCENSE AT HOME

Every school has rules about what is allowed and what is banned from residence halls.

Common no-nos include candles, pets, firearms and toaster ovens. Check your school’s Web site for other things; USC, for example, doesn’t allow weights in its students’ rooms.

“You don’t want to buy something you can’t use,” Gentile said.

Source: http://www.thestate.com/business/story/483409.html