It almost seems surreal that we are actually talking Back to college shopping. This year is a little bit different as my one child will be going to college rather than back to high school. As unbelievable as it may seem to me we have to start the planning and shopping in order to get the items that are on the list and make her room her home.
School has provided us with a checklist so we began a process of checking off what we already had versus what we would actually need to purchase. Our decision is to not over buy as things can be bought after she starts school, once she determines if all the things on the checklist are really necessary.
Long gone are the days of moving in by the truckload, and moving out by the truckload. Less is more in tight spaces and that’s what she’ll be living in a….tight space. Back to college shopping was not a stressful event, just a leisurely stroll through one of our favorite retailers which makes back to college shopping quite easy. This is my story of lavishly living back to college shopping out loud.
The Process Begins
When we started thinking about back to college shopping and going shopping, we thought of all of the possible purchases we could make and then we looked at some of the products and wondered if they would go the long mile and last long after school was done for her future apartment once school completes. I am still really emotional that she is leaving for college, I pretty much can’t imagine not having Mini Me there each morning.
Let’s Style
Color, patterns, lighting, how many things could be plugged in and how much closet space as well as what her roommate might be purchasing as well all played into our initial back to college shopping. Everything counts whenever you moving into a dorm room and you wanted to be comfortable but you do have to follow the guidelines of the school sets them out and we had a set of guidelines to follow. What we did is work within the guidelines to go back to school and furnish a dorm so that it felt like home.
Back To College Shopping At IKEA
I couldn’t think of anywhere better to take my daughter to get things started then to our local IKEA. While many places have items that trend, are temporarily in stock, and have limited amounts of such I know that if I headed out to our IKEA, we would not be disappointed and selection would not be limited to what they had just in store for back to college shopping. While IKEA does offer ‘seasonal pieces’ they also have a lot of great favorites that you can find again and again.
I love that I can buy an item and return to find it again later, perhaps even modified with more creative features! Just because trends and colors change, the great quality of IKEA products don’t. Want more of a great towel, sheet set or bedding, just look around and you will find it!
Color for Back To School Shopping At IKEA
My daughter is a pink and black addict, so I knew you would be picking up some of those colors as we shopped. We looked around at all the potential items that were pink and black in housewares to bedding and even wall decor. We kind of formulated a picture in our mind of how to arrange it all in her new room. My daughter caught herself by surprise and liked a bit of gray as well as few pops of BUBBLE color. I just kept thinking about is how do I make my daughter comfortable whenever she is away from home and that was my focus as we did back to college shopping at IKEA.
The College List
My daughter’s college lives by the code of green, and knowing that IKEA has so much in common with the green conduct code it is perfect to shop there. We printed off her list and took good look at it long before we began shopping.
We decided what the budget needed to be. I have been saving a box of items so we took these into account before we ever started shopping. Once we decided what items were really necessary versus what items we already had and then we placed on a budget to it we decided to shop. Make sure to check with your college to see if you have a list that will ‘guide’ you through shopping.
Here’s Our Piece ON KDKA With Kym Gable
Remember, nothing is really mandatory, but the comforts of home really do help you get through a hard transitional period. We ventured through IKEA on quite the shopping trip and even got some assistance as we moved through the store, as everyone is really willing to help you out and explain the products if you have questions!
The Closet 
Something that a girl can never have enough of our hangers and we went and got hangers and IKEA and some fun colors to liven things up and to deck the closet out. Kallie wanted to pull her desk together and again less is more, because this is the digital era and it is not quite so necessary to have a desk laden with desk supplies, so we kept that minimalist and color coordinated in PINK of course!
The Walls 
Choosing things for the walls and the ceiling to give a bit of flair to the room, to make it feel more like her OWN is a small task since you really can’t destroy the walls. How do you deck the walls and ceiling yet keep things light? We headed to the Gift Wrap Section at IKEA. We found these lovely butterflies they can extend from the ceiling and they are so light and a little piece of that sticky putty that goes to the wall is perfect to hear them to the ceiling and they won’t fall and hit her on the head.
We also got this lovely long poster they can attach to her closet via hook or a piece of tape making it a great Decor for the room without doing anything to destroy the walls. This poster will stick well with a GECKO hook that is all suction cups, leaving no problems on the walls!
BEDDING AND BATHROOM
Bedding is where we spent a great deal of time and rightly so. I wanted my daughter to feel like we were giving her that goodnight hug that we can not longer give her when she is away, that warmth we can’t provide over a Facetime call, and the answer is in the bedding.
We went through all the bedding and looked at blankets, and duvets for color, patterns and how each one felt. We considered peelable layers for the bed making in order to make the bed easily transitional like the seasons and the temperature in the dorm room.
Then it was time to shop for the bathroom and all the fun stuff she would need. Choosing towels was another fun job, and we make sure that we got enough towels that were basic, and actually had some flair of color to them because after all, a girl has got to have some color.
Now that we have it all together, it seems like school is just around the corner. Remember, shopping is a large part of the back to college experience and the items you purchase need to last. One of my friends still has stuff they purchased 15+ years ago, so you will find great products that go the long mile at IKEA. IKEA lets your kids have that back to college shopping experience without breaking the bank while getting nice products.
Shopping at IKEA is a natural choice to me because while there are not trendy products there that are here today and gone tomorrow but rather products in the store are always up-to-date and fit with the current styles that influence each of us every day.
I love when a brand just keeps on bringing products into making life more livable and clearly that helps out your shopping cart! While I can’t be at school each day to be with my daughter, I know the college items we bought will bring a smile to her face each time she uses them thinking about the time we spent shopping! Lavishly live back to college shopping at IKEA. What are your favorite IKEA products for college?
