Dorm Room Necessities

Happy Monday beautiful girls! I hope your weekend was lots of fun and filled with great Instagram-worthy pictures. How basic am I? Given that I ate macarons, went to brunch, and then took a stroll through Whole Foods over the weekend, I’d say I’m pretty basic! At least I’ll admit to it right?

Since it’s almost back to school season and so many lovely ladies are headed to college this fall, I wanted to focus a blog post on dorm room style. Thanks to Pinterest, the dorm rooms our parents might have had are being made so much more stylish with fun, inexpensive decor. When I was shopping for my first year of college, I headed straight to Target and took advantage of their college geared collection called Room Essentials. My dorm room was so cute that year! Take a look below!

Since I graduated college recently, I’m going to impart some of my dorm room function wisdom on you! First, don’t spend a fortune on bedding or towels. Living in a dorm simply isn’t compatible with luxury, fluffy linens. You will spill coffee and mac n cheese on everything and regret it when it won’t come out of your bedspread. Second, bring something that makes noise like a fan. I can’t stand hearing doors slam and thudding footsteps going down the hallways at all hours of the night. You’ll thank me for this tip later. Finally, get a wall calendar! I like to keep my schedule on my phone and in a planner of some sort. Plus, it can be helpful when coordinating schedules with your roommate!

Style and function go hand in hand when you’re living in confined quarters. Target dorm room stuff always seems to cater to both of those things. Before going out and buying new things though, check out the layout of your dorm room online to see how much room you will have. I was surprised at how big my room was compared to what I was expecting! 


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6 College Necessities for the New Freshman

In the next few weeks, some of you will be headed to college for the first time! I remember my first few days at school, it was so exciting! My parents dropped me off the morning of move-in day. My dad hauled all of my stuff into my room and my mom helped me make my bed. I met my roommates for the first time and our parents exchanged numbers in case of emergencies.

Before I got to college though, I enjoyed stocking up on stuff I’d need there. I wish I could go back and give myself a few hints as to what I needed and what I didn’t. Believe me, I spent a lot of money on things I never even ended up using (besides textbooks). Here’s six things that I wish I had known to buy my freshman year.

1. Room diffuser- You can’t burn candles in your dorm usually but you’ll still need something that smells nice
2. Watch- So old school, right? Wrong. Wear a watch during the day to be on time for classes and other activities. Plus, if you have strict professors, cell phones will be a no-go in class. You’ll need something to make sure the time is actually passing and the clock isn’t at a stand still.
3. Coffee tumbler- Do I really need to explain this one?
4. Agenda- Whatever you do, don’t rely on your phone to keep things straight. Writing things down helps you remember them.
5. Dorm shoes- The floors in your dorm will probably be hard and cold. Keep your feet warm and cozy with some slippers that have fur on the inside and tread on the bottom so you don’t slip (I’ve done that).
6. Pencil case- My boyfriend laughed when I told him about this one. I didn’t use it just for pens and pencils, I put everything in there- loose coins, lip gloss, mascara, basically anything I didn’t want rolling around in my backpack that I’d have to dig for.

For my post-college readers, leave a comment about your college must-haves!

The Campus Safari

Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy the last few of em’ before school starts again! I’m pretty sure a bunch of you are headed back to campus and part of me is jealous. I loved being at school and even enjoyed the dorm life. Since I graduated in May, I’m going to reminisce for a little while. Before I do that, I’m leaving you with this adorable back to school look. I think the safari style jackets (or military style if you prefer) are going to be pretty popular this fall. I’m definitely falling in love with them. They’re a great transition item to have while you’re waiting for serious fall weather to start. I’ll let you know when I find a good deal on them!

I’m loving a leather backpack too! I used to love tote bags for lugging by stuff across campus but I’ve since determined that it’s absolutely terrible for your back. A cute pack like the one above is a great, classy alternative to the tote.

Let me know if you find either of these items on sale anywhere!

Back to School Shopping for Under $300

It’s the first week of August and back to school shopping is starting. I’m not sure whether to rejoice for people who have kids and are ready for them to go back or say a silent prayer asking for summer to stay just a little longer. This past week, I made my decision and went shopping! I found out about a family in my church who needed help getting back to school clothes for their kids. My heart went out to them and I volunteered to get all 3 kids a new wardrobe- for under $300. Here’s how I did it!

Back to School for Less

I started by buzzing my way around all the local stores that were having back to school sales- and then making my way straight to the clearance racks. That’s right, I skipped the advertised “sale” racks. Rarely, in my opinion, are sales a good deal when you are really trying to save money. For example, I went to Kohl’s to get one of the kids some jeans. Sure, they had tons of jeans on sale (2 for $40) but typically I can find a better deal on the same jeans on clearance. I browsed the rack a bit and found two styles of jeans in the size I needed for $10 each! I tried the same method at American Eagle for the older kid and found a pair for $19.99.

My next stop was at TJ Maxx where I found another pair of American Eagle jeans for $14.99! For the oldest son, I spent more money in stores like Hollister to get the teenager favorites, but I still shopped the clearance rack for tees ($7.99 each). I spent a lot of time in places like Marshall’s to get t-shirts and hoodies for all of the kids though. It’s my best kept secret for finding steals!

For the youngest little girl, I went to Target and Old Navy and found jeans for $10 and tees (long and short sleeve) for under $4 each. Once again, I shopped the clearance rack. I splurged a little and got her a pink tutu dress for $8. The most expensive part of my shopping was the shoes but I still got great deals. I found Sperrys on clearance for $34 and DC high tops for $24. Kids have to go back to school looking good, right?

When I was a kid (that was like 5 years ago), I remember how important it was to have the “right” brands and the latest trends. As much as I don’t want kids to give into peer pressure, sometimes little things like wearing a certain clothing brands isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things. If you can find a good deal on it, then have at it!

To sum everything up, I bought 6 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of shorts, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 backpacks, 3 dress shirts, 1 dress, 1 pair of leggings, 15 t-shirts, and 2 hoodies all for under $300! That is why shopping the clearance rack is so smart. Happy shopping!

 

What to Wear for Class: An Easy Go-To Outfit

First Class at Noon by oceangirl15 featuring a beach tote

Happy Monday! I’m a little sleepy and searching for my favorite coffee mug and a breakfast bar while I bang around preparing for the homework that awaits for this week.

Here’s a really simple look I put together for those of us who didn’t wake up early enough to plan something a little more chic for the day. When I was a freshman, my first semester I didn’t have any classes until 12:30 and I would sleep until around 11:30 and didn’t have enough time to put together a cute outfit and be on time. I usually went to class in sweats or jeans and a hoodie. Looking back I wish I had tried a little harder or at least had an “I’m late outfit” prepared and ready to go for just in case.

A tip for all newbies to college and the lifestyle that comes with it: Don’t think for a second that you can wait until the last minute to get something done and assume it will come out beautiful. It won’t and that’s a promise. Whether it’s your hair, outfit, paper, or test prep it’s just going to be a hot mess.