Buying everything your college student needs for his or her dorm can get pretty expensive if you go out and pay retail prices for everything. Instead of heading out to the stores to buy the things your teen will need for his or her dorm, spend the weekends going out to yard sales and flea markets. You can work over the summer to slowly collect all of the things your teen will need to be comfortable in the dorm without breaking the bank.

What do you do with everything once you have it?

Chances are, you don't have a whole lot of extra space around your home to store an extra bed, desk and other essentials, but you don't have to. Think about renting a storage unit to keep everything in. You can get a space that is large enough for the contents of a dorm room for as little as $45 a month for a 5x5 unit.

What will your teen need to be comfortable in a dorm room?

If you want your teen to be as comfortable and prepared as possible, there is a long list of things that he or she will need. You can print this list to take with you as you shop the yard sales and flea markets for things. As you find an item, check it off of the list.

How can you store things and ensure they are not damaged during the summer?

A few storage tips that can help you protect the items placed in storage are:

• Store the mattress in a mattress cover. Find one that is rated for bed bug protection.
• Wrap desks and dressers with plastic wrap to prevent drawers from opening while you move it from the storage unit to the dorm room. You may be tempted to fill the drawers with things to save space, but remember, you will have to move the dresser, so don't make it too heavy.
• Clean everything before you put it in storage. You want to remove any moisture, dirt or food before putting it in storage to prevent discoloration, damage and pest problems.
• Put all of the kitchenware in one bin. Your teen can use that bin to keep all of the kitchenware while in the dorm room as well.
• Clean the microwave, dry it completely and fill it with the towels you are sending with your teen. This will help protect the glass plate inside during transport.

Having a storage unit and shopping for second-hand items will save you a small fortune this year. When the time comes to send your teen off, you simply back the truck up to the storage unit, load it up and hit the road. Easy as pie. To find out more bout storage, speak with a business like SaveMor Self Storage Ltd.