Heading back to campus? Don’t forget to take along these 5 essentials that save both time and space!

5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space

Here we are, back to school season already! While my son still has a little under a month to stay up late and relax all day, most colleges start back before the end of August. Oh, the humanity, right? On the plus side, they get out almost a month before regular school, so that’s a consolation! Whether you’re heading back to campus after a summer break or going off to college for the first time, you’ll need to pick up a few things to help your dorm room feel more like home. Since dorms are oh-so-tiny and you have to share them with someone else (unless you’re lucky enough to have a single), space is a luxury. These 5 dorm room essentials will help you make the most of the space you have AND save you a little time in the morning. Hey, every minute counts!

Dorm Room Essentials to Save Time and Space

*I received the Keurig, Dot Journal Set and the BIC pens mentioned below in exchange for sharing about them. This post also contains affiliate link.  All opinions are my own.*

Keurig K-Compact™ Coffee Maker

5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space

Coffee is a MUST-HAVE for pretty much every college student. I know I couldn’t have made it through school without it. I can’t even make it through the first five minutes of morning without a hot cup of Joe. If you want to save both time and space, the Keurig K-Compact™ Coffee Maker is the way to go. As much as I loved my other single-cup coffee maker, it was kind of a beast on my counter. We are quickly running out of surface space, and I have a decent-sized kitchen. In a dorm room, your surface space is virtually nil.

The Keurig K-Compact™ Coffee Maker has a smallest footprint of all their “removable reservoir” brewers, yet still manages to hold 36 oz of water. While I do need to fill it a few times a day (with three people drinking coffee, it empties out fast. I drink about 4 cups a day just by myself), I think that’s more than enough for the average college student.

5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space

The brewer accepts just about all K-Cup pods. I haven’t found one that doesn’t work in it it (including the plastic-free OneCup), but there’s always that odd off-brand that doesn’t play nice with any brewer, so I’m not guaranteeing anything. It’s super easy to operate. Just make sure it has water, turn it on, pop in your K-Cup pod, and select one of three cup sizes (6, 8, 10oz). It turns itself off automatically after 2 hours of inactivity, but you don’t have to wait for it to heat up before picking your cup size. In about a minute, you’ll have your perfect cup of hot coffee ready to go!

Oh, FYI, the removable drip tray holds an entire cup of coffee for those bleary mornings when you forget to put your cup on it. Trust me, I’ve been there, done that. I also sometimes under-estimate how much coffee is left in my cup before making a new one. The other day, I brewed a 10-oz cup in a 12-oz mug when I still had a good 3 ounces left in it. Oops. I was super surprised and happy when it didn’t go all over my counter. Like all Keurig models, you can use it to just dispense hot water. You know, for all those cups of noodles that you’ll be eating as a rushed college students!

The Keurig K-Compact™ Coffee Maker is sold exclusively at Walmart.

BIC Pens & Pencils

5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space

Can pens and pencils really save you time and space? You betcha, especially when they’re BIC Gel-ocity, Velocity, and Soft Feel pens and pencils! The Gel-ocity pens are my favorite. They come in gorgeous colors and dry 3 times faster than other gel pens. That means no more smears, so you can write faster without worrying about getting your ink all over the place. I love to use them along with the Soft Feel (the softer barrel is easier on your hands).

I write in one color, then use the gel pens to underline important stuff in other colors. Set up a color code system (for example, pink for notes that will be on a test, green for things that you need to re-read a bit more, etc) and you’ll save loads of time. Sure, you could do that with a highlighter, but those tend to bleed through the pages. Plus, they’re a lot bulkier in your purse or backpack.  The Velocity pencils are great for those times when you just don’t want to write in pen. With a soft grip and a huge eraser, it’s comfy and practical. You’ll find all three in your favorite back to campus retailer. Visit BICWorld to learn more.

Dot Journaling Set

5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space

I’m going to talk more about this next week (and do a giveaway, so come back for that), but it was such a good fit for time and space saving campus essentials that I had to include it here, too. The Dot Journaling Set is both a book and a bullet-style journal. The book, written in a no-nonsense way by Rachel Wilkerson Miller, teaches you everything you need to know about setting up your dot journal and using it to save time. Since it’s a calendar, planner, journal, to-do list, and more all in one little book, it’s definitely a huge space saver!

Bed Risers with Outlets and USB Ports

5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space

I saw these on Amazon and instantly fell in love with them. Not only do they add an incredible amount of extra storage space under your bed (no more paying double the price for half-size underbed storage containers), you’ll also have a handy spot to plug in everything from your phone to your laptop. I need to get a set of these for my son’s room. His outlets are in the worst spots: behind the bed, behind the guinea pig cage, behind his heavy dresser, and behind his entertainment system. Notice a theme? They’re all behind something that is a pain to move. Dorm rooms have the same problem.

Amazon Echo Dot

5 Back to Campus Essentials That Save Both Time and Space

You would be amazed at how many things the Echo Dot replaces in a room and how much time it saves you. I bought one for my son and I’m now thinking about getting one for every room in the house! It’s an alarm clock, a music player, and a weather station. Alexa is a handy assistant that orders you more coffee from Amazon, pizza from Domino’s, and even requests a ride from Uber. Tell Alexa to remind you to go to class, ask her questions about your research paper, or just chat with her when you’re feeling lonely. She can even send messages to friends and family. It takes up less than 3.5″ of space on your desk. If you want to play really loud music and annoy your neighbors, you will need to hook up a speaker (either Bluetooth or through the jack on the side), but even those are getting smaller and smaller.