Top 5 Dorm Room Finds from Walmart — All Under $25!

Check out my college student’s top 5 college dorm room ideas!

College goods don’t have to be expensive. 

After stocking my teen up for college, we’re sharing her top 5 must-have dorm room ideas that are affordable, practical, and something every student needs. If you haven’t started your school shopping or want to make sure your student has everything they need before heading to campus, you’ve got to check out these back to college finds from Walmart!

We tackled our shopping a couple of weeks ago and scooped up some 50¢ plates, a new set of sheets, and a handy closet organizer, but there were a few essentials we ended up shopping for on Walmart.com. One of my favorite things about shopping through the curated college collection is how quickly you can have the items delivered — especially if you have a Walmart+ account and shop online!

You’ll score free 2-day shipping on every order of $35 or more or no minimum if you’re a Walmart Plus member! 👏🏻 Some of my daughter’s dorm room essentials we ordered online were even delivered within an hour!​ 🤩😱

Here are the top 5 dorm room ideas to scoop up in 2022:

1. This metal shoe rack can hold up to 30 pairs of shoes. 

My daughter Morgan is planning to take a billion (yes, a billion) 😆 pairs of shoes with her to college and we needed a way for her to store them neatly as she will be limited on space.

This metal shoe rack is the perfect dorm room idea because it’s compact and can hold up to 30 pairs of shoes! Most college students have multiple shoes whether they’re for walking to class, work, sports, or going out on weekends, so this is going to be an easy solution to keep any student organized.

2. This smart notebook is endlessly reusable and costs much less than any tablet. 

Morgan was really excited Walmart also carries the Rockebook Notebook that she’s obsessed over after seeing it all over TikTok. It’s a much more affordable option when you can’t swing the budget for an iPad. 🙌🏻 Plus it will prevent excess papers and notes from getting scattered across her desk.

It’s a reusable notebook, but it has a QR code so you can scan it with your phone and it will add all of your notes to the cloud and turn them into digital versions you can access from anywhere! 😱 She also scored some Rocketbook Cloud Cards that are even more affordable!

Wow, tech has come a long way since my college days! 😂

3. Grab a versatile desk lamp that can keep things organized and charge your student’s phone.

This stylish and modern task lamp was a no-brainer! It’s a great price and is multifunctional with its compartments for organizing pens, markers, and pencils, and even the built-in shelf for her phone.

Plus, it has a USB port and outlet so she can charge her phone at the same time. I know this is one of the best dorm room ideas for any student who will spend late night hours studying and spending time at their desk. Even better, it’s relatively compact and won’t take up a lot of space on her desk.

4. Dorm room ideas that keep students organized are a no-brainer, too.

We were looking for some stylish ways to organize Morgan’s small school supplies, makeup, and “all of the things”. The Home Edit line really fits the bill with their clear bins that will fit any decor and can be used after she has moved on from dorm life to an apartment.

Plus, these bins are stackable so the organizing possibilities are endless and even more ideal for small spaces. I love the clear design which means no matter the college student you’re shopping for, it’ll blend seamlessly with their decor. I may even end up getting some of these for my office because what’s not to love about them?! 🤩

Shop the entire Home Edit line at Walmart!

5. Command strips will allow anyone to hang mementos and reminders without damaging school property.

I think anyone who’s lived in some sort of rental can agree that Command Strips are a MUST! Like nearly all colleges, Morgan’s dorm doesn’t allow students to nail anything to the wall so Command strips and hooks are crucial for any decorated dorm room. We grabbed several packs so she can hang a variety of things once she moves in.

She’s looking forward to displaying her favorite artwork, mementos of home, pictures, and school reminders and won’t have to worry about damaging her walls or the paint. Plus, when the school year’s over, everything will be extremely easy to take down.

There’s more where that came from! Check out the entire selection of all things college from Walmart.

If you or your student have any must-have dorm room ideas and recommendations, we’d love to hear them in the comments below!