Cross-country plane fares, parents' hotel rooms, storage units, U-Hauls — moving into college is a costly procedure, adding insult to the already injurious Tufts tuition. Unfortunately, if we knew how to circumvent the above nuisances, we would have sold our ideas to Dragon's Den and gotten jobs at The Economist by now. There are, however, several smaller ways to save on move-in that tend to add up. Read on for $206.91 you could be saving.
Furniture
Between Bed Bath & Beyond, Target and the somewhat understocked university bookstore, everything you could possibly fit into a college dorm room is readily available within a short drive of campus.
If your inner interior designer calls for luxury items with a higher price tag than the average plastic storage unit, Christmas lights and one-dollar vinyl records (Goodwill), though, it ill-behooves you to splurge on a brand new chaise lounge before browsing the For Sale section of TuftsLife.com. Assuming you can stomach the idea of a rolly chair someone else has rolled in before, TuftsLife is the best place to buy older Jumbos' various unwanteds at heavily reduced prices. If you're not intent on keeping it in the family, Harvard's annual "Stuff Sale," Sept. 4 and 5, boasts more variety and higher statistical likelihood of landing you a future celebrity relic.
For additional décor, stroll down Professors Row every couple of days. The organizers of the ongoing poster sale outside the Campus Center apparently read the Tufts viewbook and always tailor to a diverse customer base, from heavy metal fans to hipsters, art nouveau aficionados to the more scantily-clad-women-inclined.
Ottoman at Target: $68.99
Ottoman on TuftsLife.com: $10
Food
Head to the ever-popular Shaw's if you're looking for delicacies unavailable on campus, but if you're just restocking your mini-fridge, consider the ultimate perk of freshman year: trick-turning.
No, we don't suggest you wait on the corner of Talbot Ave. and Packard Ave. for lonely callers in order to subsidize your grocery list; but we do recommend you familiarize yourself with the loopholes of the unlimited meal plan. The plan allows diners to eat one meal during each meal period either at one of the cafeteria-style dining halls (Dewick-MacPhie or Carmichael Dining Halls) or at Hodgdon Good-to-Go, which, in addition to hot-food options, carries basic groceries. Thanks to a glitch in the system (or, according to a recent conspiracy theory, a psychological experiment), Tufts Dining can only set the registers to detect whether you've already used your meal in one of the orders. Check the "Hodgdon-Dewick Trick Turners" Facebook group for regular updates on where to dine first.
Culinarians in the mood for something more than just basic perishables can also make use of Tufts' other sources of free food, like Chabad's standing Friday night dinner and the various one-time events posted to the Free Food At Tufts Twitter account.
Milk, cereal and bread at Shaw's: $8.57
Milk, cereal and bread via trick-turning: $0
Textbooks
The New York Times estimates that the price of collegiate textbooks between 1986 and 2004 rose at twice the rate of inflation; the Tufts bookstore proves that much progress hasn't been made since.
In this case, trust an old proverb: Good things come to those who wait. Students who buy all of their books ahead of time in the bookstore generally end up overspending. If there is a copy of a text available in Tisch Library, photocopy or snatch it. But if you're too late, know that most professors won't expect you to have all of your books by the first day of classes — which is when you'll find out which books are "recommended," which you can share with a classmate and which your class likely won't get around to.
Most of the books you do need are available on Amazon.com or at Half.com, used, often for a fraction of the retail price. In addition, free e-reader downloads can be found at ManyBooks.net, which hosts a more limited selection of texts but does feature many classics like the full Shakespeare anthology, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and the ever-popular Holy Bible, among others.
Economics 5 Textbook at Tufts Bookstore: $215
Economics 5 Textbook on Half.com: $98.99 (includes shipping)
Trends
In the unlikely event that you have extra space in your new closet, you'll naturally be drawn to the famous Newbury Street. Window shop on Newbury; then shop at the Garment District (Kendall/MIT stop), Tufts' favorite vintage and second-hand store, featuring a Dollar-A-Pound pit of clothing (actually $1.50 most days). Invaluable gems await those who are willing to dig — a skill that can be employed at Davis Square's Goodwill and Buffalo Exchange as well. The "Bargain Basement" in Harvard Square's Urban Outfitters has great deals as well, though you'll have to settle for last season's ironic tee shirt.
Alternatively, join the Tufts Mountain Club. Members tend to opt for the thrifty-yet-timeless no-clothing-at-all look. Or give your own clothing a facelift with the silkscreen machine at the Crafts Center.
T-shirt at Urban Outfitters: $24
T-shirt at the Garment District's Dollar-A-Pound: $0.66
