Not all college buys need to be destined for the dumpster. Photograph: Courtesy Photos View image in fullscreen Not all college buys need to be destined for the dumpster. Photograph: Courtesy Photos Guardian journalism is independent. We earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more .
I asked 13 people about the things they have carried from college into adulthood –and found their modern day equivalents
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Megan Reynolds Fri 21 Aug 2026 15.15 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google O ne of the highlights of the summer before college was trotting off to my local Linens N Things to outfit my new home, a triple dorm room in the Little Building at Emerson College in Boston. Armed with a list of must-haves and strongly suggested essentials, I filled a shopping cart with a lot of stuff I’d use immediately (jersey twin XL sheets) and stuff that I’d eventually throw away after four years (the very same sheets, useless after college when you will never see a twin XL bed again.)
Most, if not all, of the stuff I bought didn’t make it out of Boston, save for a pop-up laundry hamper that did a tour of duty in San Francisco, surviving three moves in four years, before being relegated to its final resting place, the garbage can.
But not all college buys need to be destined for the dumpster. For some graduates, items they bought to get through college have not only carried them well into adulthood, they have inadvertently turned into some of their most-cherished things. We asked college grads from 27 to 57 about the things they bought, loved and still use today, from the ubiquitous under-bed storage to a box that perfectly fits a deck of tarot cards.
And, in some cases when the exact items they’ve shared weren’t always available, we recommended alternatives that we think measure up to the original.
View image in fullscreen Photograph: Shannon Melero/The Guardian I don’t know that I picked this out myself because I’m not a paisley girl, but when shopping for school, I remember my mom and I were really fixated on items that would be warm and cozy because I was traveling so far up north for the first time.
Addison Rugs Modern Sherpa Throw Blanket $47.49 $47.49 at Bed Bath & Beyond, originally $119 I wouldn’t say it’s special, but it’s one of those items that has just endured a lot of high and low moments. I was under that blanket when I got pulled out of my dorm room by EMTs because of bad pneumonia. That blanket was on the couch of the first apartment I shared with my husband. It was cozy and nice but not so nice that I felt like I couldn’t use it. I lay it out on the floor to make a little bed for my daughter to watch TV sometimes. Or if it’s cold, I’ll wrap it around my legs. If it starts to smell too much like my dogs and becomes un-cleanable, I will replace it.
My item is … an under -bed storage drawer.
Classic by Elfa Classic Wide Drawer Solution $169.99 $169.99 at The Container Store … and a stepladder
Gorilla Ladders Compact Steel Step Stool $26.97 $26.97 at Home Depot, originally $32.97 These two items I bought in college thinking they were gonna be kind of stupid but have ended up being incredibly useful through my adult life! I used to use this as under-bed storage and have since purchased a table top for it to use as bathroom storage/table. The step…