It’s that time of year again! Students are packing up to head to the place where they will take their first big step into adulthood. That’s right; we’re heading back to college! I just moved back into the dorms myself and wanted to share with you guys a few helpful tricks I learned my freshman year. Moving into the dorms is crazy, especially for the first time you do since you don't really knowing what you need to bring with you. I won’t bore you with the essentials, but I want to tell you about some dorm lifesavers I found for this year.

1. Mattress Topper

I had to turn my mattress last year not even halfway through the semester because there was a divot from where I slept. So this year I went to Walmart and found a four inch mattress topper for $90. I thought it was a little expensive but it will turned out to be a really good investment! You can live without it but it makes life in the dorms much nicer and you'll look forward to going to bed at night!

2. Command Hooks

These little guys can do a little bit of everything! You can use them to hang up pictures and posters to personalize your space. If you get one of the packs with the hooks you can hang belts, hats, sweaters, anything! I'm in a three person room this year so we're tight on space, I actually used command strip hooks to hang up my towels. These things are seriously amazing!

3. Stacking Cubes and Shelving

In any dorm room, space is a premium! Finding places to put all your odds and ends can be difficult. I found a set of staking cubes at Bed Bath & Beyond that work perfectly! They don't come preassembled so you can customize the set up to fit your needs and space available. To maximize use of the cubes I bought shelving to put inside each cubby so I could fit more in them.

5. Christmas Lights

This is another non essential, no matter where you go to school they will have a light fixture in your dorm. It's usually a harsh fluorescent light that is honestly too much sometimes. Solution: Christmas lights! String a few sets of these up around your dorm and you will have enough light to work by. Also great for movie nights! The dorm light is just too bright, but it can be kind of weird just chillin in the dark with a bunch of people.

6. Duck Tape

Duck tape really can fix all! Need something to hold up your Christmas lights? Duck tape. Binder falling apart? Duck tape! Roommate won't be quite so you can study? Duck tapet! Just kidding! Please don't duck tape your roommate!! But you see where I'm going.

7. Water Filter

When you go somewhere new it can take a while to adjust to the taste of the water. Let's be real; buying water bottles can get expensive if you try to stay properly hydrated! Invest in a water purifier, the initial cost in more than that of a case of water bottles. But you can keep using this! Once you buy the pitcher itself all you have to do is buy replacement filter cartages. Depending on the manufacturer cartages can last between two and three months.

8. Lap Desk

We all get tired of sitting at our desk all day, sometimes you just need a change of altitude. With a lap desk you can lay on your bed and still get your math work done. You can sit on a couch or futon and write that paper without burning your legs.

9. Large Picture Frame

While we may not want to admit it, we all miss home every once and while. Put all your favorite pictures up on your wall and save some space by using a large picture frame. Take the glass out, then using a staple gun run twine across the frame. Using mini clothes pins attach your pictures to the twine. Now you can hang nine pictures instead of two.

Those are some of the little tricks I picked up that made dorm life much nicer. I hope they will help you or give you some ideas. Good luck this year!