Moving to college is a big task! And so deciding what dishes are best for college And it comes with lots of questions about moving and roommates and what your living situation will be like. I am so often asked by parents or friends who have moved to college after me about the quantity of and what kind of dishes and other items to bring to college. If you are big prepper like me, and want to be ahead and ready for your move, then this is an important question to consider so you don’t run into a situation with guests over where you are not prepared. Or even worse, not have any dishes to eat after you move at all! This guide covers everything for many dishes you need, what to consider if you need less or more, and how to pick out the perfect dishes for college.
And if you’re moving to college soon, here is my guide (which is so helpful) to picking the perfect classes for college.
How many plates, bowls, and silverware is the right amount?
When I moved to college, I lived in a suite on campus with 3 other girls, and we shared dishes. Between the four of us, we had about 12 plates and 10ish bowls. We also had around 20 pieces of silverware to share. Then for those us of who drank coffee or tea, we had about 2 mugs each. This was the perfect amount for us and we never ran out of dishes. The only thing that sucked is we had cheap plastic plates and bowls when we could have paid literally the same price for ceramic dishes that actually look nice, but more about that below.
So, the perfect number of dishes for one person living in a dorm or apartment in college is 3 plates, 3 bowls, 2 mugs and 4 pieces of each kind of silverware (fork, knive, spoon)
If you’re living with other people, just multiply that by however many people you are living with.
For example, if you’re living in a place with 2 other people you would want
3 x 3 = 9 plates
3 x 3 = 9 bowls
3 x 4 = 12 pieces of each kind of silverware
How to know if that is enough dishes for your lifestyle
You can totally get by with less dishes than that, but you may be cleaning in between prepping meals should you need to mix something and need another bowl to put the food in after. I always prefer to buy more than I think I need, just in case.
Before purchasing any dishes for college, you’re going to want to consider your lifestyle and if you need more or can get by with less. Here are some good things to think about before buying.
1. How often do you cook?
Consider how often you’ll be preparing meals in your dorm or apartment. If you plan on cooking multiple times a day, you probably want more plates and bowls, just to be safe. If you dont plan on cooking much, you could easily get by with less dishes than expected.
2. Are most of your meals homemade or ready quick meals?
If you are a big cook and make food at home more often than not, you are definietly going to want more dishes. If you are someone who gets takeout often or you plan at eating at your colleges dining hall often, then you don’t need as many dishes. Although it might be nice to have on hand for the next year.
If you are someone who meal preps every week, you are going to use tupperware more often then dishes. Bring less dishes if this is the case for you.
3. How often do you anticipate having guests over?
If you loving cooking for others and having guests over often like I do, you will need more dishes to accomodate them! I would just get a few extra plates and bowls and that should cover what you need.
4. How much storage do you have?
When you’re living in a dorm or moving out for the first time, you have to consider storage, because there is often not a lot of room! If you’re worried about space and have a lot of stuff moving with you, you might not want to have as many dishes to bring for college. If you are on top of cleaning and you wont be feeding guests often, 1 or 2 of each dish is probably plenty.
Picking the perfect dishes for college
My freshman year my roommates and I only had plastic plates and bowls from Target. And honestly, thay kinda sucked. The plastic would stain or hold onto oils even after washing them. I also dont want microplastics getting into my food everything I need to cut foor with a knive or throw it in the microwave. Luckily, this is so avoidable, and now I live in an apartment with a nice classy set of dishes!
When making a choice about what to buy you should look at a few things.
- Durability
- Chip resistant (because a shattered plate is so hard to clean up in a dorm.)
- Microwave and dishwasher safe
- Lasting materials
Personally I ended up with correlle brand dishes and they are AMAZING. They still look as new as when I bought them. None of the pieces have broken or chipped, and they work in the microwave and dishwasher. These dishes are easily going to last me through this apartment and the next. And to top it all off, they look classy and make me look like an adult.
Here is the set of corelle I have and love!
Picking the perfect college silverware
To go with the dishes, I wanted real and sturdy silverware that will last me a long time. But, I also wanted these to be affordable because between moving dorms or apartments, changing roommates, and having friends over, you are bound to lose some silverware eventually.
Heres what I look for when purchasing silverware for college
- Durable, wont bend or break
- High quality and looks nice
- Affordable
This 24 piece set of silverware is great to match all these things, and will fit great in your dorm or apartment.
I hope this answers any questions you may have about what is the right amount of dishes to bring for college. Feel free to reach out to me and share this with other students, parents of college students, or friends! Thanks for reading!
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