If you’re decorating your dorm on a budget, searching for affordable gifts for friends and family, or just looking to go on a little shopping spree, then Five Below is the place to go. It’s the perfect happy medium between the cheaper quality products of Dollar Tree and the sometimes too pricey items at Target, which makes it the perfect store for college students. Here’s a list of some of the best things to spend your money on at Five Below:
- Planters and vases
I’m a strong believer that little planters with succulents and vases with fresh cut flowers can really bring the aesthetic of a dorm room together. If you have a green thumb and if you’ve ever bought ceramic planters at places like Home Depot or Strange’s, then you’d know that pots and planters cost a lot of money. Luckily, Five Below has a really cute selection of small planters and little decorative vases that you can use to really spruce up your living space.
- Magnets
Plain white fridges are so boring. Life is short, so go decorate your fridge and really make it your own. Five Below has a great selection of magnets with funny and inspirational quotes on it, like “Pour myself a cup of ambition” and “Little miss always on the phone.”
- Mugs
College students drink coffee. Caffeine keeps us alive. Coffee goes in mugs. You know who sells cute, affordable mugs? Five Below. They always have a selection of large mugs for all your coffee addiction needs. They’re usually only three to five dollars, but that’s not even the best part: they’re dishwasher safe. You know what that means, no more letting your nice, aesthetic mugs pile up in a dirty mess, because you can’t find time in your busy college schedule to hand wash each silly little mug. Just throw that thing in the top rack of your dishwasher! This is officially your sign to start an intensive mug collection – do not let anyone stop you.
- PJs and T-shirts
This might only be seasonal, but Five Below usually has a great selection of pajama pants and comfortable T-shirts. In December, during the Christmas season, they have plaid pajama pants in a variety of different patterns and colors and this past Valentine’s Day, they had fleece pajama shorts in cute patterns, like cherries and teddy bears. As for T-shirts, Five Below sells tons of graphic tees with different sayings and designs on it. Most recently, I’ve been wearing a really cool Star Wars graphic tee as a night shirt.
- Plushies and stuffies
You can never really have too many stuffed animals on your bed, right? Five Below has the cutest little plushies, as well as seasonal mini squishmallows, like the Halloween ones. My latest obsession is with their drumstick plushies, in which each container comes with a Mystery Drumstick. I have the lemon pepper drumstick, and I’m still on the hunt for the ranch drumstick with the cowboy hat.
- Lights and other decor
Personally, I find that the overhead lighting in dorm rooms can be too bright and are reminiscent of big classroom lights. For a more ambient and soothing vibe, I like to have lots of soft light sources throughout the room. Whether it’s a backlit tapestry, a lamp or a nightlight – anything is better than the boring overhead light fixtures. This is where Five Below comes in handy. Do you remember when those expensive sunset lamps were trending all over social media? Five Below just so happens to sell knockoff versions that will provide the perfect warm-toned “natural sunset” vibe to your room. In addition, they have whimsical lamps that are just too adorable to pass up. For example, I have a little toaster lamp that lights up when you flick a switch and they also sell trendy little mushroom lamps.
