Being stuck in your dorm with nothing to do is the absolute worst – especially when it is  minus 25 degrees outside here in Erie! Whether you are bored or stuck in your dorm, there is always that thought of “What can I do in here?” Today, I am here to give you a few ideas that’ll help you have fun on those cold winter days!   

• Games:
  • There are so many games in this world that don’t require additional supplies: I-Spy, Charades, Would you rather, Two truths one lie, etc. If you do happen to have money to buy real games, here are a few that everyone will like and that will be fun and easy for all involved: Cards Against Humanity, UNO, Blink, etc. These games will bring everyone together for a few hours and you’ll be laughing the whole time, so you’ll forget you’re bored in your dorm room.   

• Clean / Organize:
  • Personally, I don’t really enjoy cleaning, but for whatever reason, when I’m bored, this is the first thing that comes into my mind. Whether I do my laundry, vacuum, sort my closet by color, or deep clean my desk, hours stuck in the dorm allow me to really get rid of junk I don’t need and organize the things I do need. Since I can’t do anything else, I can really get focused and into it. It also might be fun to rearrange your room. There is always something that someone can clean, so why not do it when there is nothing else to do!  

• Workout:  
  • If it’s too cold to go to the gym, or you don’t have one close enough to where you are, there are always home-workouts you can do easily without machines! You can do planks, crunches, sit ups, squats, lunges and there is so much more that you can find if you just google some workouts that you want to do for your body and give it a go – but make sure you have water to hydrate yourself!   

• Spa day:
  • There is always time for a good spa day, especially whenever you have nothing to do! Everyone has a different idea of the perfect spa day, but my day would look a little something like this: Shower (make sure you have a hair mask), use a face scrub and then apply a facial mask, lip moisturizer and cucumbers or tea bags to your eyes. Relax while waiting for your mask to dry – maybe play some music and use incense. Once your mask is dry, rinse or peel off and apply lots of moisturizer. Then either paint your nails or just do a cleanup! Once that is all over get into the comfiest clothes you own and start watching a movie or tv show. (see binge-watching below)

• Movie Marathon / Binge-watch TV shows:
  • Sure, this may be a daily activity, but you can never have too much Netflix or Hulu. If you need a new show to watch, consider Criminal Mind, Schitts Creek, Parks & Rec, Friends.

• Craft:
  • There are so many easy crafts you can do while in the dorm: you can make friendship bracelets, decorate your door, tie-dye shirts or socks, knit or crochet. Some of these supplies will cost money to get, but once you have them it’ll be a good pass-time activity.  

• Extra ideas!
  • Clothing swap with friends  
    • Everyone can bring out what they no longer wear and trade clothes with each other! It’s like shopping but without spending all the money, and the clothes you have leftover donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army to someone who could put them to good use instead of just throwing them away.  
  • Window shop online
    • If you don’t have the money or don’t want to drop a lot of money, you can always just explore and see what you might like to get in the future! I have a folder on my desktop labeled as “thing to buy in the future”. Just so I have ideas for when I can spend my money.  
  • Dorm Olympics!
    • Just to jazz the list up! Even if you are unable to provide a beam bar, or a track, you can do mini-Olympic games and just have some fun with it.