You may be surprised how many people have attics and drawers full of unused or unwanted items in need of a good home. You may be doing them a favor by taking it off their hands. Start asking over the summer so they can keep their eyes open and set things aside. Be careful about taking items from the family home. You do not want to come off as a greedy scavenger. If your father is thinking of upgrading the television, that may be an opportunity to discuss taking the old one to your apartment. However, do not expect to be given things that are being used in the home. If your loved ones want to throw a party or give gifts to celebrate your graduation, request supplies for college or your apartment. Large chain stores like Target and Bed Bath & Beyond offer registries. Do not make lavish requests. It is one thing to ask for a dorm-sized refrigerator, but a plasma TV may seem greedy. By keeping it simple and reasonable, people will appreciate your plight and feel more inclined to help you out. You must send thank you notes to everyone who gives you a gift. Be grateful. Many people toss things instead of trying to sell or donate. This is common especially when people move, on trash day, or the day of or after a yard sale. Of course, only get items that can be washed and sanitized--problems with mold, bed bugs, and basic cleanliness can be an issue. For the best stuff, travel to more affluent areas. People with extra money to spend often toss out new and like-new items just because they have gone out of style. Recycling centers, thrift shops, and other second hand stores in such regions are also excellent resources. In many landfills, there is a separate building where people can drop off lightly used furniture and other house items, which is usually categorized as "Too Good to Throw Out." Spring cleaning for county residents can mean a new couch for your apartment or a computer station for the dorm at no cost to you except energy to load the stuff into your vehicle. Be sure to visit these places frequently, as a full shed one morning can be bone-dry the next. Check on websites such as Craigslist.org or Freecycle. Very often, people will post items which is free for the asking. Be extremely careful of bedbugs. Unfortunately, infestations can be commonplace in items such as mattresses, easy chairs, and couches. Curbside items such as these should be approached with extreme caution. They are often affiliated with a charity. Not only can you get cheap goods, the money you spend goes towards helping the charity. Check back often as their supply changes daily to weekly. You can easily pick up pots, pans, bowls and utensils for $1 or less. Also watch for church sales. Many older churchgoers unload great items to be sold super cheap at these sales. These are a great place to buy mops, brooms, kitchen items, and cleansers. Also try to pick up your toilet brushes and toilet plungers here. Those are two items you do not want to get used. Dollar stores are also great places to buy picture frames. Photographs make great, personal, and inexpensive decorations. Dollar stores are also typically excellent for a wealth of household items such as whiteboards, notepads, calendars, oven mitts, soap dishes and more. Yard sales are often great resources for the thrifty young adult. These will almost always be on the weekend (especially Saturday) and tend to start early and wrap up around 3 p.m. Ask the person running the yard sale for items you are specifically looking for, as they may be hidden or the seller might suddenly remember there is one that can be sold. If the items are too pricey or can be found cheaper elsewhere, you should wait. Some people price garage sale items too high. If so, forgo the yard sale or try again in mid-afternoon when the prices may drop. Another tip is to quietly speak with the yard sale host. Explain that you are going off to college and are trying to find certain items. Give them your number and tell them you would be happy to take items off their hands should they not sell by the end of the day. Most people would rather give items to a friendly, personable, needy student than set them on the curb or throw it out. Many people put their unused items into storage and sometimes they forget to pay the storage bill. Those items are put up for auction. You may be able to stock up for just a few bucks. Most people try to get their hands on the treasures at auctions, so the basics can be picked up super cheap. Antique stores are not all fancy old items. Surprisingly, antique stores often sell items at a price lower than new furniture. Although the term is "antique store", these stores often happily sell what is actually vintage and sometimes not even that old. Frankly, they will sell whatever they think they may make a profit on, old and valuable or not! They often have many decorative items as well. You can often bargain with them to receive a discount. They often will offer used office furniture, lamps, tools, and the like at reasonable prices. Some colleges operate "loan closets" on an honor basis, where you can get stuff for free if you agree to return it (and bring more stuff) as soon as you do not need it anymore. Sometimes access to loan closets is restricted to people with special needs: international students, students of a certain department or school, or those in particular need (such as a student who comes from an extremely impoverished background.) However, it never hurts to ask.

Summary: Ask relatives or neighbors if they have any items that you can use. Check the curb. Head to the local landfill or recycling center. Look for other kinds of free giveaways. Try thrift stores. Visit dollar stores in your neighborhood. Shop local yard sales. Check auction listings. Check with your local antique shops. Visit your university's surplus store. Visit your university's loan closet.

To polish leather, you want to match the color of the polish to the color of the leather as closely as possible. Choose a neutral polish if you can't find one to match your Docs, or if your Docs are multicolored. Dr. Martens recommends using only wax-based polishes, and just on their smooth leather products. Choose a location that can get dirty if any accidents occur, and protect the surface you're working on with bags, newspaper, or some other cover. Take a rag or lint-free cloth and run it around in the polish in a circular motion to warm the wax, which will make the polish easier to apply. Apply the polish to the entire shoe, using gentle but firm pressure to get the polish into the leather's pores. If necessary, use a cotton swab or soft-bristled toothbrush to get polish into the hard to reach places. If your shoes are old and have never been polished, consider applying a second layer of polish. When you're finished, allow the polish to sit on the shoes for 10 to 20 minutes. With a shoe brush, begin to gently buff and polish the leather all over, working the polish into the shoes and removing excess at the same time. If you're looking to achieve a mirror shine, the process is slightly more in depth: Dip your finger into a pot of clean water and allow a couple drops to fall onto a spot on the leather. Dip a cloth into your shoe polish and rub that spot using circular motions. Work in small areas at a time, applying water and working more polish into the leather with a cloth. It will likely take a couple hours to cover the entire boot or shoe, but you should notice the leather getting increasingly smooth. When you've finished buffing your Docs with a brush or using the mirror shine technique, rub the leather with a clean piece of nylon to remove dust and extra polish, and to buff the leather to a shine. To give your Docs the longest life possible, clean and condition them every three months. To keep them looking as new as possible, polish them every time you clean and condition them.
Summary: Find the right polish. Lay down newspaper. Apply the polish. Buff the leather. Shine the boots. Repeat every three months.