A. If you can wait, wait till your state's tax-holiday to make the purchases. If you can't, prepare a list of the college dorm supplies and start shopping now, and stay organized don't make duplicate purchases.
There are a few internet sites provide college dorm supply lists for both boys and girls, for example, here is a quite comprehensive one for first year college life at either campus dorms or offsite apartments, you can check them out and use them as a reference list.