When you move into your freshman dorm room or moving out to your first apartment, you really want to have a good looking place. It uplifts your mood and gives your guests a certain atmosphere when they visit you. Being a collegiate is expensive, so decorating on a budget is a must for many students. There are many ways to find the results that you will need to achieve your goal.
Dollar Store Finds: The dollar store sells lots of inexpensive options for its customers for decorating purposes. There are so many choices to choose from and lots of materials. There are plenty of flowers that can be picked from to do a project, they are good quality, and they are fake so they last a long time. Seasonal items are excellent because there are usually hanging signs that can be used for years to come. Depending on the store, there is a section that has home related canvases that are small and have a variety of sayings on them. This particular section also photo frames that could be used in many ways. Lucky for you, the Dollar Store in Indiana has this exact section!
DIY: Do it yourself projects can be fun and be a lot cheaper than items that are sold on etsy. The items can be personalized for your specific purpose and be very unique compared to your typical store bought items. These items can be very heartfelt if a friend or significant made one for your or vice versa. Crayon art is a popular trend right now to be used with a hairdryer and some cut up crayons. Glitter is also a popular trend to be used with a personalization of your name or monogram. DIYs can be fun when done with fellow friends or roommates to make the space your own. For DIY projects, Pinterest will be your best friend.
Campus Posters: After campus events have happened, most of the posters are taken down to make room for the new ones. Some of them can be very good quality posters and might even be your favorite singer, politician, or comedian. They usually end up getting thrown out so try to snag them before they get tossed and you can gain some free home décor.
Ticket Stubs: Another easy to decorate your apartment or room is to collect event stubs or small flyers to put under glass for a desk. It is easy to have a jar to put these in and after it fills up, fill your desk with them to make a glam but inexpensive display. This also works for a cork board where you can also put song lyrics around them to add an accent. It is very easy to ask family members to start a collection with their own ticket stubs that they do not want any more to add to your desk or cork board. The ticket stubs are already paid for plus they create an inexpensive display.
Tapestries:
This option can sometimes be more expensive than other options on this list, but it covers a lot of space. If you have bare walls, a nice tapestry might be just the way to go. These can be found at Amazon, Urban Outfitters, and many other online stores. In addition, they are also sold by a vendor outside the HUB throughout the semester. Make sure you keep your eye out while walking to class and you just might find a steal. Tapestries are very trendy right now and excellent for taking pictures in front of #SoCollege.
Clothesline Pictures: This apartment decor is popular right now and is very inexpensive. Students can find clothes pins at the dollar store and print pictures out with friends and family. With clothespins, you can easily swap out pictures throughout the year. They also do not take up a lot of space. This option would is perfect for out-of-state or study abroad students that don’t want to fill their apartment with a bunch of stuff that they’ll have to move right back out in just one semester.
College is expensive, but decorating your home away from home doesn’t have to be. With these decorating hacks, you’ll be sure to live in a trendy apartment without having to break the bank!