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How to Personalize Your New Space on a Budget

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal Poly chapter.

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to head back to college, and you’ll be settling into your new home for the year. When you arrive, you find that your new place is a little drab and could definitely use some pizzazz. You want to make your space fun and inviting since you’ll be spending the next year here, but you don’t want to invest too much money. So, I have decided to help with that challenge. I have compiled some super adorable and fun decoration ideas that will give life to your new place while still being easy on the budget. (You can thank me later.)

Let’s start with the walls. This pretty much applies to every room, but especially your bedroom. This is where you really want the space to show your personality. One way to do that is by hanging pictures! I picked up some really cute but inexpensive picture frames from Target and put pictures of my family, friends and dogs in them. Then I hung them up on the wall, and it gave the room color instantly! Now I get to see my loved ones all the time. 

Another great idea is to string pictures up. This is a very easy project. Just tack up some string and use clothespins to display your pictures. Talk about cute! If you need to get rid of the white space, find some fun fabric and pin it up on the walls. Find some colorful patterns and the room will look super awesome!

I also found some sweet quotes, wrote them out on pretty scrapbook paper and decorated them. I just pinned them up and it made such a great decoration. Posters also make an easy wall decoration. Target, Walmart and Beverly’s have some inexpensive posters that are cute and will dress up your room instantly.

Last but not least (and this one has to be my favorite): Sharpie art! I am addicted to this! I made a template of the letter “E” on a canvas and drew dots using different colored Sharpies all around the letter. It turned out so cool and I am so in love with it! I also did tie-dye patterns by drawing with Sharpies on a canvas and poured rubbing alcohol on it with a tear dropper. It’s super cool and you can create a work of art that is uniquely your own.

To add even more color to your space, whether it’s your bedroom or living space, try out a patterned rug or toss pillows. I put a zebra rug in my living room and added some white, fluffy pillows pillows to compliment it. Knick knacks can also add some color to your space, as well as show off your personality

Lastly, you are going to need to decorate your desk as well! I went to Target and got the inexpensive, white desk organizers and added patterned washi tape to cover them. What were the results? Really cute desk organizers that are uniquely my own! Another easy and fun craft is to make a power strip box with a regular shoebox and decorate it. I added grommets around the edge so I could feed cords out of the box to attach to my electronics, and the power strip remained invisible. And now you have a cute piece of art on your desk! To store all of your pens, pencils and highlighters, use mason jars. They have become very popular, and it just so happens that they make cute desk organizers.

I hope some of these inexpensive decor ideas help to make your space uniquely yours.

Happy decorating and welcome back Mustangs!

Emily has also authored political articles for Restless Magazine and numerous inspirational and empowering pieces for Project Wednesday. When she isn't writing, she can be found flying off to her next adventure, attempting new recipes, listening to one of her infinite playlists on Spotify, or cuddling with her dogs. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter @emilycveith.
Gina was formerly the Beauty & Culture Editor at Her Campus, where she oversaw content and strategy for the site's key verticals. She was also the person behind @HerCampusBeauty, and all those other glowy selfies you faved. She got her start in digital media as a Campus Correspondent at HC Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she graduated in 2017 with degrees in English and Theater. Now, Gina is an LA-based writer and editor, and you can regularly find her wearing a face mask in bed and scrolling through TikTok.