As class workload increases, clubs schedule more events, and people get into the groove of their new on- or off-campus jobs, it may feel like you are never seeing the people you live with anymore—someone just always seems to be leaving just as someone else is walking in.
However, don’t let the busyness of the semester keep you from spending time with your roomies! Here are some fun and easy activities to plan as a room to help if you are short on time this semester, and won’t cost you a fortune at Target.
1. Picnic Somewhere Nice on Campus
Find a scenic spot around campus that isn’t too far and choose a good time that works for everyone. Next, all you need is some take-out from the dining hall (or some tasty leftovers from the weekend), a blanket or two for everyone to sit on, and each roommate accounted for. Everyone will enjoy the fresh air and the good food, as well as being able to spend some time together, even if no one can stay for very long.
2. Paint Night
Paint nights are a great way for everyone to relax and take a break from their busy lives, while unleashing their artistic sides. Everyone can paint something unique to them, and it can also be a great way to add some color to your room. Target offers quality acrylic paint in a variety of colors starting at $1.99 for 2 oz. bottles and brushes for $1.99 each.
However, if you are still worried about prices, skip the canvas route and opt for some rocks that you found around campus to place around your room, or spruce up those flowerpots sitting on your windowsill. You can always opt for plain printer paper as well, or cut up a piece of poster board, and paint those instead.
3. Spa (and Movie) Night
If you all find yourselves free on a Friday or Saturday night, take the chance to spend the night relaxing as a room. Change into your comfiest pair of sweatpants, break out some face masks, and get the nail polish ready. It is a great chance to catch up with your roommates’ lives, while also getting the chance to pamper yourself. If you have the time, pull up Netflix on someone’s laptop, and play a movie that you all have been dying to see—you can never go wrong with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before or The Princess Diaries. Step up your game even further and build a pillow fort that everyone can get cozy in and have fun making!
4. Decorate the Room for an Upcoming Holiday or Season
With Halloween approaching and fall just beginning, take the time as a room to break out those pumpkin and skeleton decorations to get ready for the season! Not only does your room get a refreshed look, but everyone can spend some quality time together as you duke out what goes where. If you’re short on holiday decorations, check out Target’s amazing Bullseye’s Playground section, which is always being updated with cheap, seasonal tchotchkes that you can scatter throughout the room to get in the holiday spirit.
5. Have a Photo Shoot
Kill two birds with one stone and update your Instagram with some fresh photos, while also boosting each other’s confidence by planning a photo shoot somewhere around campus. You can take pictures as a group, and/or do ones of each roommate individually. You can also spend the time getting ready before hand together, doing each other’s makeup, and picking out each other’s outfits.
6. Yoga
Finding a time where everyone can make one of the yoga classes at the gym can be difficult, especially since everyone’s schedules are so hectic anyways. Settle for a free, low-commitment yoga session by choosing a time and place that works well for you and your roommates, and instead of following along to an instructor, search up yoga exercises on YouTube, like Yoga with Adriene, which is a popular yoga channel that offers very specialized courses, including Yoga for Beginners and 10-15 Minute Yoga Practices. Or if someone in your room has some yoga experience, offer that they lead the group. Not only will you de-stress, but you can work out in an environment surrounded by the people you love! During the warmer months, you can even move your yoga sessions outside and enjoy the fresh air.
7. Take Advantage of What Your School Offers
Many schools offer free events for the students to enjoy, so don’t take those for granted! Check weekly emails, flyers, and club meetings for something that might interest you and your roommates and make a date to go together. You might even take the chance and try something new and find something you all really enjoy.
While it might take weeks of planning to even fit in one of these activities, it will surely be an event that everyone in the room will be looking forward to and remember for a long time. Just remember to be respectful of everyone’s schedules while you are trying to find a time and date. Just because you have time doesn’t mean that everyone else does. Also, get outside your comfort zone! Wear something you’ve never worn before in your photo shoot, watch a movie from a genre you don’t typically watch, or go to an event that you wouldn’t otherwise. Even if you don’t end up liking it in the end, you might still have fun just being with your friends for the night. The school year might be crazy, but don’t let it keep you from the people that keep you sane!