It’s that time of year again where the most festive and crafty people break out their best holiday decor. However, if you’re like me and you’re not so crafty, stressed with finals and have no money, but still want to make your dorm look more like a winter wonderland, then this is the article for you.
Over the weekend, I sent myself on a mission to Target with a budget of $20. This was a personal challenge for me because Target is not only my favorite store, but I am a notorious overspender. I wrote down a few specific things I wanted to include in my decorating. I needed wrapping paper and ribbon for a (hopefully) Pinterest worthy door, a small tree and ornaments. I went with my roommate and we walked up and down the empty holiday decoration aisle. My first tip would be don’t purchase your decorations before Thanksgiving. There may not be as many options after, but a lot of decorations are on sale which helps you save money. In the end, we bought a roll of wrapping paper for $5, a set of small ornaments for $3, ribbon for $2 and a small tree for $9. This came to a grand total of $19 not including tax. My roommate and I ended up splitting the total which made it more than affordable.
I have never been known as the Martha Stewart type and never will be. Putting up the wrapping paper door proved to be difficult due to our lack of height and the fact that we couldn’t get the bottom of the door to be even without ripping the paper. After some failed attempts and layering, we finally got it to work. If you’re attempting to do this, I recommend getting at least one other person to help you because it is a two-person job, especially if you are vertically challenged like me. Finding a taller individual makes decorating the top part of the door a lot easier. After the wrapping paper was secure, we tied the ribbon around the door and added a couple of ornaments to the fabric for some extra flair. You can measure out any excess wrapping paper to make a tapestry or accent wall by your bed with Command strips and add twinkly lights for extra detail. Decorating the tree is simple, but if you’re willing to spend some extra cash, Amazon sells mini trees already decorated for around $25. Just make sure you order it early or else it might be delivered after Christmas. All in all, I would say these are some pretty easy, fun and inexpensive ways to jazz up your dorm room this holiday season.