We're all broke college kids. No matter how much we work over the summers or how many times we swear to ourselves that we'll stop ordering take-out five nights a week, we always somehow seem to end up with our bank accounts in the single digits and accepting the fact that we'll have to live off of water and Ramen for the foreseeable future.
College is not cheap, and neither are all the other expenses that come with it besides just tuition, like apartments. We pay high price tags for those, and everyone wants their place to look nice. However, no one can afford those overpriced curtains or mirrors from Anthro. So if you're like me, sadly poor but wanting their apartment (or dorm) to look Pinterest-worthy, here are some cheap decorating fixes to make your home-away-from-home a little bit prettier.
1. Potted plants.
These are classic. Everyone loves those cute little succulents that are always being sold at farmer's markets or plant nurseries, and they hardly ever cost more than $10. You can find them almost anywhere -Amazon, Home Depot, Etsy -and put them on windowsills or end tables to add a personal touch to your room. And they don't need to be watered often, so they're almost impossible for even the most irresponsible people to kill!
2. Handmade canvases.
It's a thousand times cheaper to paint your own decorative canvas than to buy a pre-made one from Etsy. Pick up a pack of canvases and a bunch of small bottles of paint for under $15 from a craft store or Walmart and create your own designs to hang on the walls of your apartment. Even if you're not artistic, you can still do something simple, like colorful polka dots or tracing a pattern. Plus they make for easy and personalized gifts.
3. String lights.
Christmas lights aren't expensive, and are always on sale after the holidays. They look really cool strung around the tops of walls and even cooler hanging from ceilings. If you're feeling really artsy, you can cut holes in ping pong balls and stick the lights inside, making faux globe lights.
4. Paper lanterns.
Also cheap (like less than $1.50) and always really cool hanging from ceilings, paper lanterns come in a thousand different colors, sizes, and designs, so you can really create something unique to draw attention to. They also just look cool sitting on a bookshelf or desk, too.
5. Renter's wallpaper.
This one is not as cheap, but if you want to go all out, you can get removable, temporary wallpaper to really personalize your apartment. Just like with regular wallpaper, you can find almost any color or pattern you want.
6. Candles.
Whether you actually use them or just set them out as decorations, candles are perfect for filling that extra empty space and making your room smell awesome. Get some small ones from Bed, Bath, & Beyond for less than $20, or the off-brand ones that look just as cute from Walmart for just a couple dollars.
7. Paint swatch wall.
I made one of these in my own room at home, and trust me, they're worth the time and effort spend making them. I went to Walmart, "borrowed" every color of paint swatch they had, and used poster putty to put them up on my wall in a cool design. It came out so well that I made another one for my dorm. You can just do a small space, or be awesome and cover the whole wall.
8. Rug.
There's a lot of really inexpensive, really cool-looking rugs out there. They're perfect for adding extra color to a room and easier to clean than carpets. Amazon, Target, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond have a ton when back-to-school season comes around.
9. Polaroid clothes lines.
I also made one of these for my room at home and liked it so much that I made more to hang in my dorm. If you don't have a Polaroid camera (like me), you can find DIY templates online, print and cut them out, and stick them on clothespins to twine. Or string lights, to make it extra fancy.
10. Cool chairs.
These are awesome if you have some extra cash to spend or you can't afford a couch. Find them online or in stores like Walmart or Target to put in the empty corner of your room or even out on your balcony if patio furniture is just a bit too pricey for your wallet.
11. Wall décor.
This is the quickest, easiest fix to a blank and boring wall. You can decorate with anything -posters, clocks, maps, tapestries. Posters and tapestries can be found pretty cheap on websites like Amazon or specialty sites if you have some time to spend searching on Google. Or you could buy a large world map online and have everyone who comes to visit put a pin on where they're from or places they're going to travel to.
Decorating your apartment/dorm doesn't have to make you broke, and these are just a few of countless easy ways to brighten up your place. You really do have the potential to have that apartment everyone wishes was theirs.
