Like most college kids, I'm totally broke. Yes, I have a summer job, but do I have the common sense to not spend all my paychecks on things to check off my bucket list? No. But! Thankfully, the past two summers of having no money, but having the responsibility to decorate a dorm and now an apartment, have taught me a few things.
Decorating doesn't have to be expensive. You can have the Pinterest-worthy space without breaking the bank. This year on my apartment, I've spent less than $500. That budget helped me furbish my half of a two bedroom apartment that I share with my roommate.
Some of my store favorites this summer were Walmart, Goodwill, The Dollar Store, Joan Fabrics, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target. For those who passively judge Goodwill, you are truly missing out my friend. Goodwill hunting is like a thrill because when you really look hard you find the most amazing things! I highly recommend checking out these stores for kitchen supplies (Dollar Store), furniture (GW), mattress bundles (Walmart) and any other decorating needs! I've saved so much money by taking this route.
I purchased a Papyson chair frame for $20 and then instead of spending $200 on a cushion and defeating the savings purpose, I made my own cushion! The cushion cost me a total of $5. With a 60 percent off coupon from Joan Fabrics I purchased six feet of fabric for $6. I stuffed the inside of the chair with old pillows that my family didn't use anymore and three hours later, the cushion was stuffed and stitched to perfection for a total price of $25.
I also purchased a desk from Goodwilll that was originally posted for $5, but because it was 'Saturday Student Discount Day' I ended up paying $4 for my brand new trendy desk. With the desk I paired a pair of tall stools that were no longer being used in my house and it went together prefect. I paid a total of $4 for my desk!
A lot of my decorations and storage units came from Goodwill as well. Target tends to donate a lot of their clearance items to Goodwill, so I found brand new bathroom storage drawers for $4.99 and brand new picture frames for $1.99. I love being organized and I love decorating! It was a win, win.
My bed cost me a low price of $160. It's college, I'm not expecting to sleep on the most luxurious bed. I need something that will play its role for the next four years. Walmart offers awesome bundle deals for beds and frames! They come in all sizes, are super cheap and they get delivered in a box! If you ask me, it's pure genius. My bed was delivered a week later and then I loaded it into my car and drove it up to my apartment. Probably the easiest transportation of bedding and loading into an apartment a person could get.
These were just a few ways I was able to stretch my dollar when spending money on furbishing my apartment. You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to make your space as cute as you imagined it. Sometimes it just takes some patience and a good eye to find some good deals and finds!
