One of the best parts about going to college is getting to decorate your dorm room. However, to get a Pinterest-worthy room, it can cost hundreds of dollars and college is expensive enough that spending $75 on a comforter is overkill. Here are some money saving tips to have that Tumblr inspired room without burning a hole in your pocket. Moved out of a dorm and living in an apartment or house? These ideas will work perfectly for that setting too.
1. DIY Succulent Pots
Succulents are pretty much the only plant you can keep alive in college so they are essential. However, there is no need to buy a pot for them when you can DIY one with a ton of things you already have in your house. You can use old mugs, cans, or mason jars and give them a makeover with a little paint or washi tape.
2. Shop for bedding at overstock stores like TJ Maxx or HomeGoods
Cute bedding can get super expensive and that is why stores like HomeGoods and TJ Maxx become your best friend. These stores carry quality, cute, name brand bedding for a super affordable price.
3. DIY picture wall
Pictures and fairy lights are an essential to having the perfectly decorated dorm and there are super cheap ways to accomplish this. Fairy lights/Christmas lights can be found almost anywhere from target to home depot for an affordable price; I’ve found they can be purchased cheapest at Hobby Lobby and on Amazon. As for pictures, those can be printed at local drug stores and they almost always have a sale on prints for Walgreens. Once you have those supplies just pick up some command hooks and close pins and you have an aesthetic wall decoration full of memories.
4. Tie Dye your own tapestry
Wall tapestries are super in making them super expensive. Save some money by tie dying a white bed sheet using $10 dye from your craft store. This is super simple and will give your room the tapestry look but with an original spin.
5. Take dishes from home
If you are living in a dorm you will most likely be eating at a dining hall most of the time so there is no need to buy a whole new set of dishes. And odds are your current home has more dishes than are ever going to be used so snag a few to take with you.
6. Use print books to create a gallery wall
Gallery Walls are another trend that can add up. It can also be difficult to find images that fit a similar color scheme. However, you can buy print books from craft stores that give you pictures, quotes, and images of all different sizes and styles all within the same scheme.
7. Door hanging shoe holders
Over the door shoe organizers were my personal dorm space savers. These cheap organizers can be thrown over any door to store things like makeup, snacks, school supplies, and obviously shoes.
8. Skip the 30 decorative pillows
Yes, all the Pinterest pictures show beds with a ton of decorative pillows but trust me when I say stop after two. All those pillows will ultimately end up on the floor so stop after a few and save a ton of money.
9. Collages
All the magazines sitting in your room at home are not going to go with you to college so use them before they get thrown out. You can clip your favorite images, paste them on a canvas, and now you have some unique wall décor.
10. Washi Tape
Washi Tape gets its own honorable mention because there are literally a million things you can do with it. Washi tape can be picked up at Walmart for a few bucks and can be used to decorate notebooks, canvases, chargers, mason jars, and frames. My personal favorite use is to partner it with a cork board or white board to make a reusable calendar.
11. DIY School spirited door hanger/wall décor
This is a cute and original way to show school pride. You can buy the state cut out at select craft stores or on Amazon, then you can paint on your school logo or saying. Then with some command strips, it can be hung on your walls or doors.
12. Ask friends and family for old décor
Things like mattress toppers, desk lamps, storage bins, and mirrors might go unused by older siblings, friends, and cousins after their college years. So double check with them to see if they have any extra stuff you can have before you go out and buy everything new.
