How to Decorate your Dorm Room on a Budget

Decorating your dorm room on a budget and giving it your personal style is possible! It can even be a lot of fun if you consider this a challenge and see how much you can get for less. Your dorm room should be comfortable, stylish, and feel like the perfect place to study and relax.

If you are looking at all the gorgeous dorm rooms on Pinterest and think these must require a big budget, this isn’t always the case. Here are some great tips to help you decorate your dorm room on a budget and still make it your own.

1. Visit all the local thrift stores

Thrift stores are the perfect place for any student on a budget. Apart from clothing items, you can find decorations and even really good quality furniture. Anything from lamps to organization items and stationery can be helpful if you’re sticking to a budget. If you’re in the mood to search and have some time to spare, this is a great opportunity to find things for your dorm room. Hire moving labor who will deliver any furniture to your dorm room.

Most importantly, you will be able to stay near your budget and still find things worth purchasing. With the money you will save, you can get some new paint or fabrics and upgrade anything you get from the thrift store. This will allow you to put your personal style to your items and have fun while doing so.

2. Put together your DIY projects

Apart from upgrading your thrifted items, there are many other DIY projects you can try. There are many ways to make your throw pillows, curtains, and other small projects around the room. A great project you can work on is picking a style or a color theme and adjusting everything you own to it.

For example, if you love a color marble look, you can add marble elements to your furniture and items with some acrylic paints. Along with that, you can browse Pinterest and YouTube to find a ton of budget-friendly DIY projects based on the materials and skills you have.

3. Decorate your walls without painting them

Decorating your walls is a great and quick way to give your new room character. A simple and easy idea is to get different colors or patterns of paper, cut circles and stick them all over your wall. This will make for a quick and budget-friendly polka-dot wallpaper idea, especially if you don’t want to spend money on wallpaper. But if you are comfortable spending some cash, get help from pro painters.

You can also try adding fairy lights and a big scarf with intricate designs or your own paintings on your walls. You can even write inspirational quotes or poems and use a flashcard database such as https://subjecto.com/ to get ideas on topics. Putting your designs on your walls will make you excited to work on even more projects in the future. This way, you will always be able to switch up your room and never get bored.

4. Keep an eye out for sales and coupons

Sales and coupons will be your best friend when you are trying to stay under a budget. Most big supermarket chains carry very useful items such as bed sheets and covers, pillows, and stationery items that you will need. Along with that, many craft stores have clearance sections and big sales that can help you get what you need for cheap.

If you’re trying to stay under a budget, buying discounted items is the best thing you can do. You can also look on the Facebook marketplace and see what other people have on sale. There, you will be able to find a lot of furniture that is very affordable as well as other items.

5. Use plants and plant hangers

Plants can be such a great addition to any dorm room. Even if you are not good at keeping plants alive, some options require very little care. A quick visit to any local plant and garden store can help you pick the rights plants for your needs and space.

Did you know you can also very easily make your macramé plant hangers with a piece of rope? This is a perfect idea if you don’t have a lot of space in your room but can hang things from the ceiling or walls. There are so many simple videos online explaining how to do this, and they can make for a great decoration for your room. This can be another fun DIY project you can turn into an awesome, budget-friendly decoration.

6. Have smart storage spaces

If you need more storage space that is functional and budget-friendly, the best thing you can look for is storage boxes that double as seats. These usually come in different sizes and colors, so you can pick the ones you like the most. You can find them online and also in many craft stores and furniture stores - they tend to be pretty inexpensive.

If you have space under your bed, you can easily store them under there and use them as extra seating space. Since they come in all different sizes, you will be able to pick the ones that fit perfectly in that space. This way, no one will be left standing when you have friends over, and your personal belongings will all be hidden away.

Put together the dorm room you dream of

While sticking to a budget can seem restrictive, there are plenty of ways to decorate your dorm room. After getting some much-needed inspiration from Pinterest, you can see which projects you can DIY and what you will need to buy. The best thing is that you can continue working on different projects and improving your space as you go.

Most thrift stores will carry a lot of items you need and will only require a bit of work to improve. Decorating your new dorm room will be such a fun experience! All you will need is a positive attitude, some time on your hands, and plenty of creativity.

Which is your favorite budget-friendly decorating tip? Share it with us in the comments!

Bio:

Bridgette Hernandez is a professional writer and editor. She has a strong passion for interior design and always loves to create content about decorating on a budget. In her spare time, she loves to put together DIY projects in her home and update her space with her own unique style.