10 Ways To Spice Up Your Dorm Room On A Budget

Decorating your dorm room for the first time is one of the few exciting things that come with freshman year of college. However, you may find yourself getting bored of it half way through, or even just a few weeks in! This is even a reoccurring situation for dorm decorating veterans. Money is usually a pretty problematic thing in college. It can really hold you back when it comes to redecorating your dorm room. Lucky for you, here are 10 ways to change your dorm room up that are totally budget friendly:

1. Add pillows to any spot you can

Adding pillows to different spots in your dorm room may not seem like a drastic change, but it truly adds a little something. Depending on whether your room is color coordinated or not would determine what pillows to get. If your room has darker colors, buy some bright pillows to add a pop of color. If your room is already as colorful as possible, try to buy pillows that would stand out. Some pillows can be pretty expensive, for no good reason in my opinion, but you can find some really cool affordable ones at online retailers or places like Tj Maxx and Marshalls. Adding some extra pillows on your bed, couch/futon, and desk chair will change things up and make the dorm more comfortable!

2. Hang old records on the walls

Hanging up old records on the walls of your dorm room will not only make it more aesthetically pleasing, but will make you look cool too. If you have some empty space on your walls, adding records will fill that space, obviously, and will give your dorm room a whole new look. You can find old records at pretty much any thrift store. They’re never over $2 which makes them super budget-friendly. You’ll have a ton of fun sifting through the boxes of records picking out which ones you like the most and think will match the best with your decor. If you really want to change things up, you can buy a bunch of records and put them side by side, up and down a full wall. It’ll add a lot to the room giving it a whole new vibe.

3. Rearrange all your existing furniture

This is so budget-friendly that it costs literally nothing! If you and your roommate can come to an agreement on how to rearrange the dorm room, do it! You may need a little extra help when it comes to the heavy things, but it’s extremely doable. Doing a little rearranging has the potential to completely change the entire room. It also lets you have a lot of bonding time with your roommate! You can pretty much rearrange your dorm room as often as you want so you can get bored of it as much as you want!

4. Put plants into funky mugs

Almost everyone oddly has a bunch of mugs. If there are some mugs you packed up for your dorm room that you don’t use a lot, use them as planters! Little succulents will look adorable planted in them sitting on your window, night stand, or desk! They are very easy to take care if, plus it’ll add some more color to your room. A cactus would be a great option as well. Since you can’t really have pets in your room to take care of, consider these plants in mugs as your little pet! 

5. Add a beaded doorway curtain

This is another thing you may need to discuss with your roommate, but it adds a cute touch! Not every dorm room is set up in such a way that there is an empty doorway to put the curtain. However, if your room does have that kind of space, take advantage! You can purchase a low cost beaded curtain or even make your own. If there is a super cool one that is a little out of your college budget, see if your roommate wants to split the cost! The difference it makes is way bigger than you’d think!

6. Buy hooks to hang your jewelry on the walls

This may seem like more of an organization tip, but that’s not all it is. Hanging your jewelry on the wall can add a funky new decoration. A wall of your jewelry can really spice things up. It’s not too crazy, but it’s different. You’ll also be freeing up some room for other things! There are plenty of affordable hooks for walls that are dorm safe. Just remember, don’t make any holes in the walls or else this won’t be so budget-friendly anymore!

7. Buy LED lights

Color changing LED lights are super affordable. You can buy them at Target, Walmart, or even Amazon for low-cost. During the day the lights might not seem super life-changing, but when it gets darker and you turn them on the room will have a whole new atmosphere. Since the lights can be changed to whatever color you want, this is a great tip for anyone who gets bored of things quickly. You can stick them on your desk, around the doorway, or across the ceiling. You can really have fun with these, especially if you get the ones that have different modes! 

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8. Fill vases with random items

If you are looking for a super unique decoration to change your dorm room up, this is it. You can find vases at pretty much any thrift store. If you find a few, you can fill each of them with different things all around the room. A few fun things to fill the vases with are a bunch of seashells, rocks, or even bouncy balls! This can add a unique item to your room and also a lot of color depending on what you put in it! You would preferably put a lot of something that you already own to be budget-friendly. So, if you own a random collection of anything that you don’t mind putting on display, fill a vase up with the items and create your one-of-a-kind decoration. 

9. Invest in a reversible comforter

This is something you may want to do when you first start dorm shopping. Buying a reversible comforter may not seem budget-friendly at first, but it definitely will be in the long run. If you are wanting to change your dorm up, all you have to do is reverse the comforter! Usually your comforter is the focus point of your dorm room, you try to match everything with it. So, when you just simply change the comforter, the whole room will change! You can change it back and forth as much as you want so you don’t get bored of either side.

10. Hang up a tapestry

The most cliche thing in any dorm room is a tapestry, but there is totally a reason why so many dorm rooms have them. They give the whole room a great look! There is an endless amount of different tapestries across the web. Since there are so many, that means there are plenty of affordable ones! If your wall is already filled with a bunch of stuff, just rearrange a little to make enough room for the tapestry. It’ll fill your walls up a lot more, making the dorm room much more cozy. 

Hopefully these few ideas will inspire you to change your dorm room up a little. Just doing one or a few different things will spice your dorm room up and cure your boredom!

How have you spiced up your dorm room all these years?

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