Living away from home may be a new experience to many, which some students really love. Many students take the opportunity to style their room with a freedom that they may not have had while living with their parents.

However, there are two big considerations most students overlook when it comes to decorating their dorm: Budget and lifespan.

It can be daunting to decorate your room on a student’s budget, as the price tag of each small decoration adds up when trying to fill an entire room. And once it comes time to graduate, what happens with all of that décor?

We’ve found interesting and creative ways to make your room feel more at home for the time that you’re there for a small enough price that you won’t feel bad about throwing them into a trash bin after graduation!

Oversized Containers

Let’s face it, most people have a lot of stuff, but the dorm room probably won’t contain enough furniture to hold it all.

In place of pricey furniture, why not use large containers to sort your things? By the time midterms come around, even the tidiest students have dorms that become disorganized. Items that are usually sold as laundry containers, large flexible baskets, or other temporary storage are good candidates. They also make for easy clean up when guests come over!

Covering the Walls

Bare walls can leave you feeling like your room is too empty, and tall furniture, picture frames, or wall decals are actually pretty expensive. An affordable rug hung on the wall covers a large area, and it doesn’t require a special backing to do so. All you need is some nails and a hammer (and maybe a friend to hold up the other side of the rug). In addition, you can also paint over your rug to personalize it with any message that you’d want.

You could even decorate the ceiling above the bed so you can have something inspiring to look at during the day when you lie down! For this option, a decorative shower curtain would be your best option. They’re light weight and can be secured to the ceiling using only a few thumb tacks.

These options are as easy as they are affordable! All you have to do at the end of your year is throw them into your Junk It! bin and your dorm will be ready for the next student to move in.

Lighting Sets the Mood

A proper lamp can get really expensive, but many students have been using the resources in their dorms creatively. Plug in string lamps are very popular and festive all year round. They also tend to be very cheap — just don’t get ones that blink as you might find that distracting when you’re trying to work. Many lamps come with miniature shades to disperse the light and decorate during the day when it’s not plugged in.

Get creative and use items that are inexpensive to decorate, and you’ll have a customized dorm made just for you!