College Dorm Room: How to Decorate on a Budget

The long-awaited time has come, college has never been so close! You spent time studying, visiting colleges, writing letters, and finally you got accepted by your dream college. But what is next? The fun part! Decorating your college dorm room! Every year colleges are getting more and more expensive, but there is a cost you can have control over. Your new dorm room. You have different options. You can either order everything online, or run to the first home décor store, or you can follow some tips and suggestions on how to decorate on a budget, which this blog offers, and save money! I personally love interior design, and I even help a friend with her social media accounts for her budget friendly interior design business. What I have learned so far is, you do not need to spend a lot of money to make a room the dream room you always wanted. The first thing is to decide a budget, then choose what items are more important for you and splurge a little bit, and finally use the rest of the budget to find the best deals for all the other items you need.

What would you say If I told you decorating your dorm room can be done for $999 or less? You might be thinking, how is that possible? If you keep reading, you will find out! Once you decide the budget, it is time to focus on the items that are important for you. The items that are important for me are mattress protectors, storage, light fixtures, and other room essentials. In the process, you will discover how much I will be spending to decorate my dream dorm room.

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Mattress or Mattress Protector?

Parents and students know that buying a new mattress can be an expense that can be avoided by purchasing a good mattress protector for the mattress the college provides. Therefore, a good quality mattress protector is a must-have item when you move into your dorm room. After researching mattress protectors online, I learned that prices range from $8 up to $139.

Mattress Protector

The mattress protector I chose is the “Whatley Hypoallergenic and Waterproof Fitted Mattress Protector” sold by Wayfair. Right now, the item is on sale, and it costs $35.99 for twin size, has 4.6 stars and 3022 reviews. The product is water resistant, machine washable and antimicrobial. All those characteristics are important when you sleep on a used mattress.

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Storage

Storage Containers are important when living in small spaces. The average size of a dorm room is 12 by 19 feet, and that space should be divided between you and your roommate. Therefore, usage of storage containers can make students’ lives easier. Some of the items that need space are clothes and shoes.

Clothes

Clothes that are not used in the season can be stored inside fabric under bed storage organizer bags. The Fabric Underbed Storage in the picture is from Wayfair, costs $20.04 on sale, comes in a set of 3, has 4.5 stars and 1,162 reviews. The Fabric Underbed Storage has handles, and a transparent front window to see the content. These qualities are great, especially when you pack for college! You can put all the clothes that you do not need right away and store them underneath your bed. I recommend buying 2 sets, for a total of 6 fabric under bed storage organizer bags.

Shoes

Shoes can be stored on an over-the-door shoe organizer. The Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer in the picture is from Target, it costs $10, can store up to 26 pairs of shoes, has 4.6 stars and 316 reviews. If you have a closet, you can buy two; one can be hung on your closet door and one in your dorm room, so you can share some space with your roommate too!

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Light Fixture

The third thing that is important when you decorate your dorm room are light fixtures. In fact, room lighting is fundamental for a student because it is not easy to concentrate and study when you do not have the right light.

Functional Light

A great option for a desk lamp can be the LED Desk Lamp, JKSWT Eye-Caring Table Lamps from Amazon, shown in the picture. The lamp costs $27.99, has 4.8 stars and 4,001 ratings. This desk lamp protects your eyes and it is dimmable, so it is perfect for those who have to study.

Decorative Light

The Boncoo LED Floor Lamp shown in the picture can be a good addition to your dorm room. It is sold on Amazon, it costs $60.99, has 4.5 stars and 239 ratings. The Boncoo LED Floor Lamp is adjustable and has a modern looking style to add more character to your new room!

Fun Light

And, if you want to make your dorm room more fun, you can always add some strip lights. The Minger LED Strip Lights in the picture are from Amazon, cost only $13.99, have 4.6 stars and 125,491 ratings.

Thus, you get a functional light, decorative light, and fun light for only $102.97!! Light fixture

search completed!

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Other essentials

Other essential items that must be considered when you start thinking about how to decorate your dorm room are bedding and pillows. Why not look for a set that has everything you need for a good price?

Bedding Set

If you do not want to use your high-school bedding, the best option for your money is the Amazon Basics 5-Piece Lightweight Microfiber set shown in the picture. This set comes with a comforter, a flat sheet, a fitted sheet, a sham, and one standard pillowcase. The set only costs $53.04, has 37 different patterns, has 4.7 stars and 44,871 ratings. Great value for your money!

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This article is the first step when you start looking into how to decorate on a budget. What did we learn so far? We learned that decorating your dorm room is composed of a few steps. You decide a budget, you make a list of items you need, and you use the rest of the budget for other items that you want. I started talking about the importance of a good mattress protector and the usefulness of storage containers. Then, I talked about how to get the best for your money when you look for light fixtures, and lastly, I found a great deal for a 5-piece bedding set! The total for all these items is $222.04!!

My second article, How to Be Organized gets into more detail about storage containers, and how to stay organized. In fact, some of the remaining budget will be spent on more storage items. And my third article College Essentials: Bathroom and Laundry Room focuses on bathroom and laundry room essentials. Don’t forget to check them out, and you will finally discover how much I spend to decorate my “Dorming on a Dime” room!

Please let me know what you think about my article in the comments section. What are your must-have items when packing for college? Where would you splurge and where would you save money? I am looking forward to reading your comments!