When most people go away to college, they don’t have a ton of money. That means the decorating budget for your dorm is going to be a little slim. This problem can be confounded by the fact that most dorm rooms are small, and often have to be shared with one or more room mates. However don’t despair; your first home away from home is not doomed to be intrinsically unfashionable. There are a variety of low cost efforts that you can make to spruce up the space without breaking the bank.

First you have to worry about organization. You have possessions, whether they be books, clothes, writing utensils, or personal effects, they all have to be placed somewhere. In a dorm where space is tight, this can sometimes be a problem, and can lead to the environment looking cluttered and chaotic.

To avoid this, take advantage of the variety of space saving devices that are on the market. Special hangers let you store your clothes dimensionally, freeing up room in the closet. You can also use cinderblocks or risers to lift your bed, creating a wealth of storage underneath.

When deciding how the space is going to look you should always consult with your roommate. In fact, decorating can actually be a great bonding experience where the two of you come together to be creative about the appearance of the space. Try to be open to their ideas, and make sure that the process is a give and take.

One of the things that is true about a dorm is that it is temporary. Whether you live there a semester, or all four years, you know at some point that you will be leaving. Therefore you should try and decorate using items that are temporary, disposable, and or inexpensive.

This fact has caused successful thrift stores to spring up in many college towns. These stores specialize in buying or reclaiming furnishings from students who are graduating and don’t want to take everything with them. These stores then resell these same recycled goods to incoming freshman, at very reasonable prices. When you first get up to college it may be worth your while to visit the local Salvation Army or a reclaimed goods thrift shop.

The most common piece of disposable dorm room décor is the poster. Posters are generally inexpensive, costing just a few dollars, and are available with just about any image that you can imagine. With a poster, you are able to cover your walls in great works of art, or with images of your favorite hero’s, and completely change the nature of the space for almost no money. Also, when it comes time to leave, posters can be rolled up and brought with you, or tossed out. You can also donate a poster to the freshman class that is just coming in.

One thing you have to be very careful of is to not do any permanent damage to the dorm. The space is owned by the school, and you are only renting it for a short time. If you get stains on the walls or carpets, or leave nail holes in the walls, many universities will charge you for it after you leave.

The dorm is your first home away from home. It is the first place that you can really call your own. Even though you may not have a huge budget, you can still make the space look great, by using savvy shopping and a little creativity.

This article provided on behalf of PebbleZ.com’s line of natural marble chess sets and natural stone home accessories. The writing was done by style philosopher Joey Pebble.

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