One of the scariest parts of moving to college is the thought of having to live in a small, plain, mundane room. The thought of having to buy cute bedding, desk accessories, and a colorful shower caddy can quickly become overwhelming because of the money it seems like it will cost to make living in a dorm tolerable. Have no fear! After a little research, it has been established that anyone’s dorm can be decorated and decked out to the max, without having to break the bank; you just need to know where to look and what to look for!
Everyone knows that the awkward size of the dorm beds makes it difficult to find cute, affordable bedding; luckily, retail stores such as Wal-Mart and Sears have noticed the need for decorative sheets and comforters for the dorm and have compiled their bedding bundle to help ease the stress of dorm decorating.
Wal-Mart carries an 11-piece dorm room bedding set that not only includes the perfect dorm bed size sheets and comforters, but also includes other dorm essentials such as: a pillowcase, bed pillow, mattress pad, wash clothes, towels, and even a laundry hamper! This convenient bundle was originally priced at $55.00 but can now be found online or at your local Wal-Mart for $49.00.
Sears also has a bedding package that is $49.99; it includes dorm essentials such as twin sheets, comforter, pillow sham, a fleece throw, mini lamp with USB cord, and a plastic trashcan to match.
Once you have your bedding covered, and have developed a color scheme for your dorm, the rest is a breeze. There are a ton of places to look for cheap, appealing accessories to dress up your dorm. Once again, Wal-Mart is a great option. They carry numerous items ranging from fun “Back to College” rugs or mini basketball hoop and ball to hang on the back of a door, both $19.00 each, to retro lamps for your desk for $14.88. Wal-Mart is also a hot spot for things such as wall decorations and posters to curtains and clocks. While decorating your dorms with little odds and ends, don’t forget about how fun and personal photos can be. Get a memory board ($7.98 at Wal-Mart) and cover it with pictures with friends from high school, and as school continues, start to replace the old high school memories with the new ones you make at Western.
One of the coolest ways to find decorations for your dorm is to hit up yard sales and thrift stores; one person’s junk is another man’s treasure. Vintage items are definitely in style so scour your local thrift stores for old lamps and retro posters. One thrifty, fashionable decorating tip is to find an old t-shirt you like, maybe one of an old rock band, or just one splashed with neon colors straight out of the 80s; these can be found for as little as a quarter. After finding an awesome vintage T, stuff it with pillow cotton that runs around $2.00 a bag. Next, sew up the arms, neck line, and bottom of the shirt and then you instantly have a one of a kind, totally unique pillow to dress up your dorm.
Even though Western provides students with desk chair, something as simple as switching the boring standard chair for a colorful chair or even a bean bag can really spice up your room! Target sells bean bag chairs for as little as $15.99, but keep your eye open for cheaper ones at yard sales!
Lastly, to add the final touch to your new and improved dorm room, check out the Catamount Clothing and Gift store on campus to add a little Catamount pride to your room. Aside from the newest WCU t-shirts and other clothing, The Catamount Clothing and Gift store has a ton of items to personalize your dorm, ranging from magnets starting at $3.50, to koozies priced at only $1.95!
So while you are out shopping for all your dorm necessities keep your eyes open for a good deal and don’t forget your local thrift stores and yard sales. Decorating your dorm is a rite of passage into the college world and should be fun and exciting and with these tips it should definitely prove to be so.
