Comments on How to Decorate Your College Apartment

I am in the process of decorating my apartment. I find the best place to get ideas is the Internet. A good place to look would be the Trading Spaces website. They have cheap ideas and good ones. Also, go to garage sales.

Over time, save tons of old postage stamps. Glue them on an old garage sale or Goodwill lamp shade and shellac. Add beads from broken necklaces and use $1 elastic thread from the local super retail outlets. The skies the limit!

For an instant pick-me-up to a dull bathroom, buy some clear light-switch plate and outlet covers, slide in some pretty paper and replace the current boring cover. You can also buy cheap, plain shower hooks and hang pretty, light (mostly waterproof) items on them. I used die cuts (found at elementary schools or hobby stores) to make butterflies and laminated the cut-outs twice to keep out water. Cost? A lot less than buying the ready-made bathroom hooks at a home decorating store!

Spring time is the best time for tag sales and that is where you can find inexpensive ways to furnish your apartment. Also be creative. (eg. My coffee table is a tailgate of a pickup truck with some legs attatched.) It makes for great conversation.

Make color copies of your favorite, expensive artworks. For frames, use a utility knife and corrugated cardbord for a unique and stylish look.

I know we all tend to be procrastinators, but if you are in high school now looking at this... don't think it's too soon to start thinking about your 1st apartment. I started collecting plates and other kitchen and bath room things since 8th grade... and keeping certian themes in mind, so now that i am a poor college student, i don't have to worry about buying nice things for my place cause i've been saving up and buying them in my younger less expensive years :)

I find flea markets, discount stores, auctions, garage sales, and salvage yards to be amazing places to find cheap furniture and other household items. It doesn't cost much to sand off worn-out varnish and spray paint used furniture, and colorful thrft-store vases and pots can look really cool and store lots of things(for example, pillows, throws, cotton balls, kitchen utensils, etc).

Spring time is the best time for tag sales and that is where you can find inexpensive ways to furnish your apartment. Also be creative. (eg. My coffee table is a tailgate of a pickup truck with some legs attatched.) It makes for great conversation.

Use cement blocks and boards for bookshelves. These can be dressed up by painting the blocks with spray paint in a color of your choice.

When I moved into my first apartment, I realized I had overlooked all of the small things. Like a bath mat, wash cloths, and laundry soap. We tend to take those things for granted. Take a look around where you're living now and start a shopping list for things you'll need when you have your own place.

You don't want to get to your first apartment and realize that you have a plate, a cup and a fork! You are going to want to be comfortable and you are going to want to have people over and have THEM be comfortable. I started collecting small tables, chairs, kitchen things (plates, cups, silverware, pots, pans, cooking utensils, etc.), extra blankets, sets of sheets, coat hangers, clothes drying racks, used TV's and VCR's, old trunks, etc. back when I was about 16 and it has served me well. Buy things while you have a few dollars here and there, and it will save you from having to spend a whole lot at once. I have found some amazing bargains at discount stores, yard sales, from friends, and even from stuff people put out at the dump. Don't be ashamed to save a buck. You'll be glad you did!

Make color copies of your favorite, expensive artworks. For frames, use a utility knife and corrugated cardbord for a unique and stylish look.

I know we all tend to be procrastinators, but if you are in high school now looking at this... don't think it's too soon to start thinking about your 1st apartment. I started collecting plates and other kitchen and bath room things since 8th grade... and keeping certian themes in mind, so now that i am a poor college student, i don't have to worry about buying nice things for my place cause i've been saving up and buying them in my younger less expensive years :)

It is interesting to make your own curtains without ever picking up a needle or thread. Simply go to a local fabric store, I went to Wal-mart, and get the fabric cut. Two seperate peices can add interest to a window. Mine are seperated by a simple pony-tail holder and draped back so you still get the positive aspects of the window! All you need is the thread, elastic pony-tail holders and a few nails and you have a very inexpensive way of adding spice to your once drab windows!

Buy a floor rug for in front of the couch and try to find some matching pillows for the couch. It makes things a bit more comfortable. Try to put some inexpensive plants in the corners too.