S’more Décor

When I was younger, I always dreamed of how I would decorate my house but soon realized decorating can be expensive. I have been living the college life (aka the broke life) for three years now, and I finally learned the art of decorating on a college budget. If you want to know all my tips and hacks, read along. ☺

My apartment was actually the origin of my blog name – A Cozy Little Life. I love having friends over, and one day a friend said my apartment always felt so cozy. Let me tell you, nothing quite made me happier. Of course it took me awhile to arrange my apartment the way I wanted, but I found that decorating has now become an enjoyable hobby of mine.

So where does all my décor come from? Well for starters, I have lived in three different apartments, and I have managed to keep the majority of my décor that I toted around all these years. #1 money saving rule – Keep your décor even if you are done using it for the time being. You never know when you might use that fake succulent (wait why would anyone stop using a fake succulent) or an old string of lights again. I promise they will be convenient when you are finding new areas to decorate.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve bought new décor lately but for all crazy low prices. I will state the obviously here: TJ Maxx is definitely one of my go-to spots. You can find so many items for under $10 and some even under $5! Another go-to is a little store called Ross Dress for Less. Some of you may recognize the name, but if you don’t, drop what you are doing and go. now. If you think TJ Maxx has great prices, walk all the way to the back of Ross and find their many aisles of home décor and furniture. I got the beautiful painting above my bed for only $20! Actually, 90% of my décor is from Ross. They have great prices, and above that, every single item I have purchased from the store has been of quality as well. Ross Dress for Less is definitely worth every penny.

Other places I love looking for new furniture or even small décor are thrift stores and estate sales. Now I know that sentence does not sound enlightening, but you would be surprised what you could find in thrift stores if you just gave them a chance. My new, adorable TV stand is from a little thrift store called Rolling Hills Ministry Thrift Store, and guess how much I paid for it? I actually want you to guess. Okay give up. It was a whopping $12! Like Ross Dress for Less, they have countless amounts of beautiful furniture all the way in the back past the aisles of clothing.

Another one of my favorite pieces is my bar area, and it actually came from an estate sale (Shoutout to my girl Jordan for telling me about it).  Courtnee Crews, a fashion icon from my little town, was selling a lot of used furniture and clothing. Estates sales are awesome because you never know what kind of treasures you could find for such a low price.

So these are some of my favorite tips for decorating on a very small college budget. If I motivated you to do some affordable apartment/home shopping, don’t forget to bring a list so you don’t buy anything you don’t need. I hope you enjoyed my little hacks, and feel free to ask about any specific item pictured that I did not mention!

-R

Processed with VSCO with av8 preset

Processed with VSCO with g4 preset

Processed with VSCO with fp4 preset