As we enter into the month of October, the importance of decorating starts up for the entire holiday season. Being that this is my favorite time of year, I came to campus prepared with an array of colored lights, window clings, and much more to decorate for each holiday. My roommates on the other hand did not bring anything of those sorts to campus with them, leaving our place looking a little more barren for the holidays than anticipated. Because of this, we are now on the hunt for decorations that are not only festive but reusable and can be purchased on a budget. The list that follows is my compilation of our efforts to make our place more than just empty space, so read on to find out how you can do so too!
1. Decorative Pillows
One of the quickest and cheapest ways my roommates and I discovered to change up the look of our place for each holiday was through decorative pillows. Now every time we walk into our living room, our couch looks much more festive and even helps to make that part of the room more cohesive with all the surrounding decorations! To make this idea even more reusable, we specified which colors, designs, and then different combinations of those would work for different holidays so we did not have to buy different pillows per holiday.
2. Plants
As much as we love fall, it is still hard for us to watch all the beautiful scenery die off for the winter. To counter this minor seasonal depression, we have incorporated some plant life into our space; however, not all of it is actually alive! Like our decorative pillows, we discovered that by purchasing fake flowers in an assortment of colors we could quickly and cheaply change up our space for each holiday. Because this decoration technique also helps us be constantly reminded of the beautiful environment that surrounds us, even the coldest days can’t bring us down!
3. Paintings (DIY opportunity!)
Like every other collegiate woman, my roommates and I have our rooms covered in small painted canvases, but what we did not consider when moving in together was having paintings for our shared space; however, after making a trip to the nearest craft store, our space couldn’t be more personalized and festive! Purchasing plain canvases and paint gave us the opportunity to get creative in our decorations, making some that could stay up all year long and others that were for specific holidays. Whichever way you do it, this decoration idea is foolproof and will leave you and your roomies with not only beautiful creations but also with memories that will last a lifetime!
4. Wine Glass Charms
For all our twenty-one and over ladies out there, wine glass charms are a cool, chic way to incorporate your holiday decorating into items you already own! Coming in many different colors and styles, wine glass charms are an easy fix to a limited party decorations budget. By buying them strategically (such as by color like the pillows listed above), these little charms can become lifesavers when decorating for holiday festivities. You will be amazed at not only how fancy these little charms will make you feel when celebrating, but also how they can add a little extra something special to the totality of your decoration efforts for your next holiday party!
5. Magnets
As silly as it sounds, seeing festive, holiday-themed magnets on our refrigerator tends to make my roommates and my days more often than not! This technique also allows our fridge to not become boring with all the same pictures and notes hanging up since we now are able to switch up the magnets each holiday. Having our decorating efforts extend to one of our favorite places leaves us feeling all warm and fuzzy inside (along with our favorite holiday treats!) and we honestly couldn’t be happier with any other dollar store purchase!
Although the ideas listed here may seem to cover all the bases, our holiday decorating efforts do not stop here! Use the comments section below to share your own decorating ideas or how you’ve integrated some of these ideas into your decorating efforts!