<p>How much did you or will you spend to decorate and make your dorm room your own? Going through the long list of what I need and then what I want, the price goes up rather quickly. Also, do most people buy the majority of their stuff before moving in or do they get a feel for the room and space and then go buy stuff? I love shopping for this type of stuff so I am really anxious to start!</p>
<p>If you go up for an orientation you'll probably see one of the rooms in your hall. Sometimes there are pictures of them online as well.</p>
<p>It really depends on what you're bringing. When I was in a dorm (a single one) I brought up two night stands from home that also had book storage in them. One was my nightstand and held my non-school books. The other had school books and some snacks on it, with my old laptop on top (the new one was on the desk).</p>
<p>I also brought up a TV stand because my TV is 24" and would not have fit anywhere else.</p>
<p>So far the budget is $0, but that is because I chose to use furniture I already had. The TV stand, which I replaced when I moved out, was an inheritence from decesased great grandparents. The two stands were part of my bedroom set from home. I am not sure how much these cost in the beginning, but considering the former was from the 1960s and the latter from 1993 the values wouldn't be correct for today's economy anyway.</p>
<p>Now for decorations. I had a big American flag in a holder that I kept on my dresser. That was something I brought from home. Retail price it cost me roughly $3. Next was a picture of my dog I kept on my desk. The frame was $4 or so, and the picture probably cost about a quarter to print. I also had a nice multiple picture frame on my window ledge with five pictures of my friends in it. That was about $8.50. Add in a $2.25 sign that said "Go Steelers" for my door, and that was about it. All this comes to $18.</p>
<p>Of course, I would have won an award for "least decorated room" on my floor. I had no posters, no bean bag chairs (I used my bed for watching TV and video games), no sofas, and no cardboard cutouts.</p>
<p>With $18 as a starting figure for the really simple stuff, not counting additional furniture (which you'll probably need), be prepared to spend more if you're going to decorate to any good extent.</p>
<p>As far as where to go...
-for picture frames, Michael's is probably the best choice. If you don't have Michael's any arts/crafts store will suffice
-for furniture, check out Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware
-Bed, Bath, and Beyond seems to be the place to get bean bag chairs
-if you have any craftsman type skill, you can easily produce your own stuff if you need to...I could make another nightstand rather easily but it would probably take me 15 hours or so to get it right. If time isn't an issue this will save money and prevent you from getting bored.
-I'm not sure where to get posters unless they are car posters, in which case I'd seek out the local dealer.</p>
<p>Hope this helped a little bit...</p>
<p>Hopefully you won't be in your room all the time, so it doesn't need to be all decked out. Your dorm room should come with furniture, though you will need to buy the big things like microwave, minifridge and TV. If you have a roommate you should go in with him/her on these things because you will share them - there's no sense in having two TVs in a tiny room. Besides that, you will basically need bedding, maybe some framed photos and probably a rug. A colorful rug can really brighten up a room and keeps your toes warm. Posters can really be a waste of money - just get some inexpensive frames at Target for photos of friends and family you already have.</p>
<p>My dorm stuff really wasn't that expensive... once you get past the non-negotiable basics like bedding, alarm clock, fridge, and hot pot, (I mooch off of my roommate for the fridge and hot pot) there really isn't that much that you need.</p>
<p>Colorful silk scarf that I use as a wall hanging: $10
Throw pillow I bought once I was at school: $5
Ceramic mug from my school's craft center pottery sale: $1
A few books that I already owned: free
Little rainbow flags I got at a campus event: free
Beaded necklaces I already owned that look really pretty hanging on my bulletin board: free
Push-pins to hang the scarf and necklaces: $1</p>
<p>My dorm room is really cozy, pretty, and feels like home... and it barely cost anything. It's not that hard. If you want to cover your wall in posters, that can get expensive fairly quickly at $10-$20 apiece, but the scarf is something I'd definitely recommend instead--it's much more unusual and homey feeling than posters, and I get lots of positive comments about it.</p>
<p>What do you think you need beyond bedding, alarm clock, fridge, hot pot, and extras?</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I am lucky that my grandmother has given me alot of her furniture, kitchen stuff, etc... so I do not have to spend much on that.</p>
<p>Let me see...
Issued Sheets: $0
Issued Curtains: $0
Issued Books: $0
One Picture and frame: $10
Any other decorations: non-existant</p>
<p>Going to a Military Academy: Priceless</p>
<p>Lets see when I lived in the dorms.. </p>
<p>I bought x-long twin size sheets & comforter.. and a new alarm clock (with a remote), a tv tuner card for my desktop (so I didn't have a TV taking up space), some of those snap together crates for storage/bookshelf under my bed, and a minifridge & microwave. I scavenged some dishes & silverware from some un-matching pieces I had at home. Dorm rooms are small & cramped.. so you know all those "back to college" sales with pictures of cool spacious well decorated dorm rooms? Yeah.. those don't really exist. Most dorms have rules about wall decor.. like no painting, no nails. Everything you put up has to be held up with tape or other sticky stuff. I took all the pictures I had from senior year & made a giant collage on one wall.. people would walk in & be like "woah.. that's a lot of pictures"</p>