I’m so excited to finally have an entire apartment/space to decorate and make my own! I lived with roommates throughout college, and I finally have the freedom of living alone (kinda), so I get to decorate however early I want and make it however I choose!

I am a very broke college student, but also someone who enjoys decorating, leading me to find ways to wiggle a little room in my budget for home decor. I’m going to share some simple additions I added to my apartment for fall, all under $5!!

Where I Shopped:

• Trader Joe’s
• Dollar Tree

Trader Joe’s

I couldn’t say no to these adorable, cheap pumpkins and I honestly got these wayyy too early, but I’ll blame that on Trader Joe’s! To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to find the pumpkins here, but I was there for it.

I found that with my style, less is best! I only purchased 3 small pumpkins, because I didn’t want to over-do it. I want a cozy, fall-feel but too many pumpkins can be overwhelming and crowd your furniture/space. These were only $0.69-$1.29 each, so if you live near a Trader Joes, check them out for cute flowers and pumpkins!

Dollar Tree

You can never go wrong with this place because everything is literally $1! I went here with zero plans, but left with some pretty cool fall decor additions! I ended up getting: LED leaf lights (battery powered), a “Welcome Friends” centerpiece, butterscotch candy, and added candles of our own from At Home with gold/dark accents. We added butterscotch to a Mason Jar we had before, but Dollar Tree and other stores have tons of jars for sale, too! The butterscotch is not only yummy, but adds another touch of orange to your space.

To keep the lights held up, I literally used Scotch Tape to hold the tiny cords hidden (yes, it’s that easy)!

I also layered the lights above a small mirror in our living room too, to make the place a little more cozy and fall appropriate!

Other Places to Shop:

Of course, there are other places to find cheap, fall decor! Some other places I would recommend for cheap finds: Home Goods, Marshalls/TJMaxx, Target (dollar finds), and Hobby Lobby!

My Advice

Go for cheap pieces that you can dress up with pieces you already have at home, for example: I already had candles and Mason Jars at home, so I only needed to add the butterscotch to dress up that area. Another example is me purchasing the LED lights because I knew I would be able to easily dress up my living room mirror and counter.

Spread your decor out, we don’t want your place puking out fall decor, (maybe some do). This also saves you money in the long run because you aren’t buying as much.

Make a budget + list before going shopping! I make lists/take note of pieces I’d consider adding to my apartment. Look for something to add to your coffee table or kitchen counters. A budget will keep you from unnecessarily spending $200+ on fall decor and makes me think deeper about my purchases.

Pumpkins aren’t the only fall decorations that exist! You don’t have to buy fake leaves, pumpkins, or all the other basics you see.. You can buy fillers like fall scented pine cones, candles, etc! You can also buy candies and soaps to dress your place up too. The options are endless!

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Of course, I don’t think I’m done decorating yet, but I have most of my fall decor shopping done. Total, I only spent about $6 on small, staple pieces for my apartment. I wrote this in hopes to share some cheap and easy ways to spruce up your space and make the most of it! I know I, personally love decorating for any and every holiday, but used to find it hard to do so when comparing my expectations (from Pins, Google etc) to my bank account, but it is possible! Have fun, and happy decorating!!

XO,

Toni