Back to School Bedroom {Get the Look}

Hey y'all!

It's about that time; the time of the year that all teachers and students alike dread and parents rejoice-back to school!

While I'm not "going back to school" as a student, this will be my first full year of official teaching so I'm really excited about that :)    

And while I would love to give you tips for living in the dorm as you start college this year, I never did that, but I did have my own apartment so I'm going to talk about that in a few posts over the next few weeks.

Today we're going to talk about getting a luxe, chic look in your first college apartment bedroom on that college girl budget.

photo via*

This room is full of beautiful (also known as expensive) pieces like the gorgeous chandelier, the tufted headboard, and mirrored furniture.

But with a little bit of internet browsing and willing to compromise-you can achieve this look on a budget!

I love so many things about this bedroom, but when I started looking for the items in the photo-I didn't like the prices!

Here are a few tips when searching for the perfect decor and furniture for your first place:

Take Advantage of Sales:

I always stalk the sale sections of Kohl's and Target-they're some of my favorite places to get decor for insanely cheap.

Also take advantage of eBates (sign up using this link!), store coupons (sign up for emails to receive first notice about sales & store coupons), and make sure to regularly visit stores like Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, and TJ Maxx. 

These stores will help you find great deals.

Don't be Scared of Thrift Stores:

I found several pieces of furniture for my first place at yard sales and thrift stores.

My husband and I re-did my bedside tables for my first apartment and some mirrors and we had a blast! It's so much fun to pick out your own colors and hardware and you often have huge savings!

Shop Small:

If you don't like thrifting, then I highly suggest visiting small, locally owned furniture or antique stores.

I had my heart set on a black iron/metal bed but they were so expensive in every furniture store we looked at online. Luckily, my mom thought of a small furniture store that she knew of and we went there and they ended up having exactly what I wanted, & because my husband (then boyfriend) is a wheelin' and dealin' genius-we managed to get the bed, mattress, and a dresser at a fraction of the cost it would have been elsewhere.

Be Willing to Compromise:

Like in the picture above; you may not be able to have the exact same products without breaking the bank-but you can get the same feel.

Exchanging the rectangular pillow out for a square saves over $100.

Swapping out the mirrored bench at the bottom for a stool (or even two of these!) saves several hundred dollars.

Even just compromising on the bedside tables, from the mirrored enclosed ones to the basic table shape with an open bottom saves a ton of money in the end.

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I hope y'all are able to get some use of out those tips-I think that they will help out any person starting out in their first place!

Check out the items in the widget below to shop the image above-also two items that are not linked in the widget are the pink quilt and these lamps that are $70 a piece, which is a pretty great deal for a lamp+shade & these lamps will last forever, you could use these in a home with your husband some day!

I hope y'all have enjoyed this little post & I hope that y'all will be interested in seeing some more "Back to School" posts in the next few weeks-who knows, I might even share my classroom with y'all :)

Until next time. . .

xoxo,