Every single student who decided to live off campus cannot help but feel excited to have their own place. The idea of having your own space to make your own is an awesome feeling. Decorating your first place is the most exciting part. You get to decorate it however you choose because you will be the only person living there if you choose to live alone in an apartment. Yes of course when you have a mom like mine who loves decorating she is going to want to contribute to the design. I am writing this article to give advice about where to shop and the best bargains.

1. Ikea-

Ikea has absolutely everything it seems like, and probably the best place to find things for your apartment. From kitchen wares to lamps to pillowcases. My advice is not to buy beds from ikea because their mattresses can be expensive. I ordered my mattress and bed frame from Walmart. Also I ordered a couch from Walmart because they were expensive from Ikea. Walmart does not charge for shipping and handling while Ikea does. Yes you may say to yourself Ikea is far from where I live. Well my mother and I drove over three hours to Dallas to an Ikea. It was totally worth the drive.

2. Walmart-

I bought my bed and couch from Walmart because of the free shipping. Ikea did have a couch I wanted more but the shipping was going to be another $80.00 which was unappealing to me. So I decided Walmart had the better deal. Now if I had thought of it, I would have bought the couch I saw at Ikea but I only thought of it after we checked out and didn't feel like going through the whole thing again. Walmart does have good prices but somethings I found for better prices at Ikea. So do your research people and make a plan because that is how you will get the best deals.

3. Hobby Lobby-

I am obsessed with this store, always have always will be. So please everyone be obsessed over the greatness that is Hobby Lobby with me. They have everything from cute ceramics, furry foot stools, unicorn heads to hang on your wall and more! Also if you are looking for stuff to create those DIY pins on Pinterest you see Hobby Lobby has crafts supplies. If you are an art major Hobby Lobby is like the candy store. You will find everything you need to have the perfect decor for your apartment.

4. Dollar Tree-

You are probably like why is she saying go to Dollar Tree for stuff for my apartment what could they possibly have that is useful? Well I will tell you what they have that will be useful. They have cleaning products that are cheaper than what Walmart has. Windex from Dollar Tree and Walmart are no different. So seriously save yourself money on cleaning supplies, and just go to Dollar Tree. College is expensive and you should try to save all the money you can so you can maybe study abroad or go on trips with friends.