Here’s how to improve your Uni halls or student house without breaking the bank.

There’s no denying it: University costs a lot of money.

Unfortunately, it can be pretty challenging to bring the price down—after all, schools don’t really offer coupon codes for 10% off—but one area you can save a lot of money on is the dorm room. Saving money doesn’t mean sacrificing quality, of course.

As your home away from home, you should make your dorm room a pleasant place that you like to be, not just a place to crash. Using some of these tips and tricks just might save you enough for a dinner away from the cafeteria every now and then.

Coupons, Coupon Codes, Coupon Mania

If you haven’t already, it is time to make coupons your best friends. Thanks to the internet, it has never been easier to find and use online coupon codes to save money on room essentials. Before you buy anything, make sure you type the product you want (and the store where you are buying it) into Google and do a quick search to see if the manufacturer or store is offering any online coupons. Also, be sure to go old school and look through your Sunday paper and stacks of snail mail. Many stores still distribute coupons this way, and you can find some great savings. Even if the coupons have expired, go ahead and try to use them anyway. One of the biggest dorm room shopping stores, Bed, Bath and Beyond, accepts coupons no matter when they expired. You can also use a coupon for every item you purchase, so if you plan to buy ten things, bring ten coupons. Thinking ahead and finding coupons is probably the best way to save yourself money.

Student Discounts

Of all the great things about college, one of them has to be how much companies want to give you free things and discounts. Probably the best example of this (and one of the areas you can save the most) is in the electronics department. Around the time school starts, lots of stores start offering amazingly valuable deals, especially on laptops and computer accessories. You can literally shave hundreds of dollars off your bill at this point—some of the most popular companies offer free Microsoft Office suites for four years to students, as well as reduced price access to premium technical support and laptop protection. If you are unsure if a store offers a student discount, don’t hesitate to ask. Even if the store doesn’t, sometimes cashiers can find another way to find you a reduced price, if you are polite.

Prioritize

When shopping for your dorm room, it is important to keep in mind that you don’t need everything to be the highest possible quality. Chose a couple of things to splurge on, and find the best deals on everything else. Your splurges should be customized to you and what will make you the most comfortable. If you really care about how your bed feels, for example, maybe you should splurge on a really nice mattress pad. If you don’t care at all about your bed, but must have your specialty-brewed morning coffee, you might instead choose to buy a Keurig or similar coffee maker. Don’t lose your head though—even on your splurge items, use online coupons you get from ChameleonJohn and shopping savvy to get the best price.

DIY

At the end of the day, your dorm room is all about you and you should create a space you enjoy. An awesome way to do this and to save money on decorations is to make DIY art, pillows and other decorations. You can even have a party with your friends to make new décor and long-lasting memories. Just be sure to use a coupon code for all your supplies!
Use all your frugal-living knowledge to get your school year started right, with a balanced budget!