‘Fall’ in love with these autumn-themed room decorations
'Tis the season — and by that, I mean autumn is here! Technically, it's still summer for a few weeks and boiling outside, but we're officially in the "ber" months. And if you're a fall fan like me, you might be looking forward to ringing in the season with some fall room decor. But here's the thing — you're on a college student's budget and likely living in tiny Rutgers housing.
As someone dealing with this exact situation in my minuscule Hardenburg residence hall, I scoured the internet for cute yet affordable fall decorations to liven up my space and make it perfect for autumn. Just know that you're getting what you paid for, and since everything is listed as less than $25, it won't always be the highest quality. But it will be adorable and on theme!
I happen to have these myself, and I'm quite happy with them. I've used them for three autumns while at Rutgers. The light is still really strong and the material has held up despite my poor storing habits. Not only do the leaves bring a nice autumn feel to your dull residence hall, but the soft orange glow is also way better than the bright white industrial lights Rutgers provides for us.
You can put them up in September and keep them up until we get to the winter holidays, and they're perfect for a little fall festivity. You'll need to get AA batteries, but they should last you for a while. I once accidentally left them on all day, and they still managed to last till the end of the season.
This welcome mat will be the perfect touch to any living space or hallway. It comes in several designs, but this one was by far my favorite. It screams classic spooky nostalgia to me, which is great for anyone missing the feel of childhood Halloweens.
If you're living in a residence hall, it'll also give a lot of personality to your entrance. Just make sure it's roommate-approved before you purchase!
Once I saw this, I immediately added it to my cart. Not only is this a great Halloween decoration, but it'll also provide your residence hall with some great mood lighting. It's also lightweight and doesn't take up a lot of room, so you can place it on your dresser without worrying about space.
I'm personally partial to the ghost shape, but it also comes as a pumpkin or a bat — both of which work perfectly for Halloween.
If you're looking for decorations that scream both Halloween and autumn in general, this little pumpkin garland is the perfect answer. It's the priciest item on our list, but it's only $22 and could last you for a few seasons to come. While the pictures provided of the product have them hanging over a fireplace, Rutgers' residence halls are not that bougie, so they'd be perfect for the walls. In my residence hall during sophomore year, everyone had decorations on their door, so it could work great for that!
The garland is on Etsy, and the store it's from has a bunch of cool designs if you're not into the pumpkins. The store also offers this pie garland for Thanksgiving and one with candy corn for Halloween. If you're not super familiar with ordering on Etsy, make sure to get this in advance, as it usually takes a week or two to get your items.
There's maybe something a little "cheugy" about spending this much time on finding Halloween decorations, but this is my favorite time of the year, and I like my place to feel like it. These decorations are especially great for achieving that and won't break your bank account.
