I don’t know about you, but I don’t really know how to do this whole adult thing. 

I mean, we’re not reeeeally taught how to do anything, and every day is kind of just another day to wing it. One thing that can really show our age is the way we present our home. 

Young adults and/or college kids tend to have a bit of a stereotype when it comes to the way their house or apartment is going to be. 

• Dishes everywhere
• Pantry stalked with instant meals and ramen noodles
• Laundry piled high
• What’s a vacuum?

You get the picture. And you don’t want that persona, do ya!?

It’s tough to doll your house up to the nines when you’re living on a pretty tight budget. Heck, I’m a full time student and don’t work for majority of the year – I get it. But putting in a little bit of effort into the appearance of your home can make a world of a difference. 

I’ve learned a few (inexpensive) hacks over the years of living on my own to decorate my house in a way that’s not only comfortable for me, but inviting for other people as well. 

Home Decor Hacks To Make It Look Like You’ve Got Your Shit Together

 

1. Clean Your Sink

I had a friend say to me the other day that you can really tell the kind of a person someone is by how clean their kitchen sink is. And I don’t know if I’ve ever heard something more true. 

Number one step is to never leave piles and piles of dishes in your sink. I totally understand if you don’t have a dishwasher, but letting the dishes fester for days upon end makes your kitchen look so much dirtier than it really may be. And if you do have a dishwasher, don’t be lazy, lol. 

Just tidying up the sink makes a world of a difference for your kitchen. Also, rinse down your sink! There’s nothing grosser than old food caked onto the sides of your sink. Letting that metal shine will really make it look like you’re not one of those gross young adults who never cleans up after themselves (break that stereotype, yo).

 

2. Photos Photos Photos

I don’t know about you, but when I go into someones house and they have frames with pictures of people in them, I’m always gonna creep. And I’m gonna love the fact that this person put a real life Instagram in their home for me to creep through.

Adding some family photos, pictures with your significant other or old pictures really tend to add such a homey feel to your space. Plus, people are definitely gonna creep on them when they come over, giving them something to do while you quickly tidy up the laundry you left on the stairs!

3. Mirrors, Mirrors Everywhere

The use of mirrors to brighten and widen a small space is wonderous. Adding in some mirrors makes the space feel bigger, and hey, people like looking at themselves. 

One hack we’ve used is grabbing an old full length mirror from goodwill (or even Walmart, we’re just suuuuper cheap lol) and instead of hanging it vertical, hang it horizontal to act as a decor piece. We did this in our dining room and it added so much to the space!

 

4. Spray Paint It All

The many uses of spray paint are magical. Update some old furniture or decor you already have, or pick up some cheap dollar store stuff to transform. 

Many of us youngins are renting, so painting the walls is out of the question. Switching up the color of a piece of your furniture or a decor piece allows you to inexpensively add some colors to your space.

My office is decorated with white furniture, pastel colors and hints of gold. You bet I’ve used the shiz out of some gold spray paint for that. 

 

5. Custom Key Rack

Create a key rack that doubles as a decor piece! We made our own DIY key rack and not only does it house all of our keys, it’s super cute and matches our decor!

 

6. Candles Solve Everything

Whether you burned last night’s dinner, left your gym bag beside the heat register, or your neighbors light up a certain substance, sometime’s there’s a bit of a rank smell up in your home.

The best way to tone down those narsty smells is lighting some candles (as long as you’re at home!). I love getting candles for each season, and the scents put me in the perfect mood (especially Christmas ones!). Not only do they make everything smell pretty, they look way nicer than those ugly air fresheners. 

My faves are definitely Bath and Body Works candles. But never buy them full price! There are always deals in their store, plus email coupons. Take advantage of those yo, and never pay $22+ for a frickin candle.

 

7. There’s Always a DIY Hack

There are so many DIY hacks out there to inexpensively add some flair to your home, and Pinterest is where it’s at for all of that. Need a side table? There’s tons of DIYs and hacks for that. Headboard for your bed? Pinterest that shiz up.

I can’t list every hack for every type of furniture ever because that would be insane. Instead, simply type in the kind of furniture you need and add “hack” to the end of it in the Pinterest search bar. It will give you tons of results on inexpensive ways to make it. You’ll also have a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture and that’s pretty awesome!

We decided we wanted a new “farmhouse” inspired dining table, but just could not justify the hundreds of dollars. We turned to Pinterest, and boom, we made our own farmhouse table. 

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When you’re twenty-something, trying to figure out what you’re doing with your life (& how to pay for it all), having a home that you’re comfortable in is so important. Adding some of your own personal touches can really make it feel like your safe place from all the craziness that is navigating adulthood.

Check out all of my other Home posts here for more inspiration on DIYs, organization and much more!