Decorating your dorm room on a dime

As college students prepare to head back to campus, outfitting dorm rooms become big business, but there are ways students can make their space feel like home without spending a fortune.

Brianna Kovacs is about to move into her own on-campus apartment at the University of Maryland, and she's going with a travel theme.

"I already had so much travel stuff, and since I really love traveling and have all these pictures, I really wanted to make it cohesive in my room," said Brianna.

Blogger and designer Kerra Michele Huerta says using what you already have is a great way to save.

"Grab a $3 frame with a mat, pop it in, it's on the wall and it looks much more expensive than it actually was. And it personalizes your space that was otherwise a cookie-cutter dorm room or rental apartment," said Huerta.

Her blog, Apartment Envy, is full of inexpensive ideas for temporary spaces, like baskets to maximize space from floor to ceiling and removable wallpaper to brighten a backsplash or drab appliance.

For students like Brianna with plenty of textbooks, Huerta suggests putting them to work.

"I keep my books and my magazines in stacks of like items near seating and I use them as side tables and extra surface storage for when guests come over. They have a place to set their drinks down," said Huerta.

And to make a small space feel bigger and brighter, ditch the old blinds and cover windows with an inexpensive fabric instead.

"The windows and natural light available is a really great way to keep a space feeling larger and more airy," she said.

And for students who have to share a space, Huerta says if you can at least agree on an overall color scheme, it will all pull together.