Pimp My Apartment: Christmas Edition

Now that the apartment looks like Santa's workshop and the air is filled with the smell of sugar cookies and glitter, it's time to sit back and blog. I must say, I'm quite impressed with how awesome Ryan and I were able to make our apartment look, based on the minor amount of money we spent. That said, teamed with the fact that I also give fabulous advice, here are a few tips on how to decorate for the holidays on a tight (and I'm talking art student, waiter tight) budget.

- Your family has likely acquired boxes of decorations throughout the years. Steal as much as you can. If you get caught, claim you were wanting to use them for sentimental reasons; to remember a simpler time.

- You don't need fancy, high-end ornaments like from Target or WalMart. This is why God made cheaper stores like Family Dollar, or Everything's A Nickel, But It's Crap.

- Yankee candles cost about a month's worth of groceries, and I know this is ridiculous, but they don't take food stamps. Jewel does, however, and you can buy off-brand cookie dough for a dollar. Bake some of those periodically for that authentic Christmas cookie scent...and if you happen to eat a few handfuls of raw dough, so be it.

- Using Christmas lights can run up your electric bill. The trick here is to use so many Christmas lights that you can use them INSTEAD of your regular florescents. It's festive and only creates a minor to extreme fire hazard.

- Nothing sets the mood like the sweet sounds of Christmas, but who has the money for that new Lady Gaga Christmas cd? Not this girl. Easy solution. Break out that old cassette player that you lie about but know you still have, and go find some carolers. Record them and you've got live music whenever you're in the holiday spirit.

- Depending on how big your space is, you may not have enough to fill the place with cheer. Never fear. I always have an answer, and if I don't, I'm happy to make one up. Go out to one of those cheapy stores I mentioned earlier and get some red and green glitter. You don't need name brand glitter. Stop being pretentious. Sprinkle it gaily and in any area that you couldn't put up other decorations. Rub it on the walls. Throw it on the carpet. Just know that glitter is a lovely yet permanent substance that you will never be able to remove. Please don't try.

Once your space is cheery and ready for the holidays, enjoy your place with friends and family. Have people over to play board games and decorate cookies. Or, you can sit alone in your new Christmas wonderland with a glass of wine and revel in your work in peace. Even being a scrooge is technically being Christmas-y.

Please check back with my blog soon. I have agreed to go to a hip hop dance class with Ryan. If that's not some comic gold, I don't know what is. Keep on truckin'!