>>16825whoops, went a bit past 1 year later, but better a late update than no update.
i was sharing a master bedroom with two others at this last reply, but now i have my own space again after one of our roommates moved out. this reply won't be as much of a quick list of random things, but more of a "here's what i've gotten and done personally in the last year"
couple of big things to consider getting if you haven't:
- curtains. you can get curtain rods from most department stores and hang them up with the curtain of your choice. if you are renting and can't drill into the wall, look into either command hooks (they make ones specifically sized for curtain rods) or if you have vertical blinds look for "no-no" brackets that hang from the railing. get sheer curtains if you want to diffuse some natural light into your room in the daytime, or blackout curtains if you have trouble with outside light at night.
- a lamp or two, ideally at least a floor lamp and a table lamp on opposite ends of the room. having that bright ceiling light in your room always on can cause eye strain and isn't very pleasing to have lighting your room full-blast, the first thing i bought when i first got a job was a table lamp with a usb port to charge my phone and i still have it next to my bed nearly 10 years later
and some smaller ones:
- thriftbooks is a great place to get books for cheap if you're like me and primarily read on an e-reader but have a bookshelf that needs filling out, or you just can't afford brand new books (they have manga as well, in case you're wondering)
- old shelves, display cases, working electronics, etc. from thrift stores. i recently got a nice wooden display case to go next to my tv, as well as an old GE brand clock-radio. i may not use the alarm part but i do get some use out of the radio part when i want a break from my computer.
- a planner. i said "notebook" in my first reply, but this one is just as useful. you might not fill it out with lots of details, but that's okay. even just having your work schedule is a good start. it lets you have a physical mark of what you've done so far. fill it in with stuff you're proud to have done on that day so you can look back at the end of the year.
- get "vaguely-holiday" decor for very cheap after a holiday and add/remove stuff on it to make it work all year round. i got some wooden blue-cap mushrooms that have some red holly berries to have a christmas-y look. i just took the berries off and now i have it on my shelf full time.
- nalgene water bottle, been trying to cut back on sodas and having an easy-to-clean 1-liter water bottle that i can put the occasional mio drink mix into has been phenomenal. there are other brands of course, i just like nalgene because they have the cap attached to the bottle (which also acts as a great handle) and are safe for hot and cold drinks, so i put hot tea in there sometimes
- throw blankets. i got a cheap polar-fleece blanket from target that at first i thought had a gaudy pattern to it but ended up loving it once i put it on my bed. my cats love polar-fleece material so taking the time to make the bed and lay that blanket down for them to lay on is a nice way to stick to a morning routine and make the bed every morning.
- printed photos. easiest way to liven up your space is to populate some of the more bare spots with photos you took. my ex used "freeprints" once after my ferret passed away and got printed copies of all the digital photos we had of him, and a few years later i used the same company to get prints of my cats' photos and some of the photos i've taken while out on hikes. i then got some cheap but nice looking frames from a craft store and some wall-mounting putty and placed the framed ones on my shelf and stuck some pet photos above my bed with the putty.
- wax melter. seems obvious to some but very easy to overlook. get a simple one and a few nice scented waxes. get some cotton balls as well, they're the easiest way to soak up old wax.
