Adjusting to university life can be a struggle, especially when you’re stuck living in a room that feels a little like a cardboard box. Unfortunately, college students don’t always have a high decorating budget, so every day you come home to a frustratingly bland bedroom. However, there are some budget friendly ways to decorate your new home, or even just add a few personal touches. Create a Photo Wall A great way to add a bit of personal flair to a room without breaking the bank is to create a photo wall. Photo prints are surprisingly affordable, and one picture doesn’t cost more than a few cents. If you have a few nostalgic pictures that you would like to display in your room, the easiest and cheapest way to do so is to hang a photo wall. The best part about the photo wall is that it reflects you, your life and your experiences. Build a Temporary Headboard I know this sounds complicated, but it truly is incredibly simple. All you need is a piece of cardboard, some fabric, a...

March is Women's History Month, which means it's a perfect time to discuss an issue faced by homeless women that often goes without consideration and many shy away from talking about due to stigma — menstruation and access to menstrual products while homeless. The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report  published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that on a single night in January, 39% of the homeless population consisted of women. Fewer than 1% identified as transgender or gender-nonconforming, and a percentage of those individuals likely deal with menstruation as well. Though we think of menstruation of a strictly female issue, not all women menstruate and not everyone who menstruates identifies as a woman. All of the individuals reported this night ranged in age from under 18 to over 24; on average, a person who menstruates will do so from the ages of 12 to 51, making it safe to assume that a significant number of those reported homeless de...

In the past week, the story broke about an Arkansas legislator who proposed cutting lunch funding for school districts that struggle with improving their reading skills. This would cut national funding for districts that are unable to show improvement after "a period of time," serving as an incentive and a push towards improving. However, many parents and caregivers are outraged, and understandably so. Many students rely on their school lunches — according to No Kid Hungry , over 13 million youth come from food insecure households, meaning that they may not have regular access to food at home. Over the years, schools, organizations such as No Kid Hungry and Feeding America, and federal programs have worked together to fill in the gaps that students face outside of regular school hours. Services such as school breakfasts, after-school meals, and summer meals help assure that these food-insecure students are able to receive the food that they need. Aside from food being...

The beginning of October means midterm season is here, and the stress is enough to send even the best students scrambling. As mentioned in our last blog post , college can be a stressful time for students from all different walks of life; 45% of students list stress as a factor in seeking out counseling. But what about students who don't feel the need to seek out formal counseling, or those who are unable to access those services for any number of reasons? Whether you seek mental health assistance or not, taking care of yourself and managing stress is incredibly important. Although it may not seem like a big deal to push through stress and handle it on your own, stressors can compound over time and cause chronic stress  which according to the American Psychological Association , "may also cause disease, either because of changes in your body or the overeating, smoking and other bad habits people use to cope with stress." It's not just in the long run, either: mu...

5 Things Millennials Should Know About Money Yes, this is for you, college students When it comes to money, we all know the cliche sayings, whether they are true or not. Have a rainy day fund, pay yourself first, pay your bills on time, you can snowball your way out of debt, etc. As these are all true, there is so much more to being good with money. It all first comes from understanding money beyond the surface value of things. Here are 5 good things to know when it comes to money and money management.  1. Other people will enjoy spending your money We all know your twenties and early thirties is a time to live. Everyone is having big blow out birthday parties, destination bachelor and bachelorette parties, and wanting to travel the world. These things are all fun, and all sound intriguing and like a good idea at first. In reality, it leaves you in an awkward spot to explain you cannot afford the big birthday gifts and drinks, along with that $2,500 vacation to Me...