At Home Back To Campus

My son was a Junior this year and will be a Senior next year.  Oh how time has flown.  I can't believe he will be leaving for college next year.  I have one last year to help him get ready to leave the nest.

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with BSM Media and At Home Stores.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experiences.

As a mother of a teenage boy, I keep trying to get him to clean his room.  It has been a never ending battle.  As he gets closer and closer to leaving for college, I have been trying to help him learn a thing or two about budget, stretching his dollar, and independence.  Mami will no longer be there to nag him about his room being dirty and everything else mami nags about.  I mean I am not nagging for no reason, check out his dirty room:  (by the way, I have his permission to post.  He got a kick out of me taking a picture of his mess.  I would have been embarrassed but he was too cool.)

This is with him already having removed the tons of clothes from his bed and sorting some stuff out.  I am helping him sort out and get rid of items he does not need.  I have to keep reminding him he will be leaving for college.  In college dorm rooms, he will have to share a room, keep his mess contained, and/or never need to let it get this bad.  His bathroom is no exemption either:

Both rooms have been cleaned out, now we can talk décor.  We took a trip to our At Home Store. 

At Home Stores has been my favorite store for home décor, seasonal, and party items.  This store has so many selections at great prices.  No need for a coupon or to wait for a sale.  But they do have sales and mark downs that make their prices even lower.  Bargains you cannot say no to.

When you first walk in, there is always the most current seasonal products displayed.  Our At Home Store was having a going, going, gone sale which meant many items in each section of the store were 50% off their original low price.  Also, if you have never been, the previous holiday season items can be found on clearance as well.  Currently, Easter is 75% off.  I always walk every aisle. You never know what you will find.  As we walked each aisle, I showed my son different items he could use now and when he goes to college.  I showed him how to shop when on a budget.  We found several items he could use to decorate his room and bathroom.  There was so much to choose from.  He wanted it all.  He found the perfect bedroom décor for his room and bathroom.  He wasn't the only one that found some items too.  Check out what we bought:

 All of these items were marked down from their regular price.  This shopping trip was a great lesson on budget, shopping must haves, and do/don'ts.  Here is what he found:

After this shopping trip, we started to decorate his bathroom.  For his bathroom, we purchased a three piece set.  This set goes well with the colors in his bathroom.  It is not kiddie and it expresses his personal style.  The transformation really was inspired by these 3 items only.  We repurposed previously purchased items to finish out the look.

We are still currently working on his bedroom, but here is a sneak peek at his progress:

He is so happy with his bedroom transformation.  His bedroom reflects his style.  I want, when he goes away for college, for him to feel like he is at his "home away from home"  These items he can take with him.  He also learned how to decorate his own space and make it his own.

Check out the At Home Back to Campus page: athome.com/back-to-campus

Your college bound kids can start selecting the items they will need to be move-in ready.  At Home has created a move-in checklist for college students and their parents.  You can download the move-in checklist: AtHomeBackToCampus.  Download it or print it to have with you when you go to the store.  My son said he will be asking for At Home gift cards, so he can finish decorating his room.