Heading to college this fall? Broke? Don’t despair – here are three easy hacks for decorating your room from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College

Milk Crate Chair

You’ll need: A square, stackable milk crate; a cloth placemat; an old magazine; 6 large car-wash sponges; heavy upholstery thread; an upholstery sewing needle; and scissors.
1. Turn the crate upside down.
2. Create the base of the cushion: Place the magazine on the top of the bottom of the crate. Use the scissors to trim the magazine pages so that the magazine rests about ¾ inch from the inside edge of the crate.
3. Arrange 4 sponges on top of the magazine: Lay the sponges next to one another to form the cushion. You may have to use the scissors to trim them to fit squarely to the top of the crate.
4. Lay the remaining sponges on top of the existing row: Create a second layer of cushion by centering 2 sponges on top of the first layer.
5. Anchor the placemat to the crate: Position the placemat on top of the sponges. Using the needle and thread, secure both shorter sides of the placemat to the crate by hooking a since loop stitch through the edge and around a crate grid square.
6. Push down the placemat: Compress the sponges until the longer sides of the fabric reach the edges of the crate.
7. Sew the placemat to the crate: Secure the placemat with a continuous loop stitch around the perimeter of the crate.
8. Sit.

T-Shirt Curtains

To accommodate a window approximately 4 feet x 4 feet, you’ll need: 13 of your favorite old t-shirts; 1 spool of thread; 1-2 spools of iron-on hem tape; 1 spool of picture-hanging wire; 2 medium-weight eyehole screws; 1 manila folder; a medium-tipped marking pen; sharp scissors; and a sewing machine.
1. Make a stencil: Cut the manila folder into a rectangle (9 inches x 12 inches) or a square (10 inches x 10 inches) to make a stencil.
2. Cut the t-shirts into pieces: Lay t-shirts on a flat surface for cutting. Put the stencil on the center of the t-shirt body. Trace the outline of the stencil with the marker on the t-shirt. Lift the stencil off the shirt. With the scissors, cut through both layers of the t-shirt, following the drawn outline. Perform this step on all of the shirts.
3. Arrange pieces like a curtain: On the floor or on your bed, arrange the pieces next to each other in a pattern you like. Use as many pieces as you need to create a covering a little bit longer and wider than your window.
4. Disassemble the curtain: Collect your horizontal rows into piles and set them down next to your sewing machine.
5. Sew the pieces together: Place the front faces of two pieces together and sew, using a medium straight stitch ¼ from the edge of the mated pieces.
6. Connect the rows: Sew front face to front face. Make sure any design on the t-shirt is right-side up.
7. Finish the edges: Once you have sewn the window covering to the desired size, cut the hem tape to size for the perimeter of the covering. Iron on the hem tape along the sides so the tape wraps around the edge, covering the front and back of the edge.
8. Prepare the curtain for hanging: Facing the front of your window piece, fold back2 inches of the top edge to form the place to string the picture-hanging wire through. Secure the folded portion by sewing ¼ inch along the edge. Cut the wire 1 foot longer than the width of your window opening. Thread the wire through the pipeline you created.
9. Hang the curtain: With your hand, screw in the eyehole screws at either edge of the window. Hang the window covering by wrapping 6 inches of excess wire through the eyehole hooks.

Picture Frame

You’ll need: An empty, transparent jewel case from a cd; a photo; and scissors.
1. Detach the cove of the jewel case at its hinge.
2. Re-attach the cover, wrong side out: This will form a wide v-shape that can stand up on a flat surface.
3. Insert your photo on top of the outer half of the case: Use the scissors to trim the photo to fit. Add colored paper behind the photo for a more sophisticated look.
4. Display.

How to Escape From a Bear

(excerpted from The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook.)

Most dangerous types of bears: females defending cubs, bears habituated to human food, bears defending a fresh kill

1. Lie still and quiet. Documented attacks show that an attack by a mother black bear often ends when the person stops fighting

2. Stay where you are and do not climb a tree to escape a bear Black bears can climb trees quickly and easily and will come after you. The odds are that the bear will leave you alone if you stay put.

3. If you are lying still and the bear attacks, strike back with anything you can. Go for the bear’s eyes or its snout.

What to Do If You See a Bear

• Make your presence known by talking loudly, clapping, singing, or occasionally calling out. (Some people prefer to wear bells.) Whatever you do, be heard—it does not pay to surprise a bear. Remember, bears can run much faster than humans.
• Keep children close at hand and within sight.
• There is no guaranteed minimum safe distance from a bear: the farther, the better.
• If you are in a car, remain in your vehicle. Do not get out, even for a quick photo. Keep your windows up. Do not impede the bear from crossing the road. Reduce or eliminate food odors from yourself, your camp, your clothes, and your vehicle.
• Do not sleep in the same clothes you cook in.
• Store food so that bears cannot smell or reach it.
• Do not keep food in your tent—not even a chocolate bar.
• Properly store and bring out all garbage.
• Handle and store pet food with as much care as your own.
• While all bears should be considered dangerous and should be avoided, three types should be regarded as more dangerous than the average bear. These are: females defending cubs, bears habituated to human food, bears defending a fresh kill.