I need your help!!!

Okay so we got back last week to Pennsylvania and moved into our new place.  We now live in Graduate Student housing for Lehigh University.  Be that it is student housing, we knew that it was going to be a step down from our last place but the price was super cheap and there is a shuttle that can take Kellen to work.  Now that I am here and starting to organize all of our stuff I am starting to think that I am definitely going to need some help and advice to get this place looking nice.  So that is where all of you come in.  If you know of any cheap tricks to liven up a room, websites with good hints, or have done things that worked well for you I would love to know them.  I have some ideas of my own and I will be posting them along with pictures to see what people think.  Constructive opinions are appreciated.  So you have an idea of what I am dealing with let me describe my apartment to you:  We have two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a combined living room-kitchen space that all need help.  Mostly there are cinder block walls with a couple of plaster walls; all painted a creamy off white color (I can't paint). If any of you have ever been in the older section of the Wymount Apartments at BYU, just picture that but without being really kept up for the past few years. Okay, got the picture?  Well then, start posting all those wonderful ideas that I know that you all have.  Remember being budget friendly is the name of the game.  Thanks!