Budget Decorating Guide How To Make the Most of What You Have

When you think of budget decorating, what comes to mind? If you think of shopping at your local discount store, you could have a fairly good experience, but this is certainly not the best you can do with your small budget. The products from most box stores are quite generic, and price and quality are often related. Today, we will examine budget decorating tips for your home. How far can you really push a small budget?

Budget decorating is often best done with a sense of adventure. When you look outside the usual options to buy your decorating items (Ikea, WalMart, Target…. yawn), you’ll e able to rekindle a child-like sense of adventure that can open your eyes to finding great items for your home in the most unusual places. Try attending flea markets or yard sales and looking for great furniture and decorative items that will fill your space. Yard sales, thrift shops and even good old Craigslist can often yield unexpected treasures – undiscovered antiques you can buy for pennies, or bespoke luxury items such as bed or dining room furniture sold for a fraction of its true value as its owners need the space or are moving out of the country.

A great tip is to look beyond the surface. Did you find an amazingly designed vanity at a yard sale, only to notice that the finish is coming off or that someone painted it for a child’s room? Don’t avoid it! With a bit of sanding and staining, you can customize it to any color you like. The only cost to you would be a couple of hours of your time and a few bucks for a can of paint. Don’t hesitate to bargain with the seller for a piece that could be amazing with a little bit of work. In fact, bargaining is the key to budget decorating.

Re-purposing is another great tip for budget decorating. If there is a great piece of furniture in your garage that no longer matches your décor, think about painting or refinishing it and placing it in another room. You’re looking at an afternoon’s work in this case but you’ll be surprised at how much you love the results. Many pieces can also be turned into other items – for instance, with the right drill attachments to create holes for a bucket and wine bottles, an old cabinet-style bookshelf can in the space of one afternoon become a new wet bar.

Be creative and have fun as you work, and you will find that there are ample ways to make budget decorating work for you – and your finances.