Home Decorating on a Budget

When times are tough and money’s tight, decorating your home may be put on the back burner. But if you’re anything like me, not decorating your home may drive you up your un-painted walls. I mean, really, the beauty that exists in your home can be a catalyst for creativity, peace and calm. So what do you do if you want to decorate but have a limited budget? Let’s take a look at a few ways to stretch the dollar while beautifying your home, including painting, purchasing on the cheap and using some tried-and-true decorating tips.

Paint It!

First, let’s take a look at one of my all-time favorite low-cost decorating tips: painting. Not just limited to walls (although twenty dollars in wall paint can open up a whole room…), paint can transform almost anything. Furniture, knick-knacks and even cheap plastic décor items can be transformed into gorgeous centerpieces for your home.

The trick to this time-honored decorating tip is to allow yourself to imagine found items in a new color. For example, when you spy a rusty grate at a garage sale, you may need to let loose your creative juices to imagine the antique piece spray-painted a bright blue and hung on your wall.

Find It!

While we’re on the subject of found items, let’s look at some of the best places to find cheap decorating items. As mentioned above, garage sales are loaded with finds, but many other places are also chock full of decorating goodness. Flea markets, Goodwill, antique stores, auctions and dime stores are a few of the low-cost places to frequent. You may also luck out and find some free “shops”: check in with friends and family to see if they are downsizing collections soon or to see if they have any garages or barns free for the picking.

One caution to all of these places: it does take a little treasure hunting. Be prepared to visit many sales or stores to find a great piece. Also, being open-minded about the items you eventually take home can help you discover rusty gold that you may have passed up before.

Place It!

Once you have found your treasured items and cleaned them or painted them, placing them in your home can be a little tricky. If this is the case, a few decorating tips can help. First, pairing like items together can make a varied collection appear more cohesive. Second, decorating in threes is almost always eye-appealing; group three items of varying heights together to make the most impact. Third, don’t be afraid to try new things; placing an item in a surprising location can become a conversation piece.

Decorating doesn’t have to cost mega-bucks. With a little time, patience and creativity, you can find some perfect items that will add a little pizazz to your home. So hit those garage sales and spray paint aisles for your most beautiful home yet!

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