In these budget balancing, penny pinching times it’s important to watch what you spend and where you spend it, but that doesn’t mean you have to skip decorating projects, just get creative. The following 10 decorating tips give you home interior options that are wallet friendly and house happy.
Move It Around
One of the best ways to save money while decorating is playing with what you’ve already got. Start moving things around and rearranging your home. Rather than simply rearranging a room do the whole house, move your living room armchair to your bedroom. Swap out lamps. Give an old side table new life by pulling it front and center. The key is thinking about your home and the items in it in a new way.
In with the Old
Another way to take advantage of what you already have is to give it a new purpose. Look through your stored treasures and see what you forgot you owned. Maybe you’ll find an old chair that simply needs reupholstering, a table that needs a fresh coat of paint, or mismatched heirlooms that can be put together to create an interesting centerpiece.
Classic not Trendy
By purchasing major pieces that are classic in style, color, and form you’ll save money by having to replace them less often. These are items that you should spend a little more on and make sure they’re high quality pieces. Initially this isn’t a budget friendly concept but in the long run you’ll save a lot.
Small Trendy Touches
Keep your trendy items small, inexpensive and easily replaceable. By keeping your trendy side to a minimum you won’t be laying out large sums when the whim of style swings in another direction.
Shop the Sales
Abandon the instant gratification notion and start shopping sales. Actually, there are so many sales happening in this economic environment that it’s hard to miss them. Do your research and make sure you’re getting the best deal around.
Shop Other Sales
Don’t limit yourself to retail outlets, search garage sales, flea markets and estate sales to find great deals on someone else’s old treasures. Keep an open mind, you may not find a Seymour mahogany card table worth hundreds of thousands, but you may find a nice sturdy end table that with a good cleaning or a fresh coat of paint would make a perfect addition to your home.
Go Online
Shop sales online as they often feature items that your local stores may not carry. There are also great auction sites like craigslist.org and freecycle.com that may have pieces that you’re looking for and others are looking to unload.
Make it Yourself
Okay, it’s doubtful that you’ll start making your own furniture (although it could happen) but you can learn to make your own curtains, add decorative touches to lampshades, knit your own throw blankets, hook a rug. There are a lot of ways to add your own handy touches to your home décor and not only will it cost you less but you’ll have something that you can feel proud about.
Paint It
Paint is actually pretty cheap so start using it liberally. Paint your walls, the ceiling, furniture, floor cloths, picture frames, and anything else that catches your fancy. One coat of paint on the walls can instantly change the look and feel of your home while giving your old furniture a new lease on life.
Use the Environment
Take a cue from Mother Nature and dress up your home with beautiful fresh cut flowers and luscious leafy plants. Frame leaves and use a simple decorative paper as the matt, press and dry flowers and use spray adhesive to attach them to heavy paper, then label them in your own script. Fill glass jars with collections from the world around you, shells, worn stones, pine cones, acorns, anything you can come up with. You may not think of an acorn as an accessory item, but a tall thin glass vase filled with them suddenly becomes an inexpensive decorative touch.
The real key to saving money when decorating your home is to think outside the box. Don’t get caught up in the trends but create your own with elbow grease, patience and shopping savvy.
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