During these tough economic times, our instinct is to limit our spending to the bare necessities. While we should indeed be more frugal, clipping coupons and downsizing are not the only methods for saving money. We can also find ways to save a pile of money when decorating a finished basement. Here are some tips to beautify your basement without breaking the bank!

Do more with less

Decorating your finished basement can cost a little money or even nothing at all! You could simply paint large surfaces in your basement, with light hues. You could place some live or artificial plants, lamps, contemporary wall art clocks, or area rugs in the room. You could even simply reorganize the furniture in your basement! The bottom line is that not only can you avoid spending a fortune when decorating your finished basement, but you can also do it without spending a tremendous amount of time and effort!

Instead of buying new décor for your basement try a thrifty approach with some paint, fabric and affordable decorative touches. While paint and upholstery will cost some money, remember that they are less costly than buying a new chair or sofa! And if your family will be saving money by spending more time at home and less time at restaurants and movies, having a fun and comfortable gathering place may be well worth the small amount you spend.

Consider these thrifty alternatives:

• Reupholster an old sofa or couch to make it like new again
• Sew cushions and throw pillows from fabric remnants
• Add a new finish to wood furniture
• Paint old furniture to give it a face-lift or to complement a room’s color scheme
• Paint the walls in a light, bright tone and add table lamps, wall sconces and recessed lighting to illuminate the space.
• Use mirrors to make the room seem larger and hang wall art built around a favorite theme, whether your family loves fishing of hockey. Use your sports equipment, such as skis, tennis rackets or hockey sticks, as part of the decor.

Make it Personal

• Do your hobbies include crafting? The basement is a wonderful place to display your creations. If you are a painter, then you can decorate your basement by creating an “exhibit” of your various works. If you enjoy pottery, then you can turn your basement into a museum of sorts, using shelves and cabinets to display different types of pottery that you’ve created. And if you enjoy quilting, then you can paint the basement walls a neutral color, and proudly hang and display your works. Whatever your craft, use your basement to share it with your family and friends.

• A basement is the perfect place for a sports room because it keeps the noise of games and rowdy fans away from the rest of the home. Transform the room using a sports theme, just as you would other rooms of the house. Paint the ceiling and walls in your favorite team’s colors. You can also hang up framed sports-themed pictures and pennants on the wall, in order to add some pizzazz to the room. Display sports trophies, ribbons and medals from family members.

• If you and your family enjoy games, then transform your basement into a game room. You can paint your favorite board game onto one of the walls. You could even paint enlarged board game pieces onto the wall. Simply draw the game pieces onto a piece of paper, project them onto the wall, trace them on the wall with a pencil and fill in with paint.

You can easily transform your basement into a comfortable room that everyone can enjoy. All you need to add is ambient lighting, a sofa, some soft carpeting, and some electronics for entertainment. In fact, you probably already have most of these items, or you can pick them up for very little. Discount stores, antique stores, garage sale, resale shops and online decor websites are great resources for finding decorative accessories at bargain prices.

All text copyright Shanel. Photo from Flikr - "Parsonage Basement is nice and clean" courtesy of Collin Anderson.